Friday, 17 January 2025
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** Israel – will you allow international journalists
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** into Gaza now?
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As I write this week's newsletter a ceasefire in Gaza has been agreed in principle. Whether it'll hold is anyone's guess and the details of it are not for Index to scrutinise. Still, it’s an important moment to reflect on two of the most egregious violations to free expression that have arisen over the past 15 months and discuss how they can be remedied.

Chief among them are the attacks on media freedom. To date at least 166 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza, the West Bank, Israel and Lebanon since the war began on 7 October, according to the latest figures ([link removed]) from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). The CPJ believes that at least 11 journalists and two media workers have been directly targeted by Israeli forces. Add to these deaths international journalists being denied entry to Gaza (except under the most controlled circumstances) alongside attacks on critical media within Israel itself and the picture has been incredibly grim, as we’ve reported on often, including here ([link removed]) , here ([link removed]) and here
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War is never good for media freedom –- or freedom in general –- but what has made this one stand out is that the bulk of these attacks originate from a state that positions itself as a democracy. We do not want this to be normalised, or weaponised by autocratic players who’ll use Israel as an example of double standards, so it’s important that we continue to hold Israel to account.

We must also raise our voices to call, once again, for international media to be allowed into Gaza. Journalists must report as much as they can about what has happened and what will happen at this critical juncture.

Protest rights have taken a knock around the world too, with many instances of police overreach at peaceful protests and, in the case of Germany, outright protest bans. It’s been no better within Israel and Palestine. We’ve seen footage and reports of Gazans who’ve openly criticised Hamas being threatened or harshly punished (see here ([link removed]) for example). In Israel the police have suppressed anti-war protests ([link removed]) through various means, including unlawfully detaining people at marches.

While attacks onto protest rights are egregious no matter where they take place, as with media freedoms it’s particularly concerning when these attacks happen in democratic states. In the words ([link removed]) of Danish human rights lawyer Lotte Leicht, who we interviewed last year:

“These countries are usually there to say ‘Oh, that’s not good’, and we want them to do that! But by not practising what they preach and undermining these principles at home, they will lose that credibility.”

It’s high time to correct the course. As international leaders debate the details of the ceasefire deal we need to see bold, unequivocal commitments to media freedom and protest rights – for everyone’s sake.

Jemimah Steinfeld

CEO, Index on Censorship


** More from Index
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Index welcomes release of Diala Ayesh ([link removed])

Palestinian human rights defender and lawyer released from administrative detention by Israeli authorities


** A story of forgotten fiction in Vietnam ([link removed])
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The country's rich literary history has been plagued by censorship but banned books still make it into readers' hands


** How can Gaza rebuild its culture? ([link removed])
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What do you do when your culture has been destroyed? When your studios, galleries, and universities all lie in rubble? Questions that need answers following the proposed ceasefire

Saudi Arabia's 2034 World Cup is just another attempt at sportswashing ([link removed])

Undemocratic states that seek to exploit soft power to hide their human rights abuses should be condemned, not celebrated

Nominate a champion for the 2025 Freedom of Expression Awards ([link removed])

Tell us who you think should win in the fields of arts, campaigning and journalism around the world

How did you do in our banned books quiz? ([link removed])

Were you one of the five winners in our year-end competition? Find out the answers


**
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Join Index on Wednesday 29 January at The Jago, Dalston for a night of music and poetry to launch our latest magazine issue, Unsung Heroes.

With performances by Uyghur musicians Rahima Mahmut and Shohret Nur, Belarusian poet Hanna Komar, and award-winning percussionist Sola Akingbola and the Eegun Rhapsodies.

Register now and get a free drink on the night.
REGISTER ([link removed])


** From elsewhere
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USA: Trump appointments “may censor speech and make the internet less free” ([link removed]) [link removed]

THAILAND: Man jailed for 18 months for raising middle finger to king and queen ([link removed])

TECH: Americans flock to Chinese TikTok alternative ahead of possible ban ([link removed])

UGANDA: Opposition lawyer jailed without trial and allegedly tortured ([link removed])

CHINA: It’s still the big global story but fewer people are able to tell it ([link removed])

GEORGIA: Independent media founder in “politically motivated” detention ([link removed])


** Flashback
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“Mozambique: In the face of despair” ([link removed])

by ([link removed]) Ian Bray

Index on Censorship, volume 21, issue ([link removed]) 4

Daniel Chapo (pictured above) has been sworn in as president in a low-key inauguration ([link removed]) in Maputo this week after the opposition boycotted the ceremony. Chapo has promised to promote human rights but more than 300 people have allegedly been killed since disputed elections in October.

In 1992 the country was “the world's poorest, hungriest, most indebted and most aid-dependent” but intended to usher in a new era of multi-partyism and democratic rights, wrote Ian Bray that year ([link removed]) .



** Support our work
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The world is becoming more authoritarian and our work supporting individuals like Diala Ayesh and promoting freedom of expression in countries such as Mozambique, Thailand and China has never been more important.

By supporting Index on Censorship today, you can help us in our work with censored artists, jailed musicians, journalists under threat and dissidents facing torture and worse.

Please donate today ([link removed])

Images by Mario Martija sevilla / Alamy Stock Photo (photojournalist in Gaza Strip); AIM / Ferhat Momade (Daniel Chapo)

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