Index rounds up of some of the key stories covering censorship and free expression from the past seven days
The week in free expression: 5–11 April 2025
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Katie Dancey-Downs
Katie Dancey-Downs has travelled the world to tell stories about people and the planet. She’s passionate about human rights, the environment, and culture, and has a particular interest in refugee rights. Katie has written for a range of publications, including HuffPost, i News, New Internationalist, Resurgence Magazine, Reader’s Digest, and Big Issue, and is the former co-editor of the Lush Times magazine. She has a degree in Drama and Theatre Arts from the University of Birmingham and an MA in Journalism from Bournemouth University, where she focused her research on the ethical storytelling of refugee issues.
The Roma women abused under Czechoslovakia’s haunting legacy
Under Soviet rule, Roma women were subjected to forced sterilisation. Today, they are still facing discrimination in their reproductive care
Mother’s Day 2025: Celebrating the women taking on authoritarian regimes
From Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya to Laila Soueif, we pay tribute to mothers around the world who are fighting unimaginable battles for free speech and justice
This World Book Day, let’s fight for the freedom to read
Following an Index investigation into banned books in UK school libraries, the annual celebration has taken on a new meaning
Golazin Ardestani: “They controlled my voice, my body, my agency”
Since Iranian singer-songwriter Gola fled her home country in 2011, she has continued her fight for women’s rights in exile
Book censorship is rife on Amazon.com, according to a report from The Citizen Lab
The research laboratory has identified that books with LGBTQ+ and religious themes are being restricted for sale online in the Middle East
Tainted scientists
Katie Dancey-Downs talks to the scientists who have been censored for questioning the effectiveness of animal testing
Two plus two equals five in US presidential debate
The adjective Orwellian is overused but the surreal ABC News debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris can only be described that way
Banned: school librarians shushed over LGBT+ books
A special investigation reveals more than half of UK school librarians surveyed by Index have been asked to remove books from their shelves
The Bangladesh government has been killing student protesters but reporting it has become nearly impossible
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her ministers are trying to cover up what the government has done and is blaming external “terrorists” and opposition parties
UK’s hostile environment continues to silence already persecuted people
By pushing ahead with its controversial Rwanda plan, the UK government is breeding a culture of fear for asylum seekers
Campaigner for Afghan girls’ education takes the path to freedom
A week after winning an Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression award, Pen Path’s co-founder has been released from a prison in Afghanistan