News and Features

Chinese election interference tests Taiwan’s capability to defend freedom of speech

Analysts say Taiwan needs to strike a balance between defending free speech and addressing the impact of China’s disinformation campaign

The unravelling of academic freedom on US campuses

by Susie Linfield | 22 Dec 23

When the lines between speech and action have been ambiguous, US colleges have moved too far towards clamping down on what people say. Now pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli students feel victimised and unsafe but the answer is not more silencing

From the Danube to the Baltic Sea, Germany takes an authoritarian turn

by Jakob Guhl | 20 Dec 23

German authorities are increasingly silencing pro-Palestine activism in an effort to stamp out anything they fear could be seen as antisemitic

The world needs to learn from Masha Gessen moments

by Jemimah Steinfeld | 19 Dec 23

The Russian-American writer was at the centre of a controversy yet things were not exactly as they first seemed

What does Tusk’s victory mean for oppressed groups in Poland?

by Daisy Ruddock | 18 Dec 23

The ousting of the Law and Justice party after eight years in power is cause for celebration, but change will not happen overnight

Putin’s control threatens Russian dissident voices

by Ruth Anderson | 15 Dec 23

Whilst war rages in Ukraine it is easy to lose sight of those saying loudly that the Russian state doesn’t act in their name

Hacking is far more than a security issue. It chills free speech

by Emma Briant | 14 Dec 23

The recent sanctioning by British and US governments of Russian intelligence operatives sheds light on a growing tactic used to intimidate and silence critics