Index on Censorship weekly round-up

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Thursday, 21 December 2023
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Artwork: Free Man by Lumli Lumlong ([link removed])
This, the last newsletter of 2023, could be a grim one. It could slam Hong Kong for its show trial of Jimmy Lai. It could raise the situation in Israel-Palestine, which worsens by the day. It could mention Alexey Navalny, whose silence people fear indicates he's been murdered, or at best moved to a very remote prison. It could reference Donald Trump and his continuing allure, despite the 91 felony counts currently pending against him. It could mention the sentencing of an Iranian journalist for a tweet about the suspicious death of a teenage girl on Tehran's subway.

But no, it will not dwell in the dark. In the words of Margaret Atwood, a self-appointed glass-half-full person, who I interviewed earlier this year: "You're an optimist too. You've got to be working at a place like Index." And so as this dastardly year comes to an end, the final newsletter is going to do something un-Indexy - concentrate on the positives. Herein's a list of a few reasons we needn't always despair:

People have other people's backs. Granted not always and not everyone but there have been reassuring moments of solidarity this year. Like when the Frankfurt Book Fair award ceremony for Palestinian author Adania Shibli was suspended and the book world responded with united outrage - strongly worded rebukes from publishers, open letters signed, interview requests aplenty. Like when a museum in Warsaw was threatened by the Chinese embassy there about an upcoming exhibition of artwork from dissident artist Badiucao and they went ahead with it anyway. Like when the DC bureau chief of the Wall Street Journal stepped down to work full time on a mission to secure the release in Russia of his colleague Evan Gershkovich.

Advocacy works. After years of Index campaigning to #StopSLAPPs this December saw a private members’ bill presented to the UK's Houses of Parliament in a milestone moment against the lawsuits that target public-interest reporting. Another example: David Cameron, who once enjoyed beers in a pub with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, did a 180 and pressed the authorities in China and Hong Kong to release political prisoner Jimmy Lai. A dedicated group of organisations and individuals pressured the UK government to say something and in the eleventh hour they finally did. Even more reassuring is the list of other countries who have joined in the chorus of condemnation - Canada, Romania and France, just to name a few.

Progress is not linear. Like a dance class, progress moves up, down, left and right, which means yes it can and does move backwards but also yes it can and does move forwards. Poland voted out its far-right government in October, welcome news for the nation's minorities and women, as we report here ([link removed]) . France, meanwhile, boldly revealed ([link removed]) what side it was on in the battle of the wombs when it promised to enshrine abortion rights in the constitution next year. And on LGBTQ rights, Latvia voted to legalise same-sex civil unions and Peru and South Korea recognised the legal status of same-sex couples.

We're still laughing. Shameless plug here. While originating from a depressing place - a series of comedians being arrested in Asia - the latest issue of Index on Censorship (available soon) is a wonderful ode to comedians, many of whom are still mocking the bullies. In Uganda a band of "fools" are taking President Museveni down one joke at a time, while Belarusians are showing Lukashenka that he can take away their rights but he can never take away their roasts. We'll be launching the magazine on 24 January, with an amazing line-up of comedians. Get your tickets ([link removed]) now.

All bad things come to an end, too. Set aside the time they'll never get back, in 2023 some political prisoners were released from jail. In May Azerbaijani human rights lawyer and journalist Elchin Mammad left prison following a presidential pardon. In October, Matiullah Wesa, co-founder of the Afghanistan education organisation Pen Path and winner of the campaigning category of our Freedom of Expression Awards, also walked out. "I am so happy," his brother and co-founder Attaullah Wesa, told us at the time, and we were pretty overjoyed too.

Looping back to point three, that of progress not being linear, there's every reason to hope that 2024 will bring with it more good news. So goodbye, au revoir, adiós, 再见 2023. You have not defeated us.

Jemimah Steinfeld, editor-in-chief

PS in the mood for more cheer? Check out our Moments of Freedom ([link removed]) end of year campaign and vote on an even bigger pool of positives. Some jazzy prizes are up for grabs too.

PPS Artwork for this newsletter is courtesy of Lumli Lumlong, a fantastic artistic duo. Pictured is Jimmy Lai, a devout Catholic, who has spent three years in a prison in Hong Kong for his peaceful activism. His national security law trial started Monday, with all judges handpicked by Beijing because nothing says justice like that. We're keeping a close eye on any developments.


** From the Danube to the Baltic Sea, Germany takes an authoritarian turn
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A pro-Palestine rally in Kreuzberg, Berlin in October. Photo: www.montecruzfoto.org

Since Hamas’ 7 October terrorist attacks and the subsequent Israeli assault on Gaza, German authorities are using increasingly illiberal measures to curtail pro-Palestine activism, writes Jakob Guhl ([link removed]) . Under the guise of combatting Israel-related antisemitism, civic space for freedom of expression and assembly is shrinking.

Seemingly isolated incidents are piling up and the curtailing of civic space is starting to be noticed internationally: Civicus, which ranks countries by freedom of expression rights, recently downgraded ([link removed]) Germany in a review from “open” to “restricted” due to repression of pro-Palestinian voices, as well as of climate activists.


** The world needs to learn from
Masha Gessen moments
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Masha Gessen had an award cancelled over their thoughts on Gaza...or did they?
Photo: David Silverman Photography/CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED

The rules on what we can and cannot say have exponentially increased since Hamas’ attack in Israel in October and Israel’s response. Just ask Masha Gessen. Over the last few days the Russian-American writer has found themselves at the centre of a controversy over an award they were due to receive.

It was a play of two acts. Act one, disinformation. The well-respected site LitHub ran an article with the heading “Masha Gessen’s Hannah Arendt Prize has been canceled because of their essay on Gaza. ([link removed]) ” The problem was it hadn’t been cancelled. Gessen pointed that out, saying they had only been approached by one journalist and that as a result “inaccuracies pile up ([link removed]) ”. LitHub had to issue what every editor dreads – a correction.

The reality – act two – was more prosaic, writes editor-in-chief Jemimah Steinfeld ([link removed]) .


** What does Tusk’s victory mean for oppressed groups in Poland?
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Tusk's election victory offers cautious hope to Poland's oppressed groups. Photo: Arno Mikkor (EU2017EE) (CC BY 2.0).

The confirmation of Donald Tusk as Poland’s new prime minister, ending the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party’s eight year spell in power, offers cautious optimism that freedom of expression for the country’s minority groups will be better protected, writes Daisy Ruddock ([link removed]) . Tusk’s appointment follows October’s parliamentary election, in which a broad coalition of opposition parties secured the majority of votes needed to form a government, which was officially voted in by MPs in December.


** Win one of our exclusive prizes with our
2023 Moments of Freedom campaign
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A copy of Ramita Navai's amazing book City of Lies about life under the Iranian regime is just one of the many exclusive prizes on offer for those taking part in our year-end competition. Help us choose the most inspiring moment of freedom from the past 12 months and be in with a chance of winning this prize, with a personal dedication from Ramita. Vote now here ([link removed]) .


** From the Index archives
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** Dead poets' society
by Mark Frary
Summer 2021
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It is now nearly three years since the military coup in Myanmar but the forces of Min Aung Hlaing appear to be faltering in the face of resistance from rebels. China has also chosen not to intervene, suggesting change may be on the way. This article from associate editor Mark Frary ([link removed]) from the months after the coup shows how the takeover was deadly for the country's creatives.

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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.

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