Articles by Index on Censorship
Gaza: Twitter suspends Hamas military wing account
Hamas’ militant wing the Iz Al Din al Qassam Brigades announced via their website that their primary English-language Twitter account, @alqassamBrigade had been suspended. Twitter did not inform Hamas of its reasons for the suspension.
Cambodian human rights defender threatened for opposing hate speech
The recent flood of hate-mail and death-threats sent to Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, points to a society still dangerously divided over ethnic and racial issues.
Davos urged to address secret mass surveillance scandal
Leading free speech and privacy organisations have called on the world’s elite assembled at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland to tackle the challenge of global mass surveillance of electronic communications.
Did the Uttar Pradesh government ban two channels for being too critical?
The government of India’s largest and most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, has been accused of taking the country’s most popular (and shrillest) English news channel, Times Now, off the air following a wave of critical reporting.
The new constitution: Why Egyptians shouldn’t be rejoicing just yet
Egyptian voters have overwhelmingly approved the new military-backed constitution giving General Abdel Fattah El-Sisi the legitimacy he seeks to strengthen the army’s grip on the country. Although it is considered preferable to the last constitution, local rights groups have voiced their reservations regarding its efficacy.
U.K. Independence Party pledges to ban climate change lessons in schools
The U.K. Independence Party has promised it will ban the teaching of climate change in schools, if elected in May next year. The party’s 2010 manifesto included a pledge to ban Al Gore’s Oscar-winning global warming documentary An Inconvenient Truth from schools.
Social media changing the protest landscape in China
In China, social media offers a critical viewpoint that is lacking from state-controlled media. While it has not been able to completely detach itself from the government’s censorship, the increasing use of social media and the rapid spread of information is putting pressure on the government that it has never felt before.
Tunisia’s draft constitution raises concerns about democratic transition
Tunisia’s National Constituent Assembly (NCA) is voting on a 146-article constitution, following a political crisis which put the country’s democratic transition on hold after the assassination of opposition deputy Mohamed Brahmi last July.