Index on Censorship has recognised activists and campaigners from Afghanistan, India and Iran for their work at its annual awards ceremony
2023 Freedom of Expression Award winners announced
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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.
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, physical abuse, grief and death
A lot of hot air: Johnson, Braverman and climate protests
Distate of tactics used by groups such as Just Stop Oil should not be used as an excuse to further erode public assembly and protest rights
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
Two years on: The dwindling freedoms following Myanmar’s military coup
On the second anniversary of the coup, democracy in the country is slipping further away. A Burmese-led organisation and an exiled journalist describe the landscape
‘We won!’ Maria Ressa’s victory is a win for global media freedom
As a Philippines tax court acquits veteran journalist Maria Ressa, she and Rappler celebrate – and continue to hold the line
New South Wales’ chilling landscape for environmental protest
Australian authorities are dramatically ramping up the sentences faced by peaceful climate crisis protesters
Preparing for a new fight against book bans
Just over a month after Banned Books Week 2022, the risk to literature has intensified. Depending on the outcome of the US midterms, moves from Republican lawmakers to silence certain books could take a firmer grip. On library shelves in the USA,...