The latest on threats to freedom of expression around the world
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Friday, 23 December 2022
** We’re making a list and checking it twice
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Photo: Mick Haupt/Unsplash
Tyranny doesn’t take a Christmas break. In the Index tradition of dealing in bad news, we’re keeping our eyes wide open over the festive season for causes for concern. So as you dig through the remnants of the Quality Streets, here’s a newsletter that will really roast your chestnuts.
Let’s start in the digiverse with Twitter, where it’s a blue Christmas for all the wrong reasons. Will new CEO Elon Musk outlast the tinsel? The ousting of journalists ([link removed]) , back-and-forth over verified accounts and Musk’s own poll ([link removed]) concerning his future as CEO have grabbed headlines. And just this week, Musk tweeted ([link removed]) that “Twitter will start incorporating mute & block signals from Blue Verified (not Legacy Blue) as downvotes,” suggesting that those who pay for the privilege can theoretically shape which voices are heard on the platform. Musk’s idea of free speech is leaving swathes of users bewildered, and it seems likely there’s more to come. What might the platform look like by the new year?
Now to the physical world. Worrying developments are nothing new in Russia’s war in Ukraine, but this week Vladimir Putin met with Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka ([link removed]) (both nominees for Tyrant of the Year 2022 ([link removed]) ), with the rest of the world filling in the gaps — will Belarus join a new ground offensive? With a Christmas ceasefire seeming increasingly unlikely, war — at the hands of Putin — is not over. The corrosive effect on freedoms, as we explored in our summer magazine ([link removed]) , continues.
As of Sunday, the last World Cup goals have been scored, and the players are back home. Football is evaporating from Qatar, with stadiums being dismantled or repurposed into shopping centres and hotels. Cries of “Sportswashing” (not least from multiple voices in our autumn issue ([link removed]) ), deaths of migrant workers and criticism of the country’s shocking human rights record have underpinned the whole tournament, but what happens next? A festive distraction certainly isn’t the usual order of service post-World Cup, but it’s more important than ever to keep up the pressure on Qatar. They think it’s all over — it shouldn’t be.
Mince pies, terrible cracker jokes and falling asleep mid-afternoon are all splendid festive traditions, but locking up human rights activists — not so much. As politicians and journalists are distracted, China has been known to put prominent critics on trial ([link removed]) over the winter holiday, thus avoiding international attention. Take the case of human rights activist Wu Gan ([link removed]) , who was handed down an eight-year sentence on Christmas Day 2017. Mind you, they might be distracted managing their own pandemic (not that they’d admit it’s out of control).
China isn’t alone in this kind of Grinch-like manoeuvre. Bahrain, for example, has a worrying history of burying bad news while the world is caught up in festivities. New Year’s Eve 2018 saw the five-year sentence of human rights defender Nabeel Rajab upheld. In 2019, Mohammed Ramadhan ([link removed]) and Hussein Moosa, who joined protests to demand democratic reform, had the final decision on their death sentences scheduled for Christmas Day. After international pressure, the decision was adjourned until early January — when the death penalty was reimposed. In Turkey, 17 journalists were put on trial on Christmas Day 2017. Holiday court cases are a popular tactic in numerous countries, but international pressure can have an effect — we must not stay silent.
And it’s not just trials that we’re watching out for. In Saudi Arabia, executions have stepped up in 2022 under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (yet another Tyrant of the Year 2022 ([link removed]) contender). Back in 2016, the New Year was brought in with a mass execution ([link removed]) . Last week, Index associate editor Mark Frary wrote about one case in which the UK could hold some sway — that of jailed University of Leeds student Salma al-Shehab ([link removed]) , sentenced to 34 years in prison for a tweet.
But above all, our eyes will be on Iran. The first executions of protesters have taken place, after nationwide uprisings in reaction to the death of Mahsa (Jina) Amini while in custody of the morality police. The road from arrest to death has been short so far, with public executions used as a tool to silence dissent. The world has reacted with horror — we should keep doing so, especially over the holidays.
** In the bleak midwinter
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Political prisoner sculpture. Photo: Pedro Ribeiro Simões/flickr (CC BY 2.0)
While we stay alert to potential persecution over the festive period, we’re also keeping our minds on those wrongly behind bars. Index editorial assistant Francis Clarke spares a thought for the human rights defenders, journalists and free speech advocates who will be spending Christmas in prison ([link removed]) .
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** Vote for your Tyrant of the Year 2022
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We’ve dropped enough hints in this newsletter, and the Tyrant of the Year competition is really hotting up. Who gets your vote?
That weird bit between Christmas and New Year happens to be the perfect time to make your decision. Cast your votes by 9 January 2022 ([link removed]) .
If you have an ounce of festive spirit left after our joyous offering, perhaps you’ll tune into King Charles III’s first Christmas speech. Whether you do or not, may we suggest a literary accompaniment — the winter 2022 issue of Index, featuring an exclusive investigation into how the royals censor their archives, published at the end of this year.
Merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah and Yuletide wishes to all our readers.
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** From the archive
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** Putin's winter challenge
Arnold van Bruggen
June 2012
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As the World Cup comes to an end and Putin’s war in Ukraine rages on, it might be time to revisit Russia’s own Olympic-sized sportswashing attempt ([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.
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