The novelist shares his memories of the aftermath of the assassination of then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and its devastating impact on the country’s Sikh citizens
Jaspreet Singh: Ghosts of 1984
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CATEGORY: Asia and Pacific
Stricter and subtler: how China has ramped up instant messaging censorship
The chat application LINE has strengthened its censorship methods in mainland China by targeting phrases and word combinations.
China: Chen Xiwo banned book published in English
Chen Xiwo, described as “one of China’s most outspoken voices on freedom of expression for writers” by Asia Sentinel, has spoken about how he challenged the Chinese government’s decision to censor his latest book ahead of its launch in English.
India: Frontline Freespeech Workshop, 24 Sept
Index on Censorship in association with the Digital Empowerment Foundation, India, invite you to a workshop to launch Frontline Freespeech, a pilot project seeking to amplify the voice of individuals under pressure.
India’s Modi bypasses mainstream media and takes to Twitter
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s penchant for using social media to address the public directly has apparently caused a rift with India’s mainstream press. Mahima Kaul reports
Malaysia: The newspaper that can’t print “Allah”
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
Combatting the Snowden Effect: National interest and media freedom in Australia
A piece of proposed legislation in the senate in Australia is attempting to wrestle with the legacy of the Snowden leaks with potential implications for media freedom. Nicholas Williams reports
Are India’s internet laws ready for the digital age?
The Global Network Initiative and the Internet and Mobile Association of India have launched an interactive slide show exploring how IndiaÂ’’s internet and technology laws are holding back economic innovation and freedom of 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.
Pakistan’s complicated media freedom threats
Pakistan’s journalists are daily confronted with a bleak statistic: Since 1992, 30 journalists have been murdered in Pakistan; 28 with impunity. Milana Knezevic reports
Thailand: Can the junta deliver on promises to “bring back happiness”?
The junta’s message to the public is, don’t worry about the abrogation of human rights, freedom of assembly and the clampdown on the media, writes Tom McGregor
India’s social media “peace force”
Indians have organised online to stop social media postings looking to incite communal tension. Will it work, and is it a threat to free expression? Mahima Kaul reports
