Comics Dara Ó Briain and Dave Gorman and scientist Professor Brian Cox joined Index and the Libel Reform Campaign at Downing Street to demand a public interest defence in the defamation bill
CATEGORY: Europe and Central Asia
European ministers call for Azerbaijan to release political prisoners
The Azerbaijani government must resolve the cases of 89 political prisoners and put an end to politically motivated arrests, the Council of Europe (CoE) said on 26 June. The resolution followed the publication of a report on Azerbaijan by Christoph...
There must be a new public interest defence in the Defamation Bill, scientists, entertainers and campaigners tell Government
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Libel reform comes around less often than Halley’s comet. Let’s get it right
The defamation bill will do little to stop corporations suing individuals and should include a public interest defence says Index’s Mike Harris
Why should Amazon be our taste and decency police?
The online retailer has been criticised for profiting from ebooks featuring terror and violence. No one should tell us what to read, says Jo Glanville
Azerbaijani Talysh journalist detained
An Azerbaijani journalist was arrested yesterday on charges of illegal possession of drugs. Hilal Mamedov, a member of the Talysh ethnic minority, is the editor-in-chief of Talysh language newspaper Tolishi Sado (Voice of Talysh). A Baku court...
Belarus: journalist detained for allegedly slandering president
Belarusian journalist Andrzej Poczobut was detained last night for allegedly insulting the country's president, Alexander Lukashenko. Poczobut writes for Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza, and now faces up to five years in prison. According to his wife,...
Russia: Judge extends detention of anti-Putin punk group Pussy Riot
A Russian court has ruled that three members of political punk rock group Pussy Riot will remain in prison until late July. The group of feminists performed an unauthorised "punk prayer" at the pulpit of Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral in...
Russian opposition activists questioned over anti-Putin rallies
Russian investigators are planning to question 600 people accused of participating in clashes with police during an anti-Putin rally on 6 May. More than 1,200 people have already been interviewed, one of whom--- Stepan Zimin --- faces criminal...
The return of a bad idea
Cindy Cohn is alarmed by the shift towards mass surveillance in the UK government’s “snooper’s charter”