Scottish Anti-SLAPP Summit

8 Jan 2024

This conference hosted by Index on Censorship, the University of Glasgow and Justice for Journalists Foundation will bring together lawyers, journalists, experts and campaigners to learn more about the SLAPPs landscape in Scotland, identify the gaps in Scots Law and explore what we can do to protect Scotland’s courts from abuse.

It will also feature a keynote presentation from Paul Radu, the co-founder of the Organised Crime & Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), which has reported widely on the impact of corruption and abuses of power on democracies across the globe. As a result, they have been threatened numerous times, including in London, where Radu himself had to defend himself against a sitting Azerbaijani MP. He will talk about how this has impacted his team’s work, as well as the innovative ways public watchdogs can protect themselves.

Also joining us will also be a number of people targeted in Scotland, including an anti-fish farm campaigner who has been prevented from scrutinising fish farms off the coast of Scotland by an interdict secured by a multinational company and a former MSP who was sued for writing about the claims made by a conservation project.

We hope you will join this session that looks to ensure Scotland has the protections in place to ensure all public interest speech is protected. Only by moving against SLAPPs can we ensure Scotland values and protects free expression for everyone who speaks out.

Book your free ticket here.

Woman Life Freedom with Malu Halasa & Ramita Navai

12 Sep 2023

Wednesday 4 October, London

Lessons from Iran one year on from Mahsa Amini’s death – with Saqi Books and Hatchards Piccadilly

BOOK TICKETS HERE

Join Malu Halasa and Ramita Navai at Hatchards Piccadilly for an event chaired by Index on Censorship editor-in-chief Jemimah Steinfeld to celebrate the launch of “Woman Life Freedom”.

The murder of Mahsa Amini on 16 September 2022 by Iran’s morality police sent shockwaves throughout the country. Protests led by women spread to ninety cities in all of Iran’s provinces. Videos on social media showed women in the streets with their hair uncovered, burning headscarves and even cutting their own long hair. Men soon joined the protests. Schoolgirls defaced portraits of religious leaders. Cries of Zan Zendegi Azadi in Farsi – Woman Life Freedom – echoed in mass demonstrations, which continue today. Woman Life Freedom captures this historic moment in artwork and first-person accounts by courageous women, including those too scared to reveal their true identities because of a repressive and vindictive regime. Featuring art, music and photography from the protests, this moving and inspiring anthology exposes hardship, hope and empowerment in modern-day Iran.

As part of the launch of Woman Life Freedom, this event will discuss the Iran protests over the last year and will ask what has happened. With reports of the morality police back on the streets and protesters locked away, some even executed, what positive change has occurred, if any? The event will also launch Index’s Autumn Magazine, which covers the rise of the religious right, religious blasphemy and its impact on freedom of expression, with a focus on Iran amongst other countries.

All welcome!

Tickets include £5 off the price of Woman Life Freedom purchased this evening and a free copy of Index on Censorship’s magazine. Book your tickets here today.

Those Left Behind: A Night for Afghan Journalists

23 Jun 2023

Journalism under the Taliban is a perilous journey where truth becomes a beacon of defiance, and every word carries the weight of resistance.

Since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, Afghanistan has plunged into an era of darkness and fear, with journalists bearing the brunt of oppression and censorship. In their relentless pursuit of uncovering the truth, these brave journalists face constant threats, intimidation and violence, forcing them into hiding and silencing their voices.

Index on Censorship and AnotherWay Now invite you to join us on 20th July for a powerful evening highlighting the challenges faced by journalists from Afghanistan. Through an impactful testimony screening and a panel discussion, we will provide a platform for the journalists who are still working under Taliban rule to share their stories, their challenges and their unwavering commitment to the pursuit of truth.

Joining us on the panel will be Zahra Joya, a journalist from Afghanistan and founder of Rukhshana Media, and Emma Graham-Harrison, Senior International Affairs Correspondent for The Guardian & The Observer. The discussion will be chaired by the Bafta-nominated presenter Keme Nzerem.

This event is not only an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the situation in Afghanistan but also a call to action. We firmly believe that by uniting our voices, raising awareness and advocating for press freedom, we can make a difference in the lives of these journalists.

This event is free but booking is essential. Get your ticket here.

Venue: The Chapel, Kings College London

Agenda:

6:30 PM Doors open

7:00 PM Panel discussion

8:00 PM – 9:00 PM Drinks reception

This event is part of a larger initiative to raise funds for a network of Afghan journalists. Not able to make the event but want to support the cause? Click here to donate.

Banned by Beijing: Calling out transnational repression through art

21 Jun 2023

Making art is a defining and treasured trait of being human. Its story is not only weaved into the that of humankind but showcases its essence and wonder - spiritual, philosophical, functional, decorative, conceptual. It is utterly human. A string of ignominious episodes in history tell of those who recognised the unique power of creative expression and sought to crush it. Again and again, it’s been judged an enemy of subjugation and a mortal danger to despots.

A clear case is the Chinese Communist Party’s repression of its peoples’ right to freedom of expression. This has been widely documented, from the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre and the more recent Uyghur genocide in Xinjiang to the countless number of writers and artists locked up in jails or under house arrest.

However, few realise that its ceaseless attempts to stifle all criticism of the party and country extend beyond its borders, including into Europe. According to Freedom House, the CCP is currently conducting the most sophisticated, global campaign of transnational repression in the world.

The aim of this exhibition is to highlight the CCP’s transnational repression in Europe by and through the works and stories of dissident artists. It aims not only to warn but also to celebrate those who, whilst in
forced exile, keep facing down the long arm of censorship with the vigour of artistic expression.

Curator:

Euchar Gravina, Artistic Director at St John’s Waterloo, in collaboration with the artists and Index on Censorship. Produced by: Index on Censorship and St John’s Waterloo.

 

Artists:

Badiucao is a Chinese-Australian artists and human rights defender. As well as being subject to harassment and smear campaigns, he has faced multiple efforts to censor his work, including in the Czech Republic, Italy, and most recently, in Poland.

 

Lumli Lumlong are a husband and wife painting duo, whose artwork focuses on social issues, particularly human rights and authoritarianism. They left Hong Kong for the UK in the summer of 2021 after they were accused by the press of promoting Hong Kong independence. Their book, “Liberation of Art”, has been banned in Hong Kong. Even while in Europe, they have been subject to efforts to intimidate them and interfere with their work.

vawongsir is a cartoonist and former secondary school visual arts teacher in Hong Kong. He created cartoons reflecting the 2019 protests that were widely shared by the Hong Kong community at home and abroad. In 2020, he faced disciplinary action over a series of political cartoons deemed “inappropriate” by the Education Bureau in Hong Kong. He continues to make and share art about Hong Kong in exile.

The exhibition:

1. Lumli Lumlong: The Publisher (2016) (oil on canvas, 92cm x 72cm)

2. Lumlong: Scale Man (2011) (oil on canvas, 125cm x 200cm)

3. Lumli: Tank Man (2014) (oil on canvas, 125cm x 200cm)

4. vawongsir: from The Speechless Series (print on foamboard, 29.7cm x 29.7cm)

5. Lumli Lumlong: The Zipper (2012) (oil on canvas, 200cm x 125cm)

6. vawongsir: from The Speechless Series (print on foamboard, 29.7cm x 29.7cm)

7. vawongsir: from The Speechless Series (print on foamboard, 29.7cm x 29.7cm)

8. right: Lumli: The Brainwashed (2012) (oil on canvas, 92cm x 73cm)
left: Lumlong: National Education (2012) (oil on canvas, 51cm x 41cm)

9. Badiucao: The prisoner of umbrella Joshua Huang 雨伞囚犯 (print on foamboard, 36cm x 29.7cm)

10. Lumli Lumlong: Red Brick Wall People (2022) (oil on canvas, 200cm x 125cm)

11. Lumli Lumlong: Thousand Hands Man (2019) (oil on canvas, 200cm x 125cm)

12. right: Badiucao: “#A4REVOLUTION CHINA” (print on foamboard, 42cm x 29.7cm)
left: Badiucao: “Wulumuqi Rd.(M)” (print on foamboard, 42cm x 29.7cm)
Badiucao: “#A4REVOLUTION CHINA” (print on foamboard, 42cm x 29.7cm)

13. Lumli Lumlong: Apple Man (2023) (oil on canvas, 92cm x 73cm)

14. right: Badiucao: “XI IS WATCHING YOU” (print on foamboard, 42cm x 29.7cm)
left: vawongsir: from The Speechless Series (print on foamboard, 29.7cm x 29.7cm)

15. right: Badiucao: Devouring II (print on foamboard, 39cm x 29.7cm)
left: Badiucao: Devouring I (print on foamboard, 39cm x 29.7cm)

16. right: Lumli Lumlong: Hong Kong Fooide (2023) (oil on canvas, 51cm x 41cm)
left: Lumli Lumlong: Hidden Agenda (2023) (oil on canvas, 41cm x 51cm)

17. Badiucao: “FREE UYGHURS” (print on foamboard, 42cm x 29.7cm)

With China becoming an increasingly dominant world power, there is growing evidence that an emboldened Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is employing a range of tools aimed at pressuring or manipulating those beyond its borders to respect – or even align with – the CCP’s political agenda. Examples are numerous, but include demands made to a French history museum to remove certain words from its exhibition about Mongol emperor Genghis Khan in 2020. The exhibition did not end up going ahead.

Banned by Beijing seeks to raise awareness of the CCP’s subversion of freedom of expression in Europe by creating a repository of reports and articles on the issue, and by providing a platform to those who are most affected by transnational repression

“I never feel the freedom that I wanted. I never feel such freedom because of a chain-like thing from China on my neck.” - Anonymous (Germany) in an interview with Index on Censorship

“I never thought people would get censored in Europe. I never thought that China would have such a long arm to choke someone’s throat. You cannot see it physically, but you know it’s there.”- Nyrola Elimä (Sweden) in an interview with Index on Censorship

“After I started speaking out and I became more prominent in the news, the first form of intimidation was in an email in Uyghur, which told me to ‘stay put or else.’” - Alerk Ablikim (Netherlands) in an interview with Index on Censorship

“France is of course much freer than China, but it is less ideal than I thought. How to protect the freedom of the individual, including that of the artist, when the limits of government power are ever expanding, is a question for the whole world.” - Chiang Seeta (France) in an interview with Index on Censorship

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