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Past Event: New World (Dis)Order – What do Turkey, Russia and Brazil tell us about freedom?
Index, in partnership with the European Council on Foreign Relations, held a debate launching the latest issue of Index on Censorship magazine, with a special report on The Multipolar Challenges to Freedom of Expression
19 Jul 13

Index, in partnership with the European Council on Foreign Relations, held a debate launching the latest issue of Index on Censorship magazine looking at the recent protests in Turkey, Russia and Brazil and what they tell us about public attitudes to freedom and rights.

The discussion explored the difficulties in protecting freedom of speech when political and social power is shifting across the globe. Panelists included Index CEO Kirsty Hughes, ECFR Senior Policy Fellow Anthony Dworkin, Keith Best, CEO of Freedom From Torture, and Turkish journalist and writer Ece Temelkuran.

Temelkuran, who has been a vocal critic of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, spoke about the decline in media freedom and credibility since the start of anti-government protests in the country:

 

 

Dworkin, meanwhile, spoke about anti-government protests, and how they play into the shift in power on the global stage, and also reflect a loss of faith in the democratic process:

 

 

 

Index CEO Kirsty Hughes argued that democracies must work hard to protect free speech, especially when we’ve moved towards a multipolar world:

 

 

 

 

Keith Best, from Freedom from Torture, argued that the undermined authority of western powers has also meant a rise in impunity for torture:

 

The panel also discussed the role of technology in shifting the balance of power globally, after an audience member asked whether or not “bottom up politics are weakening the institutions of the state.”:

 

 

 

 

 

 

For a range of in-depth reports and articles on journalism, freedom of speech, censorship and arts check out the latest issue of the magazine here. Be sure to follow @IndexEvents for more updates on our exciting events and discussions 

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