Leyla and Arif Yunus have been detained for almost a year on what is widely recognised as politically motived charges
CATEGORY: Europe and Central Asia
Azerbaijan: Lawyers call for the release of Intigam Aliyev
95 lawyers from 24 countries call for the immediate and unconditional release of human rights lawyer Intigam Aliyev. He has been in jail in Azerbaijan since 8 August 2014.
Greece: Can reborn ERT deliver on the promise of a truly public broadcaster?
On June, 11 2015 the Greek public TV went back to its old name “ERT”, exactly two years after its abrupt closure by the previous conservative-led government.
Hungary: Government cracks down on freedom of information
Bill granting Hungarian authorities new powers to withhold information believed to be a response to recent use of freedom of information requests to expose wasteful government spending
Padraig Reidy: Why Golders Green isn’t Britain’s Skokie
This is the British way of free expression; a matter of practicality rather than principle, a pliable concept, one that can almost always be tempered by appeals to taste
Letter: Academic freedom is under threat and needs urgent protection
With threats ranging from “no-platforming”, to governments trying to suppress critical voices, and corporate controls on research funding, academics and writers from across the world have signed Index’s open letter on why academic freedom needs urgent protection
Our knowledge about the past shouldn’t be restricted, says former UN free speech rapporteur
I want to know the past, people shouldn’t be able to alter records, said former UN free speech guru Frank La Rue
Azerbaijan: Independent newspaper Azadliq faces imminent closure
The Index award-winning paper is widely recognised as one of the last remaining independent news outlets operating inside the country
Padraig Reidy: A disgraceful use of the Communications Act
The prosecution of Pastor James McConnell under the Communications Act is the action of a prosecution service more interested in appearing to be liberal than upholding justice and rights
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 in the Polish town of Mlawa