Polling day procedure may have been in place, but censorship ruined any chance of a free parliamentary election in Europe’s last dictatorship, says Andrei Aliaksandrau
Belarus’s illusion of democracy
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CATEGORY: News and features
Corporations don’t have feelings, so why should they be able to sue for libel?
Major companies have alternatives to litigation, says Mike Harris. With PR teams and big advertising budgets they can easily counter false claims or unfair criticism
Prosecutor to launch consultation on social media guidelines
The Director of Public Prosecutions has announced a consultation to establish clear guidelines on prosecutions involving social media . In a statement on The Crown Prosecution Service website announcing that footballer Daniel Thomas ---...
Index urges Bahrain to accept UN recommendations
As the Human Rights Council (HRC) prepares to release its final recommendations on Bahrain, Index joins over 100 NGOs in calling for the country to implement the recommendations.
Daisy Williams reports
The truth about Azerbaijan
The gas-rich country presents itself as open and modern, but Azerbaijan is not safe for activists and journalists fighting for free speech, says Natasha Schmidt
Europe’s Belarus failure
The EU might be able to help Belarus democratise, but it can’t solve its problems for them. Andrei Yahorau and Alena Zuikova examine a nuanced relationship
Leveson must protect press freedom
Lord Justice Leveson is weeks away from issuing recommendations for a new system of press regulation. With the future of British papers in the judge’s hands, Index’s Marta Cooper looks at the challenges ahead
Exclusive extracts from our magazine
The Lawyer | Mark Lewis | Do we need a free press?
The Blogger | Guido Fawkes | Where will this all end?
The Journalist | Trevor Kavanagh | The Leveson effect
The Editor | Alan Rusbridger | Striking a balance
Hacked Off | Martin Moore | The danger of power
Bounty on Salman Rushdie’s life increased
An Iranian religious group has increased a reward offered for the murder of British author Salman Rushdie after blaming him for an anti-Islam film. As Rushdie recounts in his new autobiography, in 1989 Iran’s late leader Ayatollah Ruhollah...
Iranian forces deployed in Syria to curb rebel dissent
Yesterday Iran confirmed that its revolutionary guards corps (IRGC) forces are present in Syria helping Bashar al-Assad's government fight rebel forces. General Mohammad Ali Jafari, Commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, issued a further warning...
Pakistan: YouTube blocked over anti-Islam film
Pakistan's Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf has reportedly ordered the state-owned Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to block YouTube after the video-sharing website failed to remove a controversial anti-Islam film, The Innocence of...