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The Kurdish journalists being targeted in Syria
Media workers in the Kurdish-led autonomous region in northern Syria have long suffered attacks by Turkish forces and extremist groups
By Chloé Troadec and Angéline Desdevises
Latest news
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The week in free expression: 29 March–4 April 2025
Index rounds up of some of the key stories covering censorship and free expression from the past seven days
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Has Donald Trump’s hit list been inspired by Viktor Orbán’s?
As the US president continues his attacks on universities and the media, it’s worth noting that a democratic leader has done this before
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President Museveni’s crackdown on Ugandan TikTokers
Social media spaces are shrinking as freedom of speech is further eroded in Uganda, leaving no safe haven for critical thoughts
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The freedom to travel is becoming a privilege, not a right
Countries once considered liberal are increasingly denying dissenters entry at their borders
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Spotlight: World Roma Day
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Slovakia: democracy just bearing up
The country is one of the smallest members of the European Union and sometimes struggles to develop a vision for itself
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Hungary elections 2022: What does another Orban term mean for freedoms?
The godfather of "illiberal democracy" - Viktor Orban - is fighting his fiercest election battle to date. What exactly is on the line when Hungaria...
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Human rights defender Milan Antonijević wants “more commitment” to the laws that protect the people of Serbia
Milan Antonijević uses the rule of law as his main line of defence in human rights protection.
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Poland: Journalist Lukasz Masiak fatally beaten
Lukasz Masiak, who had been subject to numerous threats believed to be connected to his work, died of traumatic brain injury after being assaulted ...
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MAGAZINE
LATEST ISSUE: VOLUME 53.04 WINTER 2024
Unsung heroes: How musicians are raising their voices against oppression
Music has been described as a “cultural universal” – a practice found in all known human cultures and societies. While anthropologists still scratch their heads over exactly where the concept originated, evidence indicates that humans have used musical instruments for an astonishing 40,000 years.
During an excavation in 1995 in Slovenia, researchers discovered a bear’s femur bone with holes in it and concluded that it could be an ancient flute.
Humans have always found ingenious ways to make music, and it’s not difficult to see why. It is one of the most powerful forms of self-expression, capable of eliciting both intense happiness and sadness in the listener. It is used to celebrate, lament, respect and enrage, and its endless genres, styles and instruments form a core part of countries’ unique cultural heritages.
But despite its universality, music is being silenced globally. Religious extremism, political factions, racism and nationalism are all driving forces, stopping it being performed, produced and listened to. In this issue we explore how music bans have been weaponised to silence communities and erase histories.
Uncensored gallery
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