12 Dec 2011 | Index Index, minipost
The United Nations have joined human rights groups in calling for reform of Thailand’s notoriously harsh Lèse Majesté laws. The calls urging the Thai authorities to reform the harsh laws relating to insulting the monarchy follow the recent imprisonment of 61-year old grandfather Ampon Tangnoppakul.
Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights suggested that: “Guidelines should be issued to the police and public prosecutors to stop arresting and charging individuals under these vaguely worded laws.” Around 100 supporters of Tangnoppakulalso made a rare public protest outside the Criminal Court in Bangkok against the laws.
12 Dec 2011 | Index Index, minipost
Funding has been pulled from a student newspaper in New York, following the publication of an article about pre-marital sex. The Student Council at Yeshiva University, the Orthodox Jewish college in Manhattan, opted to withdraw the $500 it takes to publish The Beacon after the anonymous article received more than 41,000 hits and sparked an argument about “the soul of the university.”
The decision sparked a campus-wide debate on censorship at the university, where the principles are based on the philosophy of Torah U’madda – the relationship between the secular world and Judaism.
12 Dec 2011 | Index Index, minipost
Censorship on many business and crime publications in Burma has been eased, but news titles are to be kept under strict regulations. Following changes introduced last week, 54 journals, magazines and books will no longer have to submit their content to censors prior to publication. News media will still be subject to the same pre-publication censorship, which is said to be the most restrictive in the world, although officials have advised this too will be eased in time. Images of democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi are now permitted in the media.
10 Dec 2011 | Uncategorized
Index Chief Executive John Kampfner took part in a podcast by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office to mark International Human Rights Day. The programme looked at social media and the promotion of free expression and human rights. It also features
Agnès Callamard of Article 19 and Irina Bogdanova of Free Belarus Now.
Click here to listen
