FEATURED
Boualem Sansal faces life imprisonment if found guilty of national security charges
The Algerian novelist has long been a controversial figure for his criticism of his home country and extremist Islam
By Martin Bright
NEWS
LATEST FROM INDEX ON CENSORSHIP
-
Venezuela: a blueprint for tackling a rigged election
A citizen-led movement to capture accurate voting tallies revealed that Nicolás Maduro did not win the country's election
-
COP29: Azerbaijan’s flagrant human rights abuses undermine its role as climate conference host
The men in black who patrolled the corridors of Baku’s Olympic Stadium indicated the level of surveillance that activists are now under
-
The dangers of boycotting Russian science
As physics laboratory Cern ends co-operation with Russia and Belarus over the Ukraine war, Index talks to exiled scientists
-
A big week to remember
The past week has been busy for Index and in Hong Kong. It is up to us all to ensure award winners and political prisoners are not forgotten
Be the first to hear from uncensored writers and artists
For over 50 years, Index has published work by censored writers and artists. Subscribe to our email newsletter to get regular updates from our incredible contributors.
Index on Censorship campaigns for and defends free expression, promotes debate, and monitors threats to free speech worldwide.
Index relies entirely on the support of donors and readers to do its work. Help us keep amplifying censored voices today.
MAGAZINE
LATEST ISSUE: VOLUME 53.03 AUTUMN 2024
Inconvenient truths: How scientists are being silenced around the world
Ever since Galileo Galilei faced the Roman inquisition in the 17th century for proving that the Earth went round the sun, scientists have risked being ruthlessly silenced. The Autumn 2024 issue of Index examines how scientists to this day still face censorship, as in many places around the world, adherence to ideology stands in the way of scientific progress. We demonstrate how such nations crack down on scientific advancement, and lend a voice to those who face punishment for their scientific achievements. Reports from as far as China and India, to the UK, USA, and many in between make up this issue as we put scientific freedom under the microscope.
Outside of our special report, Ben Lynfield reports on Israel's descent into authoritarianism, Alexandra Domenech writes of the use of punitive psychiatry against Russian dissidents, and Jana Paliashchuk describes the importance of talking about Belarusian political prisoners and not letting them be forgotten. Elsewhere, an interview with Marina Litvinenko on keeping her widow Alexander Litvinenko's voice alive, Jo-Ann Mort discusses how freedom and democracy are at stake in the upcoming US presidential election, and celebrated writer Boris Akunin provides Index with an exclusive new translation.
ARTISTIC FREEDOM
UNCENSORED ARTWORK
Index commissions censored and exiled artists and illustrators from around the world
INDEX WRITERS
Jemimah Steinfeld
CEO[ba_post_list order="DESC" posts_number="4" include_categories="42893" show_date="on" date_format="d M y" list_type="grid" items="2" item_spacing="11px"...
Jemimah Steinfeld
-
Turkey’s elections: “No rule of law anymore”
The country’s human rights landscape has disintegrated since Erdogan took over in 2003
-
Don’t give up on Myanmar
The country has a vibrant future believes author Oliver Slow, despite the military junta's attacks on dissent
-
Censoring Roald Dahl is not the answer, just a problem
Rewording Dahl's classics sets a worrying precedent. Instead of censoring his works we should invest in promoting new, diverse talent
-
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
Katie Dancey-Downs
Assistant Editor[ba_post_list include_categories="42894" order="DESC" posts_number="4" show_date="on" date_format="d M y" list_type="grid" items="2" item_spacing="11px"...
Katie Dancey-Downs
-
Why we need Banned Books Week more than ever
In just one year, book bans in the USA have increased by a third – largely targeted at works containing content on LGBTQ+ rights, race and racism, ...
-
Turkey and Thailand: Two elections, different outcomes
One poll remains deadlocked while another has seen the population vote for a change of direction
-
The daily risks taken by Afghanistan’s female journalists
Life for women in the media has been bleak since the Taliban takeover, and experts don’t see that changing anytime soon
-
The shock waves from Turkey’s Twitter restriction
Criticism of the Turkish government in the wake of this week's deadly earthquakes led to the blocking of the social media platform
Martin Bright
Editor at large[ba_post_list include_categories="42895" order="DESC" posts_number="4" show_date="on" date_format="d M y" list_type="grid" items="2" item_spacing="11px"...
Martin Bright
-
Sir Salman Rushdie wins Freedom to Publish Award
Author says has freedom of expression has never been under greater threat in the West in his lifetime
-
New play gives a voice to the forgotten Crimean Tatars
The powerful work tells the stories of indigenous Tatar dissidents and their families on the Russian-occupied peninsula
-
Journalism is at risk from the National Security Bill. We’re fighting back
Imagine a country where the authorities target investigative journalists as spies, and outlaw news and campaigning organisations that receive forei...
-
Mikhail Gorbachev: the Soviet leader who learned to love freedom of expression
The former president, who has died at the age of 91, wrote presciently in the pages of Index on Censorship
Francis Clarke
Editorial Assistant and 2022-23 Tim Hetherington Fellow[ba_post_list include_categories="42896" order="DESC" posts_number="4" show_date="on" date_format="d M y" list_type="grid" items="2" item_spacing="11px"...
Francis Clarke
-
Argument for urgent intervention in Jimmy Lai case laid bare in new report
Pressure on UK government to intervene in Lai case highlighted in a new report, which exposes the destruction of media freedom in Hong Kong
-
Defying the Taliban – A stark reminder of the collapse of Afghan women’s rights
Last Thursday, human rights organisation Anotherway Now hosted a screening of the Sky News documentary ‘Defying the Taliban: women at war in Afghan...
-
Bunker Cabaret: From the bomb shelters of Kyiv to Somerset House
Ukranian collective explores the making of art in time of war
-
Seeing Auschwitz is a timely reminder of the importance of documenting atrocities
A new exhibition in London takes a different viewpoint on the horrors of the Holocaust
Jessica Ní Mhainín
Head of Policy and Campaigns[ba_post_list include_categories="42898" order="DESC" posts_number="4" show_date="on" date_format="d M y" list_type="grid" items="2" item_spacing="11px"...
Jessica Ní Mhainín
-
Yulia Tsvetkova’s hunger strike: “I have reached a dead end”
Index award-winner calls on her supporters not to waste any more time "on the farce called Russian justice"
-
New report on protecting the media against Slapps
What measures can be introduced to protect journalists facing vexatious legal actions?