22 Oct 2025 | Azerbaijan, Balochistan, Bangladesh, Belarus, China, Europe and Central Asia, Georgia, Georgia, Germany, India, Israel, Kazakhstan, Magazine Contents, Myanmar, North Korea, Palestine, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Volume 54.03 Autumn 2025, Yemen
Contents
It is difficult to spend a day without using artificial intelligence.
Whether we look up a fact on Google or use our car’s navigation system, AI is helping to guide us. AI is not human, but is increasingly taking on human characteristics. Want to write a five-year strategy for work? AI can give you the structure. A text to the lover you’re breaking up with, ChatGPT is on hand with the perfect choice of words. Even as I compose this editor’s letter in a Word document, the sinisterly named Copilot – Microsoft’s AI assistant – is hovering in the margin with the tantalising offer that it could do a better job.
So what does it all mean for free expression? We asked a range of writers to explore themes around censorship and AI for this latest issue, and the result is fascinating. Kate Devlin delves into griefbots which are essentially deepfakes of dead people – often with all their unpleasant characteristics removed.
Innocent enough but in the wrong hands they are pernicious. A country’s political hero can be resurrected to encourage causes they would have disavowed were they alive. Ruth Green looks at whether AI has free speech.
In a recent US lawsuit, the owner of a chatbot which had been talking to a teenager, in a sexualised way, before he killed himself, argued that the bot’s communications were covered by the First Amendment. Luckily the judge threw the case out.
Meanwhile Timandra Harkness examines how AI can trawl social media to discover every word you’ve ever written.
Up Front
Truth, trust & tricksters in the age of AI: Sally Gimson
Artificial intelligence is here to stay, but is free expression at risk?
The Index: Mark Stimpson
The latest in the world of free expression, including travel bans for artists and the ongoing trial of Jimmy Lai
Features
Strength in numbers: Antonia Langford
Burmese artist Sai thought he was safe in Thailand, until the censors came knocking
Jailed for criticising the royal family: Tyrell Haberkorn Sophon “Get” Suratitthamrong
A Thai student protester sends letters from prison
Midnight trek to Georgia: Will Neal
A journalist tries to return to Georgia, after being smeared by its government
The trauma of being Lukashenka’s prisoner: Jana Paliashchuk
A sit-down with released Belarusian political prisoners, including Siarhei Tsikhanouski
Caught in the middle: Akbar Notezai
The murder of a journalist has further restricted the media in Balochistan
Reports of Urdu’s death are greatly exaggerated: Nilosree Biswas
Urdu is thriving among young people
The Squid Game effect: Katie Dancey-Downs
K-drama might be the greatest weapon against the North Korean regime
We’re blaming everybody: Laura Silvia Battaglia
Yemeni women take over a poignant location, and refuse to be silenced
A journalist’s life in Yemen: Khalid Mohamed
The reporters holding the line while under fire
Without more women in power, the regime can force its patriarchal agenda: Emily Couch
A picture of feminism in Kazakhstan
Erasing secularism: Rishabh Jain
Bangladesh is at a crossroads, and religious freedom is under threat
Special Report: Truth, trust & tricksters: Free expression in the age of AI
Is AI friend or foe?: Kenneth Cukier
The future of free thought is in the hands of big tech
The ghost in the machine: Kate Devlin
Awakening the dead might have implications for free speech
I, robot?: Ruth Green
Should AI bots enjoy free speech protections?
The dark side of AI adoption in Turkey: Kaya Genç
Dissidents could be at increased risk, if President Erdoğan has a hand in shaping technology
Deepfake it to make it: Danson Kahyana
Uganda has a new way to sow seeds of doubt about its critics
History is being written by the AI victors: Salil Tripathi
An age-old problem, with new technological capabilities
Digging in the (social media) dirt: Timandra Harkness
Could your old tweets be your downfall?
A new frontier of American propaganda: Mackenzie Argent
Trump is on a mission to meme America great again
Comment
Blown to pieces: how the UK government’s Muslim policy unravelled: Martin Bright
We need to talk about extremism
Freedom of speech needs freedom of thought: Maria Sorensen
The first defence against dictatorships? Free thinking
What’s the story?: Nadim Sadek, Toby Litt, Anna Ganley
Three writers discuss whether artificial intelligence will help or hinder literature
The rise of the useful idiot: Jemimah Steinfeld
Apologists and the wilfully ignorant. Just how dangerous are they?
The women silenced by the law: Jessica Ní Mhainín
Lawsuits are being wielded by the powerful to keep victims quiet
Culture
Killing the messenger: Peter Laufer, Mackenzie Argent
A new book hands the megaphone to journalists in danger
The Missing Palestinians: Martha Otwinowski
Germany’s painful past is haunting its cultural institutions
The pity of war: Stephen Komarnyckyj
Preserving the memory of Ukraine’s poets, killed in Russia’s war
Cry God for Larry!: Simon Callow, Laurence Olivier
The actor shares his memories of Laurence Olivier
Frozen feud: Baia Pataraia
What it means to pose a threat to the Georgian government
26 Jul 2024 | Asia and Pacific, Bangladesh, News and features, Newsletters
In the air above Natun Bazaar in Dhaka last Friday, a helicopter swept over protesters. Not to monitor or to film, but to shoot at them. This is according to on-the-ground BBC reporters, who described the area as resembling a war zone. There is some dispute as to whether the helicopters just fired tear gas, sound grenades and rubber bullets or whether live rounds were also used.
The freedom of expression implications of the recent violent situation in Bangladesh are numerous, and in some cases pretty obvious. For starters, many young people have been killed for taking part in street protests. Students who set out to raise their voices against a policy from the governing Awami League are facing police and military violence. They have now been put under curfew and police given shoot-on-sight orders. Emergency rooms are overwhelmed as more and more people have been swept up in the violence with around 200 people reported killed and thousands more injured. Two of those people who died were journalists, Hasan Mehedi from the Dhaka Times and ATM Turab from the newspaper Dainik Naya Diganta.
All the while, another popular weapon in every authoritarian’s arsenal has come into play: the classic internet blackout. A lot can happen when communications networks are closed down and Bangladesh has seen some particularly horrifying examples. The service has now been partially restored, but for five days people were left in the dark. We know from past experience that an internet and mobile shutdown means there’s no way to check loved ones are safe, no way to look at maps to get to safety and no way to call an ambulance. Journalists are unable to report on what is happening and misinformation is given the space to run wild. The excuse for internet shutdowns is always that they “quell violence”, but they make everyone’s lives more dangerous and mean the state can act without oversight or accountability
What is quite incredible is the narrative being set by the Awami League. A side note here: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been in power for four consecutive terms, and the latest election came with a side order of arrests of opposition figures. Bangladesh is also one of the most corrupt countries in the world and getting worse according to Transparency International.
Anyway, head to the Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) website, the national news agency of Bangladesh (read: propaganda outlet for the government) and the current story has a very different angle. In an article yesterday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina referred to the “anarchists who went on rampage for multiple days” and said she is “seeking justice from the masses”. Just two hours later, another article arrived — a government minster declared that “Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would take responsibilities for the families of the people killed in recent nationwide mayhem”. He blamed the “arson terrorism” on the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, the county’s largest Islamist party.
Amid the sparse reports on the violence, there are few photos of the clashes. The Awami League gives a performance of compassion for dead students, while blaming their deaths on the BNP and Jamaat and not on government action
The leading English language newspaper in Bangladesh, The Daily Star, which is non-partisan, republished chunks from one of the BSS articles, with no additional context or comment, and then, perhaps bravely, published an opinion piece calling the excessive use of force against protesters “unconscionable” – published with a delay due to the internet shutdown. Another opinion article describes the protesters as rioters. Leading independent newspaper Prothom Alo has been covering the violence too, including comments from UN Secretary General spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric that people must be allowed to “protest peacefully, regardless of where they are protesting, without fear of arrest, injury or worse”.
There is independent media in Bangladesh. Just don’t look at the TV news channels, because you won’t find it there. But there are several problems. First, according to sources we’ve spoken with, a huge number of people are compromised, with connections either to the Awami League or the BNP. Secondly, journalists who criticise the ruling party put themselves in very real danger. They risk coming under fire from the Cyber Security Act, facing years in prison for publishing what’s deemed anti-Bangladesh propaganda. And they risk violent attacks from both Awami League supporters and religious fundamentalists. That cannot be a good recipe for media freedom. Third, ordinary people are afraid to speak out.
To that end, finding brave, independent journalists free from political influence is no mean feat. So, if you are in fact a young Bangladeshi journalist, blogger or videographer that is committed to fair reporting, we’d be pleased to make your acquaintance. Please get in touch.
8 Mar 2024 | Colombia, Iran, Lebanon, Mexico, News and features, Opinion, Ruth's blog, Sudan, Sudan, Syria
Today is International Women's Day. It’s a day that inspires huge optimism in me. A day that reminds me of the extraordinary ability of women to lead, to challenge and to win - in spite of the odds, which in some countries can seem insurmountable.
But is it also important that we recognise a stark reality on IWD - this day cannot be truly marked without acknowledging the suffering and sacrifice endured by female dissidents worldwide in their relentless pursuit of freedom of expression.
While International Women’s Day traditionally serves as a platform to honour the achievements and progress of women, there is a responsibility on us to shine a spotlight on those whose voices have been silenced, whose courage has been met with oppression, and whose sacrifices have been monumental in the fight for justice and equality.
The stories of these brave women, from every corner of the globe, are not just anecdotes - they are testaments to the enduring struggle for fundamental human rights.
In the past twelve months alone, we have witnessed a staggering number of brave women who dared to challenge the status quo, only to meet untimely and tragic ends. Their names may not echo through the halls of power, but their legacies will forever reverberate in the annals of history.
Halima Idris Salim, Mossamat Sahara, Farah Omar, Vivian Silver, Ángela León, Olga Nazarenko, Maria Bernadete Pacífico, Armita Geravand, Tinashe Chitsunge, Samantha Gómez Fonseca, Rose Mugarurirwe, Heba Suhaib Haj Arif, Ludivia Galindez, Bahjaa Abdelaa Abdelaa, Teresa Magueyal - these are not just names on a list. They are beacons of courage, symbols of resistance in the face of tyranny and oppression.
From Sudan to Bangladesh, Lebanon to Canada, these women hailed from different corners of the globe, united by a common cause: the pursuit of justice. Whether they were journalists, activists, or ordinary citizens, they refused to be silenced. They refused to cower in the face of adversity.
In authoritarian regimes, the price of dissent is often paid in blood. Every day, countless women are harassed, detained, and murdered for daring to speak out against injustice.
Their names may never make headlines, but their sacrifices will not be forgotten. On International Women’s Day, let us heed the theme of Inspire Inclusion and draw inspiration from these courageous women. Let us honour their memory by continuing their fight for a world where freedom of expression is not just a privilege, but a fundamental human right.
We need to remember that the courage and sacrifice of women dissidents cannot be relegated to a single day of recognition. Their stories must remain forefront in our minds every day. We must commit to amplifying their voices, advocating for their rights, and standing in solidarity with them against oppression. Their fight is ongoing, and it is our responsibility to ensure that they are never forgotten.
4 Sep 2018 | Bangladesh, Campaigns -- Featured, Statements
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image="102127" img_size="full" add_caption="yes"][vc_column_text]We, the undersigned hereby call for the immediate and unconditional release of the renowned photographer, artist, teacher, curator and human rights activist Shahidul Alam.
Dr Alam was arrested on 5 August 2018 by around 30-35 members of the detective branch of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police who dragged him away by force. Alam’s crime, we are told, is to have contravened the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act. Described as “draconian” by Human Rights Watch, the act has become an infamous means of clamping down on freedom of expression in Bangladesh.
Dr Alam has been accused of hurting “the image of the nation” through comments he made on social media and in an interview with Al Jazeera in which he was critical of the Bangladesh government. His observations were triggered by violence he witnessed towards students who gathered to protest in Dhaka after two of their number were killed by a speeding bus.
Given that Bangladesh presents itself as a democracy, the state should respect the right of Dr Alam, and all other citizens, to freedom of expression. Instead, he has suffered inhumane treatment at the hands of the police and judicial system.
The morning after his arrest, 6 August 2018, he was produced in court. Film footage shows police dragging him by his arms. He is barefoot, limping and struggling to walk. Both the film and reports from his lawyers who later met
with him in custody leave no doubt that he has been tortured. During his court appearance, he shouted to observers that he had been assaulted, forced to wear the same clothes after the blood had been washed from them, and
threatened with further violence if he didn’t testify as directed.
The court returned him to police custody ostensibly on a 7-day remand.
However, the day before he was officially due back in court, the judge sent him to prison. Neither Alam nor his lawyer was present at this hearing. His lawyer was not even informed that it was taking place.
Now he is being held in the Keraniganj Central Jail in Dhaka where conditions are extremely poor. After visiting him, his partner Rahnuma Ahmed called for medical attention as he was suffering from respiratory complications, problems with eyesight, and pain in his jaw. None of these symptoms were present before his arrest.
The brutal incarceration of Dr Alam is rooted in broader political repression. In recent years, Bangladesh has seen hundreds of citizens, including writers, intellectuals, lawyers and activists imprisoned and murdered. According to a
2017 report by Human Rights Watch, at least 320 citizens have been “disappeared” since the Awami League government came to power in 2009.
This situation has occurred despite the League’s pre-election pledge to react to human rights violations with zero tolerance. Dr Alam’s entire career has been devoted to combatting abuse of power. As a curator, artist and photographer, he has used images as the vehicle for decades of fearless truth-telling about subjects that include the genocide of the 1971 War of Liberation, the employment of state death squads and the plight of the Rohingya refugees. As the founder of picture agencies Drik and Majority World, and the photography school, Pathshala South Asian Media Institute, Dr Alam has also pioneered the wider practice of photo reportage in the region.
Little wonder he is admired throughout the world. In Britain, he has forged strong connections both through the presence of close family and through exhibitions at institutions including Tate Modern, the Whitechapel Gallery,
Autograph ABP, the Willmotte Gallery and Rich Mix. He has also run workshops, courses and other educational activities for young photographers in the British-Bengali community and beyond.
We now add our voices to the hundreds of others, from Nobel Laureates to Dr Alam’s own photography students, who in the last weeks have called for his immediate and unconditional release.
We also urge the Bangladesh government to respect the right to freedom of speech and expression for all citizens and to release all other prisoners detained on similar grounds.
1. Abu Jafar (Artist)
2. Alessio Antoniolli (Director, Gasworks & Triangle Network)
3. Anne McNeill (Director, Impressions Gallery, Bradford)
4. Anish Kapoor (Artist)
5. Akram Khan (Choreographer and Dancer)
6. Antony Gormley (Artist)
7. Assemble (art, architecture and design collective)
8. Ben Okri (Poet and Novelist)
9. Brett Rogers (Director, The Photographers’ Gallery)
10.Chantal Joffe (Artist)
11. Charlie Brooker (Writer and Producer)
12.David Sanderson (Arts Correspondent, The Times)
13.Fiona Bradley (Director, Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh)
14.Frances Morris (Director, Tate)
15.Hans Ulrich Obrist (Artistic director, Serpentine Gallery)
16.Helen Cammock (Artist)
17.Iwona Blazwick (Director, Whitechapel Gallery)
18.Jodie Ginsberg (CEO Index on Censorship)
19.Joe Scotland (Director, Studio Voltaire, London)
20.John Akomfrah (Artist)
21.Sir John Leighton (Director, National Galleries of Scotland)
22.Jonathan Watkins (Director, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham)
23.Konnie Huq (Writer and Broadcaster)
24.Louisa Buck (The Art Newspaper)
25.Lubaina Himid (Artist)
26.Mahtab Hussain (Photographer)
27.Dr Mark Sealy MBE (Director of Autograph ABP)
28.Mark Wallinger (Artist)
29.Martin Parr (Photographer and Photojournalist)
30.Michael Landy (Artist)
31.Michael Mack (Founder of publisher MACK)
32.Nadav Kander (Artist)
33.Neel Mukherjee (Writer)
34.Nicholas Cullinan (Director, National Portrait Gallery)
35.Nick Serota (Chair of Arts Council England)
36.Olivia Laing (Writer)
37.Pippa Oldfield (Impressions Gallery, Bradford)
38.Polly Staple (Director Chisenhale Gallery)
39.Rachel Spence (Poet and Arts Writer, Financial Times)
40.Rana Begum (Artist)
41.Rasheed Araeen (Artist)
42.Sally Tallant (Director, Liverpool Biennial)
43.Sarah Munro (Director Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art)
44.Sophie Wright (Global Cultural Director, Magnum Photos)
45.Steve McQueen (artist and film director)
46.Sunil Gupta (Photographer)
47.Teresa Gleadow (Curator, Writer and Editor)
48.Vicken Parsons (Artist)
49.Dr. Ziba Ardalan (Founder/ Director Parasol unit, London)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_basic_grid post_type="post" max_items="4" element_width="6" grid_id="vc_gid:1536055987310-fa96858b-d48c-8" taxonomies="6534"][/vc_column][/vc_row]
