Friday, 14 May 2021

Navalny writes from his penal colony: "Books are our everything"

Photo: Instagram.com/Navalny

Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader and Putin critic, is using Instagram to send messages from the penal colony where he is being held to the outside world about his ill-treatment. It includes lack of access to medical treatment, sleep deprivation, threats of force feeding and the confiscation of reading material.

Navalny has been in the colony since February, as a direct result of his poisoning with Novichok nerve agent last summer.

Read our exclusive story here.

Standing up to a global oil giant

Chief Robinson, the leader of the Cofan Indians and an environmental activist in Ecuador. Photo: Aperture

Lawyer Steven Donziger faces yet another court appearance in the latest chapter of his long-running battle with Chevron.

Read the decade-long story of his clashes with the company over environmental issues in Ecuador.

Support Index on Censorship's ongoing work

This week's Queen's Speech is a systematic assault on free expression

Photo: Chris Jackson/PA Wire/PA Images

"This week, there were significant concerns for those of us who care about free speech in the Queen's Speech.

"The Queen outlined the government’s agenda and, on the face of it, who could object to an Online Safety Bill or a Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill or even a Counter State Threats Bill? But, as ever, the devil is in the detail and the detail for too many of the British government’s proposals seems to have many, what I can only hope are unintended, consequences."

Read our CEO Ruth Smeeth's latest blog post and our joint letter to education secretary Gavin Williamson about our concerns over academic freedom.

China's global brand: a century of silencing dissent

Index looks back on 100 years of the Chinese Communist Party and how their censorship continues to shape the lives of people around the world and threaten their right to free speech. Inside are articles by exiled writer Ma Jian, Clive Priddle on whether Simon and Schuster's decision not to publish Senator Josh Hawley's book is censorship and an exclusive short story from acclaimed writer Shalom Auslander.

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.