A free speech defender and lawyer who has represented imprisoned journalists, Nasrin Sotoudeh, was arrested on 5 September on charges of anti-government propaganda and conspiring against the regime after responding to a summons from a revolutionary...
CATEGORY: Middle East and North Africa
Iraq inquiry: Campbell propaganda unit wrote early WMD dossier
New evidence points to the spin doctor’s influence on the case for the Iraq war. Chris Ames reports
Iran: Three newspapers closed and one journalist sentenced
Three newspapers have been closed and a jail sentence has been imposed on one journalist in the past few days. The Commission for Press Authorisation and Surveillance, the censorship arm of the ministry of culture and Islamic orientation, has...
Iran: New wave of censorship just a drop in the ocean
Prohibitions on reporting on green movement leaders are just the latest restrictions imposed by the Islamic Republic. Negar Esfandiary reports
YouTube should let Iranians speak
The video-sharing website has wrongly barred Iranians from its documentary experiment, Life in a Day, because of US sanctions.
Negar Esfandiary reports
Online protest: power to the people?
Index on Censorship’s Mike Harris took part in a discussion on the use of social media and protest at the Frontline Club on Tuesday night with Sina Motalebi of BBC Persian TV, Sunny Hundal of Liberal Conspiracy, Benjamin Chesterton of Duckrabbit, and Mexico Reporter founder Deborah Bonello
Egypt: TV programmes censored during Ramadan
The television censorship committee in Egypt has decided to delete scenes deemed inappropriate from television dramas such as Al Aar and Al Haijah Zahra that will be aired during the month of Ramadan. Scenes considered inappropriate include those...
Iran: Ayatollah Khamenei says no to music
Iran's supreme leader and cleric, Ayatollah Khamenei released a statement claiming that learning and teaching music are "not compatible" with Islamic laws and values. According to Fars news agency, he said: "It's better that our dear youth spend...
Iraq inquiry stuck in a quagmire
The Chilcot investigation may know the truth about the build up to the war, but it is unable to reveal all, says Chris Ames
Kuwait: Ban pornographic sites on BlackBerry
Kuwait has asked BlackBerry's Canadian maker RIM to block pornographic sites though they will not suspend the messenger services like their Gulf neighbours. RIM have agreed to block 3,000 porn sites and have promised to do so by the end of this...