29 Jul 13 | In the News
#dontspyonme
Tell Europe’s leaders to stop mass surveillance #dontspyonme
Index on Censorship launches a petition calling on European Union Heads of Government to stop the US, UK and other governments from carrying out mass surveillance. We want to use public pressure to ensure Europe’s leaders put on the record their opposition to mass surveillance. They must place this issue firmly on the agenda for the next European Council Summit in October so action can be taken to stop this attack on the basic human right of free speech and privacy.
(Index on Censorship)
MIDDLE EAST
Arab Spring will take time to flower: analysts
Disappointment over the lack of democratic progress in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya is understandable, but the so-called Arab Spring of 2011 will take time to mature, analysts say, warning that the process will be chaotic.
(Gulf News)
SOUTH AFRICA
Internet usage in South Africa hits 14 million mark
The internet usage has significantly grown in South Africa this year, already involving 14 million people, said a latest survey.
(Tech 2)
TUNISIA
In Turkey’s heartland, support for protest is thin
As Mohamed Brahmi becomes the second secular politician to be shot in Tunisia in the past six months questions are raised as to whether the Arab Spring has really made a difference
(Nouse)
BBC film reporter investigates rising power of Salafism in Tunisia
BBC Arabic documentary, The Battle for Bizerte, tells the inside story of a group of extremist Islamists known as Salafists in Bizerte, a Tunisian town on the Mediterranean sea, 60 kilometres from Tunis.
(Middle East Online)
TURKEY
In Turkey’s heartland, support for protest is thin
Weeks of anti-government protests in Istanbul’s Gezi Park and the squares in the capital of Ankara have not affected life here or in much of rural Turkey, where Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan enjoys solid support.
(USA Today)
Homophobic prejudices broken by Gezi incidents in Turkey
The Gezi protests have shown that society is much more aware about the rights of the LGBT community than Parliament, according to an activist. ‘Gezi did in three weeks what would have taken us three years,’ says Sedef Çakmak, adding that they have gained a lot of self confidence
(Hurriyet Daily News)
UNITED KINGDOM
Man held after banknote campaigner receives rape threats on Twitter
Police say man arrested on suspicion of harassment offences, after shadow minister criticises Twitter’s response to abuse
(The Guardian)
UNITED STATES
Gay Talk: Protecting Free Speech for Public School Teachers
In Garcetti v. Ceballos, the Supreme Court held that public employees are not entitled to free speech when speaking “pursuant to their official duties.” In most situations, this strips teachers of First Amendment protection when they discuss controversial subjects, such as homosexuality, with their students.
(Social Science Research Network)
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26 Jul 13 | About Index, Campaigns, Press Releases
Index on Censorship has been awarded the 2013 Hermann Kesten Prize by the PEN Center Germany.
The award was given in recognition of Index’s work fighting censorship around the world. In particular, the jury acknowledged Indexs lack of political bias during its 40 year history. Originally created to publish the untold stories of dissidents behind the Iron Curtain, Index has exposed free speech violations around the world, equally denouncing left and right wing dictatorships and fundamentalist regimes.
Index CEO Kirsty Hughes said: We are delighted to have won this award. It is wonderful that Indexs work defending freedom of expression has been recognised in this way. As the recent revelations about mass surveillance by the US and UK governments show, freedom of expression is a hugely important issue, affecting us all wherever we live.’
Index uses a unique combination of journalism, campaigning and advocacy to defend freedom of expression for those facing censorship and repression, including journalists, writers, social media users, bloggers, artists, politicians, scientists, academics, activists and citizens.
The PEN Center Germany is one of over 140 world associations of writers that make up PEN international. The 10,000 euro prize is funded in by German PEN and the Hesse Ministry for Science and Art.
For more information or interviews, please contact [email protected], 0044 7749 785 932
26 Jul 13 | In the News
#dontspyonme
Tell Europe’s leaders to stop mass surveillance #dontspyonme
Index on Censorship launches a petition calling on European Union Heads of Government to stop the US, UK and other governments from carrying out mass surveillance. We want to use public pressure to ensure Europe’s leaders put on the record their opposition to mass surveillance. They must place this issue firmly on the agenda for the next European Council Summit in October so action can be taken to stop this attack on the basic human right of free speech and privacy.
(Index on Censorship)
CHINA
Hollywood Skeptical as China Claims Relaxed Censorship Enforcement
To many in China and Hollywood, the message seemed too good to be true: In an announcement on its official online portal July 17, the Chinese government stated that its State General Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television no longer will demand that filmmakers working on projects about “ordinary topics” secure full script approval before going into production.
(The Hollywood Reporter)
INDIA
The birth of India’s film industry: how the movies came to Mumbai
There is a fascinating but little-known prequel to Indian cinema that goes right back to silent films made in the 1890s
(The Guardian)
Tim Cook: iPhone sales in India grew 400 percent last quarter
Apple CEO, Tim Cook, today announced iPhone sales in India grew over 400 percent in the last quarter over the quarter preceding it. Apart from India, iPhone sales took off in the Philippines, Turkey and Poland in the prepaid market apart from developed countries. Apple attributes it to some moves it made in the iPhone 5 and iPhone 4 space, pointing out towards the aggressive buyback schemes it launched in India with the iPhone 4.
(The Tech Gadgets)
NEW ZEALAND
Maniac Faces More Censorship Overseas
now being banned in New Zealand. Of course, the mainstream press is latching onto the fact that this is significant considering Maniac star Elijah Wood starred as Frodo in The Lord of the Rings films…which were all shot in New Zealand.
(Shock Till You Drop)
RUSSIA
Navalny, Ward, Assange, Snowden and the Attack on Free Speech
Russia does not have a functioning criminal justice system at all, in the sense of a trial mechanism aimed at determining innocence or guilt. Exactly as in Uzbekistan, the conviction rate in criminal trials is over 99%. If the prosecutors, who are inextricably an arm of the executive government, want to send you to jail, there is absolutely no judicial system to protect you. The judges are purely there for show.
(Craig Murray)
Russia legal experts warn constitutional order under threat
Russia’s constitutional order is being threatened by the current government practices, according to an open letter [text, in Russian] signed by more than 50 of Russia’s leading legal experts on Tuesday. The letter accuses the government [CSM report] of systematic rights abuses and efforts to silence political opponents and eliminate forms of legal protest.
(Jurist)
Journalist Miriam Elder Reflects on her Past Seven Years in Russia
The Guardian’s former Russian Correspondent Miriam Elder has left Russia for a new job in the US as Foreign Editor at BuzzFeed. Anchor Carol Hills speaks with Elder about her experiences reporting in Russia.
(Public Radio International (US))
LGBT Organization Calls For Boycott of Russian Vodka
A gay rights organization based in the U.S. has called for a worldwide boycott on Russian vodka in response to the country’s new gay propaganda legislation.
(The Moscow Times)
Russian Church Leaders Say Gays And Same-Sex Marriage Will Cause The Apocalypse!
Everyone! Run for your lives! It’s the Apocalypse! And it’s all the gays’ fault! As CAH-RAZY as that might sound, Russian church leader Patriarch Kirill believes every word of it.
(Perez Hilton)
Russia for Beginners: A Literary Course for Edward Snowden
Edward J. Snowden has the time, and now he has the classics. Mr. Snowden, the former intelligence contractor facing legal repercussions for the release of classified information, has been ensconced in the transit zone of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport waiting to find out if he will be granted asylum.
(The New York Times)
TUNISIA
Tunisia In Chaos After Slaying Of Second Opposition Politician
Tunisia is heralded as the birthplace of the Arab Spring.
(Public Radio International (US))
TURKEY
Turkey’s media: A polluted landscape
As protests continue in Istanbul, journalist Yavuz Baydar calls for the media to resist government pressure to filter the news
(Index on Censorship)
Yavuz Baydar sacked after columns criticising government
Journalist Yavuz Baydar has been fired by Turkish daily newspaper Sabah, after articles he wrote criticising the government were censored
(Index on Censorship)
UNITED STATES
The Perceived Conflict Between Diversity and Free Speech
The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has made headlines after releasing a “blueprint” for campus sexual misconduct policies that broadly redefines sexual harassment, ostensibly under OCR’s authority to enforce Title IX.
(FIRE)
“Military Web Restrictions to Continue as Republican Led House Panel Passes on Amendment”
The House Rules Committee passed on an amendment that would have stopped the military from filtering news websites on its bases.
(Always Question Authority)
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25 Jul 13 | In the News
INDEX EVENTS
NSA, surveillance, free speech and privacy
Edward Snowden’s leaks about the US’s international mass surveillance programmes has prompted perhaps the definitive debate of our age: How free are we online? Can we ever trust technology with our personal details?
25 July, Time 6.30pm, Free, but RSVP required. Space is limited.
Doughty Street Chambers, WC1N
(More information)
BRAZIL
Brazilian sociologist threatened at gunpoint after criticising police
A Brazilian sociologist says he was threatened at gunpoint in Rio de Janeiro last week, after he gave a newspaper interview criticising police action in recent popular demonstrations
(Index on Censorship)
GHANA
Why free speech is a non-negotiable …
Nurturing institutions of society is an important aspect of growing a democracy, and encouraging free speech is an important step on that road.
(Ghana Web)
RUSSIA
Minister attacks Putin’s ‘worrying’ free speech record
A Cabinet Minister has accused Russian president Vladimir Putin of presiding over a “worrying” clampdown on free speech.
(The Telegraph)
SYRIA
On the ground in Syria: Fear still rules political expression
More than two years after the start of the uprising in Syria, the security apparatus remains committed to stifling freedom of expression. In its monthly reports, the SKeyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom, based in Beirut, has documented the arrest of 12 journalists and dissident intellectuals since January this year. Well-known media activists, such as Mazen Darwish, who was arrested in 2012, continue to be held under charges of terrorism.
(All Voices)
TUNISIA
Tunisia: Strengthen New Constitution’s Rights Protection
It is critically important to bring Tunisia’s new constitution in line with international human rights standards and Tunisia’s obligations under international law, four human rights organizations said today.
(Human Rights Watch)
Femen Activist Amina Faces New Charges
The latest twist in the court battle of Tunisian activist Amina Sboui continued Monday (July 22nd).
(Magharebia )
TURKEY
Yavuz Baydar sacked after columns criticising government
Journalist Yavuz Baydar has been fired by Turkish daily newspaper Sabah, after articles he wrote criticising the government were censored
(Index on Censorship)
UNITED KINGDOM
Miley Cyrus fires back at ‘We Cant Stop’ censorship
Former Disney star Miley Cyrus says she is not impressed with the way her ‘We Cant Stop’ music video has been censored in the UK.
(The New Age)
UNITED STATES
‘United we stand’ not just a motto
What is America ’s favorite freedom? It’s freedom of speech by a wide margin, according to the annual State of the First Amendment survey.
(TriCities.com)
‘United we stand’ not just a motto
What is America ’s favorite freedom? It’s freedom of speech by a wide margin, according to the annual State of the First Amendment survey.
(TriCities.com)
ZAMBIA
Press Freedom Group Helps Circumvent Net Censorship in Zambia
The non-governmental organisation Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has made a strong statement in favour of freedom of the press by offering several banned websites solutions to circumvent the government’s efforts to block access by citizens.
(Zambia Reports)
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