CATEGORY: Europe and Central Asia

What Russia censored in January

by | 22 Feb 13

January saw a dramatic escalation of internet filtering in Russia. The League for Internet Safety, an organisation backed by the Kremlin, launched an experiment in the Kostroma region in central Russia in which 29 local internet service providers signed new contracts with users, giving them access only to a sanitised internet – in other words, websites included on a “white list”. Those wishing to surf beyond the confines of the white list are required to notify their provider explicitly. At the start of the experiment the white list included about 500,000 sites; by the end of the experiment,  scheduled for April, it is expected to include up to 1 million. The Ministry of Communications and Mass Media has stated that it […]

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Index on Censorship’s response to the Leveson report

Index on Censorship’s response to the Leveson report

by | 15 Feb 13

The Leveson Report will become a benchmark for press regulation in modern democracies. Index has urged a serious, considered debate about Lord Justice Leveson’s recommendations rather than their full adoption. The free speech organisation opposes the statutory underpinning of press regulation as proposed by Lord Justice Leveson.

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Mexico City topples statue of a former Azerbaijani dictator

by | 15 Feb 13

Until a couple of months ago, few in Mexico City knew who Heydar Aliyev was, and even fewer of those were aware that a marble and bronze statue erected in his honour sat smack in the middle of Reforma Avenue, one of Mexico’s most recognised streets. A plaque standing before the statue detailed the former president of Azerbaijan’s “loyalty to the universal ideals of world peace”. But the presence of the dead dictator sparked controversy in Mexico City. The conflict over how Mexico City accepted $5 million dollars from Azerbaijan to build the statue, as well as a park, has been brewing since November. The agreement to build the statue was reached by the leftist government of the Partido de la Revolucion […]

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Bahrain is Britain’s shame

Bahrain is Britain’s shame

by | 02 Feb 13

At her speech in the House of Commons, Maryam Alkhawaja asked MPs to put pressure on Bahrain to commit to reforms and free political prisoners, including her father and sister. Here, the prominent human rights defender denounces Britain’s indifference

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