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Escaping Afghanistan was painful but staying meant silence – or worse
As an exiled journalist, I urge the UK government to provide real protection for those forced to flee their countries for telling the truth
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Death by a thousand cuts in Hong Kong
It’s been five years since the National Security Law was passed: how much has freedom of expression deteriorated in China’s special administrative ...
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The gravest threat facing Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalists so far
Broadcasters at the US-funded radio station have often been targeted by the authoritarian regimes they cover. Donald Trump now has them in his sights
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The world’s “coolest dictator” is ruthlessly opposed to free speech
Under Nayib Bukele, El Salvador has the highest global incarceration rate
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The week in free expression: 14-20 June 2025
Index rounds up of some of the key stories covering censorship and free expression from the past seven days
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Spotlight: Five years of National Security Law in Hong Kong
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Death by a thousand cuts in Hong Kong
It’s been five years since the National Security Law was passed: how much has freedom of expression deteriorated in China’s special administrative ...
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Tiananmen’s Zhou Fengsuo and the Hong Kong democracy movement’s Nathan Law: Always looking behind
Index spoke to two prominent Chinese dissidents about their experiences of moving abroad to protect themselves from persecution
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Hong Kong’s travesty of a show trial begins
The Hong Kong 47 are now on trial. There is nothing free or fair about this
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The human face and the boot
The celebrated author reflects on the terrible legacy of the Chinese Communist Party in its centenary year
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MAGAZINE
LATEST ISSUE: VOLUME 54.01 SPRING 2025
The forgotten patients: Lost voices in the global healthcare system
Modern medicine is a wonderful thing. Before Edward Jenner’s development of the smallpox vaccination in 1796, infectious diseases and viruses killed millions. The introduction of anaesthetic gases during surgical procedures in 1846 eliminated the excruciating pain of surgery. And before Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin in 1928, people died unnecessarily from cuts and grazes.
But the benefits of modern medicine are not felt equally around the world. In this issue, we explore the forgotten patients in global healthcare settings – the marginalised groups who fall through the cracks or are actively shut out of healthcare provision, then ignored or silenced when they raise concerns.
Just like free speech, healthcare is an indisputable human right. But for many around the globe, both these rights are being removed in conjunction with each other. Through telling their stories, this edition aims to shine a light on these injustices and – we hope – empower more people to speak up for the right to health for themselves and others.
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Index commissions censored and exiled artists from around the world to illustrate our magazine covers and feature stories. You can view some of their work here