10 Jul 2017 | Bahrain, Bahrain Statements, Campaigns, Campaigns -- Featured, Statements
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The sentencing of Nabeel Rajab, an Index Freedom of Expression Award winner for his work defending human rights in Bahrain, underscores the decline of freedom of expression in the Gulf country.
Rajab was sentenced on Monday 10 July to two years in prison for speaking to journalists.
“The decision to sentence Nabeel to two years in prison reiterates the draconian approach Bahrain’s government takes toward non-violent dissent. This is a true miscarriage of justice that strips bare even the veneer of legality that Bahraini authorities like to show the rest of the world. Nabeel expressed opinions about the state of his own country and should not be penalised for free speech,” Melody Patry, head of advocacy at Index on Censorship, said.
Rajab, who is president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, was sentenced in absentia. He has been hospitalised since April.
Arrested on 13 June 2016, Rajab has spent the last year in pre-trial detention, largely in solitary confinement and deplorable conditions.
Rajab also faces trial on 7 August in a separate case related to his tweeting against the Saudi coalition’s war in Yemen, which Bahrain is part of, as well as speaking out against torture in Bahraini prisons. He faces up to 15 years in prison on other charges, according to the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”94125″ img_size=”full”][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”12″ style=”load-more” items_per_page=”4″ element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1499705443530-4f8668e7-7a47-7″ taxonomies=”3368, 716″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
28 Jun 2017 | Digital Freedom, Events
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Index on Censorship was part of Activism Row at Afropunk London 2017 to raise awareness of free expression. We spoke to hundreds of Afropunkers about our work and the incredible artists, activists and journalists we support via the Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Awards and Fellowship. You can find the photos from our #DontLoseYourVoice campaign on
Facebook and
Flickr. Feel free to share and tag yourself!
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27 Jun 2017 | Campaigns -- Featured, Press Releases
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Index on Censorship is pleased to announce that it has been awarded funding by Arts Council England for the next four years to support its work tackling censorship and self-censorship in the arts.
The funding — £172,488 over four years — will help Index provide and disseminate information and expertise to arts and cultural organisations so they are better able to deal with issues around controversial and sensitive art.
“Index on Censorship is a strong voice for the arts and culture sector and is uniquely placed to offer guidance and support on issues of censorship nationally across all artforms, including museums, galleries and archives,” Arts Council England wrote in its assessment. “There is plentiful evidence of national and international demand for Index on Censorship’s work.”
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Index on Censorship is a strong voice for the arts and culture sector and is uniquely placed to offer guidance and support on issues of censorship nationally
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Index’s work on the arts in the UK includes a series of guidelines on free expression and the law in England and Wales: Art and Offence. The guidelines on art and public order have been distributed to every police force in the country.
Index is one of 58 group funded under a new Arts Council England new category: sector support organisations, which provide support services to the sector rather than produce or deliver art and culture.
“A risk-averse culture militates against artistic excellence,” said Index on Censorship chief executive Jodie Ginsberg. “Arts and cultural organisations – and individual artists – need information and confidence to deal with controversial issues address and we aim to provide that through our work. We’re excited that the Arts Council England has recognised the importance of defending and celebrating free expression as a way of supporting a vibrant arts and culture sector.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”12″ style=”load-more” items_per_page=”4″ element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1498571218981-424c7412-9c2c-3″ taxonomies=”5692″ exclude=”91672″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
24 May 2017 | Artistic Freedom, Digital Freedom, News, Press Releases
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Leading international freedom of expression organisation Index on Censorship has joined the Banned Books Week Coalition as the first international member of this US-based alliance.
Banned Books Week was launched in the United States in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in attempts to have books removed or otherwise restricted in schools, bookstores and libraries. More than 11,300 books have been challenged since 1982 according to the American Library Association, a key member of the coalition.
Each year a host of events are held across the United States such as author readings in bookshops, libraries, and schools, as well as panel discussions and webinars.
“Index is excited to be joining the coalition as the first non-US member. We have been publishing work by censored writers from around the world for 45 years and – given all that is happening on the global political stage – it feels more important than ever to be highlighting censorship and demonstrating just what it means when books are banned,” said Jodie Ginsberg, CEO of Index on Censorship.
The theme of this year’s Banned Books Week will be “Our Right to Read.” Index plans to host a number of events in the UK during Banned Books Week, which runs from September 24-September 30, 2017, as well as participating in events in the United States.
“We are very excited to have the Index on Censorship join the coalition,” said Charles Brownstein, Chair of the Banned Books Week Coalition and Executive Director of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. “Their work not only aligns with our mission, but will bring an international perspective and awareness to our annual celebration of the freedom to read.”
Other members of the coalition include American Booksellers for Free Expression, American Library Association, American Society of Journalists and Authors, Association of American Publishers, Association of American University Presses, Authors’ Guild, Dramatist Legal Defense Fund, Freedom to Read Foundation, National Coalition Against Censorship, National Council of Teachers of English, People For the American Way, PEN America, and Project Censored.
Notes to editors
- Index on Censorship is a London-based non-profit organisation that publishes work by censored writers and artists and campaigns against censorship worldwide. Since its founding in 1972, Index on Censorship has published some of the greatest names in literature in its award-winning quarterly magazine, including Samuel Beckett, Nadine Gordimer, Mario Vargas Llosa, Arthur Miller and Kurt Vonnegut. It also has published some of the greatest campaigning writers from Vaclav Havel to Elif Shafik.
- The Banned Books Week Coalition is an alliance of diverse organisations joined by a commitment to increase awareness of the annual celebration of the freedom to read. The Coalition seeks to engage various communities and inspire participation in Banned Books Week through education, advocacy, and the creation of programming about the problem of book censorship.
For more information, please contact [email protected][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”12″ style=”load-more” items_per_page=”4″ element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1496677220501-32171f66-62cb-4″ taxonomies=”4513, 5844″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
