Index on Censorship weekly round-up
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Friday, 29 September 2023
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Photo: Ceta Ramkhalawansingh ([link removed])
It was a week to get some perspective on what does and doesn’t represent the courageous exercise of free expression. On the one side we have the British broadcaster GB News, which has been forced to suspend two of its regular contributors ([link removed]) after a young female journalist was abused live on air. On the other we have the celebrated Ukrainian writer Andrey Kurkov forced to justify his decision to share a platform with the Russian opposition journalist Masha Gessen. It is worth unpicking these stories to demonstrate how the concept of “free speech” had been debased and weaponised.
GB News prides itself on being an alternative, anti-establishment news source, an antidote to the “woke” platitudes of the BBC, ITN and Sky News.
On Tuesday, the actor and activist Laurence Fox appeared on the Dan Wootton show on the channel and proceeded to attack the political journalist Ava Evans for statements she had made on the gender pay gap and male suicide. He has since apologised for (his words) his "demeaning" comments. Both Wootton and Fox have been suspended while GB News and the broadcast regulator Ofcom carry out investigations.
GB News boss Angelos Frangopoulos told the BBC Today programme: “We are about free speech, but it’s about being done in a respectful and proper way, and that was not the way that that conversation played out.”
His words reveal a worrying confusion about the nature of free expression today. When were Salman Rushdie, Václav Havel or Anna Politkovskaya ever “respectful and proper” towards the subjects of their criticism? But the difference is that their targets were right-wing theocrats, the Communist authorities in Czechoslovakia and President Putin. It is laughable to consider Laurence Fox in the same company, much as he would like to be seen as a martyr in the culture wars.
The controversy surrounding last weekend’s discussion between Andrey Kurkov and Masha Gessen at the Toronto International Festival of Authors is of a different order. The two writers were introduced by the Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood at an event organised in partnership with PEN Canada entitled Notes on the Invasion ([link removed]) .
Before the event Ukrainian writer Artem Chekh said ([link removed]) : "He will probably say many correct and trivial things about Ukraine. But it will all reek of the Russian context and swampy mud. From now on, everything that [Kurkov] says on international platforms will seem dishonest and wrong to me."
Kurkov responded: "I decided to participate in the conversation with Masha Gessen not because they are an American citizen and write in English. But in order for the voice of Ukraine to be heard on one of the main stages of Toronto. It is thanks to the fact that we will be performing there together that the voice of America of Russian origin and the voice of Ukraine will be heard there. Everyone has their own way to help so that Ukraine can win."
The links between Kurkov and Index are strong and unbreakable. We were the first to publish ([link removed]) the Ukrainian writer in English long before he came to international fame. Last year he was honoured with the trustees’ prize at the Index on Censorship Free Expression Awards ([link removed]) . Margaret Atwood is an Index patron. Masha Gessen is a Russian-American writer who is on the staff of the New Yorker. They are one of Putin’s fiercest critics.
Chekh and his fellow Ukrainian writer Artem Chapeye, also serving soldiers, objected to Russian writers appearing at a PEN event in the USA in May. Gessen later resigned as vice-president of PEN America, saying the organisation had given way to blackmail from the Ukrainians.
At Index we stand by Kurkov’s decision to appear on a platform with Gessen, who remains one of the most respected international voices on Putin’s Russia. At the same time, we recognise that many Ukrainians will disagree. What is beyond doubt is that this is a fundamentally important debate that goes to the heart of what free speech really means. The troubles at GB News are a mere sideshow.
Martin Bright, editor-at-large
** Ariel Dorfman's new murderous and meta short story
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Paulina Salas is not just a character from Death and the Maiden. She is now a character in The Embassy Murders, the new short story from acclaimed playwright Ariel Dorfman, which is published exclusively here for the first time. Why does she keep on coming back? As Dorfman says, she’s never really left him since he conceived her back in 1990 because the situation that gave rise to her – justice unfulfilled – continues. As Chile marks the 50th anniversary since Augusto Pinochet's bloody coup this month, read more about the former dictator's continuing popularity in the country, alongside Dorfman's remarkable new story ([link removed]) .
** In London next Wednesday? Join our magazine launch
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The murder of Mahsa Amini on 16 September 2022 by Iran's morality police sent shockwaves throughout the country. Protests led by women spread to 90 cities in all of Iran's provinces. What has happened to the protests one year on? With reports of the morality police back on the streets and protesters locked away, some even executed, what positive change has occurred, if any? Join Index for a panel discussion ([link removed]) featuring the author Malu Halasa, award-winning journalist Ramita Navai and Index editor Jemimah Steinfeld as we launch the Autumn magazine, which looks at how the religious right are stamping on freedoms.
** Trump raises the stakes on media freedom
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[link removed] president, Donald Trump attacked the media every day and undermined the cross-party consensus that has afforded journalists protection for over 200 years. And he hasn’t changed his stance since he left office, attacking mainstream media outlets who dare to do their job and challenge his version of reality.
This week he has taken these attacks a step further and has threatened to withdraw the licences of critical media if he is re-elected. Read what our CEO has to say ([link removed]) on this development.
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** From the archive
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** Beijing’s fearless foe with God on his side
by Jimmy Lai
Spring 2022
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On Tuesday Hong Kong democracy activist and media mogul Jimmy Lai spent his 1000th day in prison. Over the last few years Index has campaigned for his release and have sent letters to Lai to ensure he knows he is not forgotten. We also published letters that he sent himself to friends, family and colleagues. Read them here ([link removed])
Help support Index on Censorship ([link removed])
Index on Censorship defends people's freedom to express themselves without fear of harm or persecution. We publish censored writers and artists, monitor and campaign against censorship, and encourage debate.
We rely on donations from readers and supporters. By donating ([link removed]) to Index you help us to protect freedom of expression and to support those who are denied that right.
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