Index rounds up some of the biggest stories in the global free speech landscape from the past seven days
The week in free expression
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CATEGORY: Middle East and North Africa
Mother’s Day 2025: Celebrating the women taking on authoritarian regimes
From Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya to Laila Soueif, we pay tribute to mothers around the world who are fighting unimaginable battles for free speech and justice
UN working group on arbitrary detention declares that Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi’s detention violated international law
A joint statement by the International Counsel Team at Doughty Street Chambers, Index on Censorship and Human Rights Foundation
Iran’s silenced musicians
As the list of those persecuted in the country grows, it is obvious that Iran’s leadership is systemically opposed to musical free expression
The existential threat to international aid and consular assistance
With the UK modelling the USA’s approach to aid cuts, independent journalism and political prisoners could be in a perilous position
Index pays tribute to Israeli journalist and human rights activist Oded Lifshitz
Lifshitz, who was killed after he was taken hostage during the 7 October massacre, was an ardent campaigner for Palestinian rights
“In a fascist regime, culture becomes propaganda”: concerns over growing censorship in Israel
Israeli filmmakers and academics have responded to the government’s crackdown on cultural institutions that depict the events of 1948 and showcase Palestinian history
Index calls for the immediate and unconditional release of author and bookseller, Mahmoud Muna
Author Mahmoud Muna and his nephew Ahmad Muna were arrested by undercover Israeli police with dozens of their books being confiscated
Golazin Ardestani: “They controlled my voice, my body, my agency”
Since Iranian singer-songwriter Gola fled her home country in 2011, she has continued her fight for women’s rights in exile
Index on Censorship welcomes the release of Palestinian human rights defender and lawyer Diala Ayesh
Ayesh was released from administrative detention on 14 January 2025 by Israeli authorities