An appeal for Catholic newspaper The Herald to be allowed to print the word Allah in its Malaysian edition has been turned down. Tom Francis writes
Malaysia: The newspaper that can’t print “Allah”
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CATEGORY: Religion and Culture
Poland: Dissident theatre director fired by city mayor
Ewa Wojciak and The Theatre of the Eighth Day speak out against injustices. It’s deplorable that they should be repressed by the authorities of their city, writes Index contributor Tomasz Kitlinski
Padraig Reidy: What is the alternative to boycott?
The concept of boycotts, and particularly cultural and academic boycotts, have for a long time been problematic for people engaged in the promotion of free expression.
Padraig Reidy: Blasphemy laws protect only power, never people
Religious persecution is real, and should be fought. Freedom of belief is a basic right. But blasphemy laws protect only power, and never people.
Singing for Mali and the right to music
Malian band Songhoy Blues spoke to a London audience about the challenges musicians face in their country, where music has been banned by a local armed Islamist group in the north of the country since 2012
Cancellation of play causes furore in Poland
The Polish theatre scene has been rocked by controversy since late June after the cancellation of Golgota Picnic, a show by the Argentinian theatre maker Rodrigo Garcìa that had previously aroused protest in France. Jeff James writes
Brazil’s Luiz Ruffato: “We must defend freedom under any circumstance”
While researching Brazil’s legislation called the biographies’ law, Index on Censorship’s Brazil contibutor Simone Marques spoke to award-winning Brazilian author Luiz Ruffato, whose works include acclaimed novel They Were Many Horses.
Padraig Reidy: When truth is stranger than fiction
Three years ago this week, David Cameron announced that a public inquiry into phone hacking would be set up, under the guidance of Lord Justice Leveson. It may be difficult to imagine now, but this was generally seen as a positive step.
Brazil’s banned biographies: When public figures want to control the message
With the World Cup in the rear view mirror, our contributor Simone Marques, explores the battle over censorship of unauthorised biographies and the last minute amendment that could cause more trouble for free expression in Brazil.
Jodie Ginsberg: The new dissidents
In 1977, the Russian dissident Alexander Ginzburg — whose detention and sentencing almost a decade earlier helped to spur the creation of Index on Censorship — was again arrested by the Soviet authorities.