Index on Censorship

The problem with “insult laws” is that they often exist for the benefit of leaders and politicians. And even when they are more general, they can be very easily manipulated by those in positions of power to shut down and punish criticism.

The UN Committee on NGOs recently met in New York to select which NGOs fit the institution. The 19-member body’s aim could be to ensure a high-level and quality participation of independent NGOs to the UN – it is instead the 21st century censorship bureau.

People in China find novel ways to bypass the censors during the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre.

An Indian man has found himself in trouble for allegedly posting a Facebook comments against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The incident raises serious doubts over online freedom in the world’s biggest democracy.

The International Press Institute, Index on Censorship, Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso and the European University Institute, in cooperation with the Central European University, will spend the next year working on a project under the title European Centre for Press and Media Freedom.

Theatre’s subversive and liberating potential is renowned, and governments the world over have never held themselves back from wielding the censor’s bludgeon, but in India, it is the police which has been vested with remarkably sweeping powers to crack down on theatrical performances.

With fears intensifying over the potential impact of returning foreign fighters and potential ‘lone wolf’ terrorists, governments are increasingly targeting the Internet as a source of radicalisation.

The East Timorese government has been criticised after a media law was ratified on 7 May 2014, which seeks to regulate the media by imposing restrictions on journalists.