Ẁhy we should all know the name
of Uighur model Merdan Ghappar

The emergence this week of a video clip showing Uighur model Merdan Ghappar handcuffed to a bed has brought into sharp focus the concerns that the world has about China's Uighurs.  

The Uighurs, with their Islamic faith, Turkic language and ties to the cultures of central Asia and who hail from the far western province of Xinjiang, have long been viewed by the Chinese state with suspicion and have faced discrimination. Estimates suggest more than one million Uighurs are now incarcerated in a network of prisons across the region

Read why the world must shout out Merdan's name from the rooftops.  

Surveillance a growing problem for journalists worldwide

“Journalists are very, very afraid. They are being seen as enemies of the state because of this surveillance, because of their political activism, opposition politicians are afraid, everybody is afraid of the government,” said Issa Sikiti da Silva, speaking at the digital launch party for the Index on Censorship summer magazine, held on Friday 31 July. 

Sikiti da Silva, a journalist from the Democratic Republic of Congo who has travelled to and reported from many countries across Africa, was joined by Turkish writer and journalist Kaya Genç and Spanish journalist Silvia Nortes. The panel was chaired by Rachael Jolley, editor-in-chief of Index on Censorship magazine. 

The summer issue looks at the ways in which our privacy is being increasingly infringed upon in the coronavirus era. From health code apps in China dictating when people can leave their homes to poor digital literacy levels in Italy (and beyond) leaving people vulnerable to exploitation, the magazine takes a broad view. 

Read more from the launch lunch event here.