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Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Comedy Festival: nothing to laugh at
Why are famous British and American comics such as Jimmy Carr and Dave Chappelle now performing in a country notorious for censoring and harassing its own comedians?
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Jimmy Kimmel: No laughing matter
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The week in free expression 19 September – 26 September
Index rounds up of some of the key stories covering censorship and free expression from the past seven days
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Bulgaria: Press freedom undermined by political polarisation and delayed reforms
A coalition of international press freedom organisations including Index has called for urgent action to push forward domestic and EU-mandated reforms
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Spotlight: Jamal Khashoggi's murder
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Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Comedy Festival: nothing to laugh at
Why are famous British and American comics such as Jimmy Carr and Dave Chappelle now performing in a country notorious for censoring and harassing ...
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Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the 2034 World Cup is just another attempt at sportswashing
Undemocratic states that seek to exploit soft power to hide their human rights abuses should be condemned, not celebrated
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The Saudi problem: can human rights ever trump trade?
As we mark 23 months since University of Leeds dental student Salma al-Shehab was arrested after returning home on holiday, we ask whether the UK F...
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Saudi Arabia: Kingdom must be held to account for suppression of dissent
Index on Censorship joins with dozens of civil society organisations to call for Saudi Arabia to be held accountable for grave human rights violati...
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MAGAZINE
LATEST ISSUE: VOLUME 54.02 SUMMER 2025
Land of the Free?: Trump's war on speech at home and abroad
Has the USA, the so-called Land of the Free, become a dangerous country for those who question its government?
Such a notion is, of course, in opposition to the country’s founding principles. Enshrined in the 1791 First Amendment to the US Constitution are citizens’ fundamental freedoms – including freedom of religion, speech, the press, protest and petition. Conveniently glossing over its dark history of colonisation and slavery (which would continue for nearly a century after the First Amendment was ratified), it signified the USA as a global bastion of democracy, equality and civilised values. Now, Trump appears to be metaphorically setting fire to the paper these principles are written on.
This is having profound impacts within the USA and around the world. Trump was inaugurated for his second term only six months ago, but already he has sought to deport people for their views on Israel and Palestine; threatened universities with eye-watering financial sanctions if they do not adhere to his ideological viewpoints; slashed the budgets of state-funded broadcasters; deployed the National Guard to police protests, a tactic used by military dictatorships; and dismantled the US Agency for International Development (USAID), stopping the work of human rights groups globally.
In this edition, we explore these attacks on free speech at home and abroad.
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