On the anniversary of Azerbaijani journalist Seymur Hezi’s sentencing to five years imprisonment for “aggravated hooliganism,” the country
CATEGORY: Europe and Central Asia
Russia: Media freedom curtailed under veneer of legality
Russia’s media freedom has declined under the government of Vladimir Putin. The president and his allies have used a cloak of legislative legitimacy to target
Turkey must allow supporters to meet with imprisoned journalists Can Dündar and Erdem Gül
Leading international free expression and press freedom groups condemn government’s refusal to allow supporters to visit pair jailed for their reporting, call for their release
Macedonia: Journalists’ associations highlight disunity in the media
If you want to understand the media environment in Macedonia, the phenomenon of parallel journalists’ organisations is a good place to start.
Donald Trump may be allowed to enter the UK, but let’s remember Tyler, the Creator wasn’t so lucky
On 26 August 2015, the musician was banned from entering the UK because of words he had penned for songs released in 2009
Hungary: Independent media facing soft censorship
Hungary’s media outlets are coming under increasing pressure from lawsuits, restrictions on what they can publish and high fees for freedom of information requests
Ukraine: Journalists face violence on all fronts
Since October 2015, Index on Censorship’s Mapping Media Freedom project has recorded a total of 40 verified violations against press freedom in Ukraine, six of which took place in Crimea.
Poland: Audit finds secret police unit monitoring journalists
An audit by Poland’s bureau of internal affairs (BSW) has uncovered that two informal press surveillance units of police were set up to monitor journalists
Andrei Bastunets: Press freedom has never been easy in Belarus
Belarusian authorities were busy in 2015: the government introduced new laws aimed at restricting media outlets and distributors; freelance journalists contributing to foreign media outlets found themselves facing prosecution; and websites publishing material that “may harm the national interests of the Republic of Belarus” were extrajudicially blocked.
T0ad: “Pornography is the sacred veil covering the plain (non-sexual) body”
All over the world there are taboos that stop things being discussed, when a discussion might make people aware of a problem and sometimes