Index on Censorship

“German authorities are using increasingly illiberal measures to curtail pro-Palestine activism. Under the guise of combatting Israel-related antisemitism, civic space for freedom of expression and assembly is shrinking.”

A recent open letter by Artists for Palestine cited 18 examples of artists allegedly being censored for their expressions of solidarity with Palestinians, or simply for being Palestinian themselves.

An appeal against an injunction granted against the book “The Compatriots: The Brutal and Chaotic History of Russia’s Exiles, Émigrés and Agents Abroad” will be heard in Germany on 8 December.

The Elon Musk-owned social media platform used to be the go-to in times of crisis but its strengths for truth-telling are eroded and all but gone.

While the recent conviction of two hitmen is welcome, we lament the lack of implementation of the recommendations made by the Public Inquiry into Caruana Galizia’s assassination, and the exclusion of structured public consultation on proposed legal amendments relating to the safety of journalists and SLAPPs.

In a joint letter to the UK Foreign Secretary, rights groups raise the draconian sentences handed to Salma al-Shehab and several others who have been imprisoned solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression.

The two human rights defenders were taken by Guangzhou police on 19 September 2021, and formally arrested on charges of ‘inciting subversion of state power’ after 37 days in custody.

Investigative journalist Scott Stedman, his US media company Forensic News, and three of his colleagues, are facing legal proceedings over their reporting on a British-Israeli businessman summoned by the US Senate Intelligence Committee. The case is expected to go to trial before the end of 2022.