Ignore this and it could so easily be you

[link removed]
[link removed] Donate ([link removed])
[link removed] Subscribe ([link removed])
Friday, 21 August 2020


** Lukashenko's Belarus: "Have you ever felt joy from finding out a loved one is in prison?"
------------------------------------------------------------
[link removed]

Photo: Homoatrox

At 6pm on 10 August, 32-year-old Yury Savitsky was working in his tyre repair shop when a group of unknown people burst in, forcefully put his hands behind his back and pushed him into a van with tinted windows and drove off.

Savitsky’s abduction came a day after a disputed presidential election in the country which saw incumbent Alexander Lukashenko announced as the official winner, picking up 80% of the vote and giving Lukashenko, who has been president since 1994, another five-year term.

Here his wife Ekaterina talks to Index of her frantic search for Savitsky ([link removed]) , standing outside the infamous Okrestina prison and hearing the screams of those inside.
Donate to Index on Censorship ([link removed])


** "The brave men and women who refuse to be silenced"
------------------------------------------------------------
[link removed]

"Every day the world has been exposed to a new and sustained attack on our basic human rights. In every corner of the world, our collective rights to free expression and our freedom of association seem to be under siege. And for too many, the most basic of our human rights – our right to life, to live in peace – is, too often, not considered a right at all by those who will use any tool at their disposal to retain their power and the status quo," says Index CEO Ruth Smeeth.

"It seems that at any given time, there is always at least one government, one repressive regime or a non-state actor using their power to remove the rights of citizens." Read Ruth Smeeth's weekly blog post here ([link removed]) .


** New ways to search our media freedom map
------------------------------------------------------------
[link removed] map of attacks on media freedom ([link removed]) during the pandemic is now easier to explore than ever. We have now verified 240 incidents since the beginning of the crisis in countries from Azerbaijan to Zimbabwe. We have added a comprehensive search facitiy and also made it easier to search the map by the type of incident. You can also read our latest trend report which looks at how cartoonists have come under increasing attack during Covid ([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.
[link removed] ([link removed])

============================================================
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])

INDEX ON CENSORSHIP © COPYRIGHT 2020
** Privacy and Cookie Policy ([link removed])