Friday, 31 July 2020

Fake news law being used to silence journalists in Russia

Russia’s fake news law is being used to persecute and prosecute journalists who print stories about Covid-19 using statistics that the government doesn’t want publicised, or who report on hospital conditions, according to a new Index interview with Justice for Journalists’ director Maria Ordzhonikidze. At the same time, protest has been unofficially banned, making it very hard for people to report on and protest the government's Covid-19 response, or other matters of public concern.

The interview covers how restrictions on media freedom has increased across the former Soviet Union during the pandemic, and how a host of tactics are being used across the country.

"We noted 40 cases of use of anti-extremism and anti-terrorism laws against journalists, who in some cases were put in prison. Before we have seen this in Ingushetia and Chechnya but now we are seeing it in Moscow," said Ordzhonikidze of one such tactic.

Join us today for the summer magazine launch

Join us today, Friday 31st July, at 12.30pm BST for an Index lunchtime discussion on just how much we're being surveilled in the age of Covid-19.

As people spend more of their lives on apps like Zoom, just how private are meetings? News has emerged of drones telling people in China to go back indoors. How close can they get and with that, how much information? Will contact tracing apps look at more than just encounters with those infected with Covid-19?

Join author and journalist Kaya Genç from Istanbul, award-winning freelance journalist Issa Sikiti da Silva, who has travelled extensively across Africa, Spanish investigative journalist Silvia Nortes, and Index on Censorship magazine's editor-in-chief Rachael Jolley for a discussion on one of the most important topics of today.

Tickets are free, but registration is essential. Register for your place here.

The new issue is available to buy here.

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John Lewis was never afraid to use his voice. We owe him an eternal debt of gratitude

"Our civil rights heroes taught every other equality movement the power of language, of storytelling, of the spoken and written word and the vital importance of the free press," writes Index CEO Ruth Smeeth in her tribute to civil rights activist John Lewis, who used his voice in all kinds of ways to bring about global change.

Read more about John Lewis' life and achievements in Smeeth's weekly blog post here.

People from Azerbaijan, India and South Africa join the new youth advisory board

This week Index has recruited a new youth advisory board to discuss the most pressing issues around freedom of expression today. The board comprises seven new members, as well as Aliyah Kaitlin Orr, a student based in the UK, who will be rejoining the board for their second term. Index recruits members from all around the world, with the aim to get as many different perspectives as possible. This board includes Siphesihle Fali, a student at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, and Subhan Hasanli, a lawyer from Azerbaijan, as well as members from across Europe, from the USA and from India.

“I am looking forward to being part of the board as I believe Index on Censorship is an innovating initiative that really places emphasis on the importance of the right to freedom of expression - on a global scale. It fights for the voices of the unheard and to be allowed to be part of something that makes such a difference in the world is a huge honour,” said Fali of being part of the new board.

Read more about the youth board here.

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 to Index you help us to protect freedom of expression and to support those who are denied that right.