Articles about freedom of speech and free speech

Pussy Riot held as lawyers prepare to call Putin to court

21 Jul 2012 | Russia

The Khamovnichesky court in Moscow has prolonged the detention of three Pussy Riot members until 12 January. The term of their arrest should have expired on 24 July, but the judge complied with the prosecution’s application to prolong the detention for 6 more months.

Maria Alekhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Ekaterina Semutsevich have been accused of hooliganism for allegedly staging an anti-Putin performance in Moscow’s Christ the Saviour Cathedral. They face up to seven years in prison if convicted.

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The curious case of Belarus’s bears that weren’t there

20 Jul 2012 | Campaigns, Europe and Central Asia, News and features

A young Belarusian journalist has been arrested and detained – for taking photographs of teddy bears the government denies exist. Andrei Aliaksandru reports (more…)

The Kremlin makes its move on Facebook

13 Jul 2012 | Europe and Central Asia, News and features

Russian parliamentarians have passed legislation that will establish a central register of banned websites. The new laws are ostensibly designed for child protection, but Andrei Soldatov says the real aim is to take control over the country’s burgeoning social networks
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Azerbaijan anti-censorship petition goes to Houses of Parliament

4 Jul 2012 | Azerbaijan News, Campaigns, Europe and Central Asia

The government of Azerbaijan, led by autocratic President Ilham Aliyev, thought the Eurovision Song Contest was the perfect opportunity to airbrush the country’s poor human rights record. Yet even after spending an estimated $750 million on Eurovision, thanks to Index on Censorship and its partners in the International Partnership Group for Azerbaijan (IPGA), the message got out that free speech is not protected in Aliyev’s Azerbaijan.
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