Serbian radio station B92 was founded as the country became increasingly authoritarian under Slobodan Milošević. Decades on journalists are still being subjected to threats and abuse. We spoke to the station's founder, Veran Matić, about then and now. www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/08/vera...

Veran Matić and the Serbian radio station that helped bring down Slobodan Milošević - Index on Censorship

How a group of student journalists from Belgrade University founded the radio station B92

indexoncensorship.org

New job alert: Index is on the hunt for an events and partnerships manager. Could it be you? Apply now if you think you're a fit. www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/08/inde...

Index seeks events and partnerships manager - Index on Censorship

You will deliver our public events programme, support our membership community and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders

indexoncensorship.org

Governments are weaponising travel bans to silence dissent. By restricting movement, they isolate journalists, silence critics and prevent abuses from reaching an audience. Our new report with the University of Essex examines this growing global threat: www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/07/how-...

How governments are weaponising travel bans to silence dissent - Index on Censorship

A major new report that looks at how dissidents are stopped from entering or leaving their countries

indexoncensorship.org

The UK Government is trying to break encryption - again. Apple is pushing back & so should the rest of us. Encryption is essential for privacy & privacy underpins free speech. Here's why this matters👇 www.indexoncensorship.org/2024/09/brea...

"Theatremakers and artists are not inclined to take risks with challenging works. And virtually everyone in the industry is in denial about the extent of censorship at all." Essential reading - our investigation into censorship in UK theatre, out now. www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/07/comp...

Complacency, culture wars and money troubles are killing political theatre - Index on Censorship

The smothering of uncomfortable voices is commonplace in UK theatre. But arts professionals would rather self-censor than confront uncomfortable truths

indexoncensorship.org

In our latest magazine issue, Kaya Genç profiles Kurdish artist Şener Özmen about his struggle against erasure. Become a member and subscribe to the Index on Censorship magazine: www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/07/the-...

New book from Zahra Joya of @rukhshanamedia.bsky.social is about the Taliban’s brutal silencing of women and Joya’s own life of resistance. It's an incredibly important book - we need more stories from and about women in Afghanistan. Our review: www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/07/meet...

Meet the vanishing girl who defied the Taliban - Index on Censorship

A new book tells the story of the Taliban’s brutal silencing of women and the life of resistance of journalist Zahra Joya

indexoncensorship.org

From India to Georgia, journalists and critics are being prevented from travelling or returning home through travel bans that undermine free expression. Our new report investigates this growing global threat ⬇️ www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/07/how-...

How governments are weaponising travel bans to silence dissent - Index on Censorship

A major new report that looks at how dissidents are stopped from entering or leaving their countries

indexoncensorship.org

Our investigation into self-censorship within UK theatres is out. From Israel-Palestine to gender and other contentious issues, concerns about backlash and financial pressures are shaping what gets said - and staged. Read the investigation: www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/07/comp...

Complacency, culture wars and money troubles are killing political theatre - Index on Censorship

The smothering of uncomfortable voices is commonplace in UK theatre. But arts professionals would rather self-censor than confront uncomfortable truths

indexoncensorship.org

As a prisoner of conscious, being released from prison doesn't always mean regaining freedom. In Saudi Arabia, travel bans are used as a form of “quasi-detention”. Our new report explores how restrictions on movement are being weaponised to silence dissent: www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/07/how-...

How governments are weaponising travel bans to silence dissent - Index on Censorship

A major new report that looks at how dissidents are stopped from entering or leaving their countries

indexoncensorship.org

#UK: A major victory against transnational repression. The Supreme Court has rejected Bahrain's attempt to claim sovereign immunity in the spyware case brought by dissidents Saeed Shehabi and Moosa Mohammed ⬇️ www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/07/no-m...

Good news story! This week the UK Supreme Court sided with dissidents against the Kingdom of Bahrain. Sending a strong signal to all those perpetrators of transnational repression. Me @indexoncensorship.org on why this matters. www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/07/no-m...

No more hiding behind borders, Bahrain told - Index on Censorship

A landmark Supreme Court ruling means foreign states can no longer rely on immunity to target dissidents on British soil

indexoncensorship.org

Travel bans are increasingly being weaponised to silence journalists, activists and dissidents. Our new report with the University of Essex reveals how governments are using travel bans to ensure dissidents are stopped from entering/leaving their countries⬇️ www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/07/how-...

#Afghanistan: A new book tells the story of the Taliban's brutal silencing of women and journalist @zahrajoya.bsky.social's life of resistance. Nearly five years after the Taliban retook power, Joya is telling her story⬇️ www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/07/meet... @katiedd.bsky.social

#Australia: A large HIV charity says Meta has blocked ads promoting information about new treatments. It's part of a growing pattern affecting organisations working on sexual health and reproductive rights, reports @amyfallon.bsky.social ⬇️ www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/07/big-...

#HongKong: The authorities continue their crackdown on independent bookshops. We are saddened to hear that Greenfield Bookstore has announced its closure a few weeks after a police raid, becoming the third bookshop to shut this month: hongkongfp.com/2026/07/29/5...

Greenfield Bookstore to close after arrests, national security raid

A Hong Kong bookstore whose staff were arrested by national security police two weeks ago has announced its closure.

hongkongfp.com

#Israel: As news breaks that Channel 12 offices were once again attacked, this time accompanied with a death threat, revisit our analysis of the growing pressure on the country's press and universities: www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/07/benj...

Benjamin Netanyahu takes aim at Israel’s universities - Index on Censorship

New measures would limit universities' ability to speak out against the government

indexoncensorship.org

#UK: We welcome The Met's conclusion that Zack Polanski did not incite violence by sharing an image of a T-shirt. However, we are concerned by the decision to record a crime in relation to the person who wore it. Read our analysis: www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/07/ban-...

Ban offensive t-shirts? - Index on Censorship

Marc Nash argues that the t-shirt Zack Polanski shared was not incitement to violence

indexoncensorship.org

#Afghanistan: We condemn news that the Taliban arbitrarily detained 389 people between April-June. Most were targeted over their clothing, hairstyles or for listening to music. We call for the immediate release of all those still behind bars: www.afintl.com/en/202607289...

Taliban Detained Nearly 400 In Three Months, Says UN

UNAMA says Taliban’s morality police arbitrarily detained 389 people in Afghanistan between 1 April and 30 June, while 65 others faced mistreatment by the ministry’s ombudsmen.

afintl.com

Against the backdrop of the ‘special operation’ in Ukraine and a historically low birth rate, the authorities in Russia are waging an unprecedented campaign against the right to choose to be a mother. By Olga Borisova via @indexoncensorship.org www.eurozine.com/policing-wom...

Policing women’s right to choose

Against the backdrop of the ‘special operation’ in Ukraine and a historically low birth rate, the authorities in Russia are waging an unprecedented campaign against the right to choose to be a mother.

eurozine.com

#UK: Reform UK has complained to police about Green Party leader Zack Polanski over a now-deleted Instagram post they claim incited violence against Nigel Farage. Marc Nash explains why it did not ⬇️ www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/07/ban-...

Calling all UK librarians 📚 Join the nationwide #BannedBooksRelay2026. On 7 October, we are inviting UK libraries to spotlight books that have been banned, challenged or removed from shelves. Learn more and register your interest: www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/07/bann... #BannedBooksRelay2026

"Sometimes forgetting is as terrible as the disaster." #China: Five years after the deadly Zhengzhou floods, censorship continues to obstruct accountability for one of the country's worst environmental disasters. Don't miss the report from China Digital Times: chinadigitaltimes.net/2026/07/tran...

Translations: "Sometimes Forgetting Is as Terrible as the Disaster." Censored Reflections on the Deadly Zhengzhou Floods, Five Years On

Recent weeks have seen extreme weather across central and southern China, particularly in Guangxi, where a dam breach led to at least 26 deaths. These events

chinadigitaltimes.net

#India: While the youth-led protests may have forced the education minister to resign, we are deeply concerned by reports that hundreds of students have been arrested. Learn more about the youth movement the government can no longer ignore: www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/07/indi...

India’s Gen Z revolt has begun - Index on Censorship

Despite its efforts, the government has failed to quash a new protest movement spearheaded by the country's youth

indexoncensorship.org

Iranian cinema is often praised for its nuanced depictions of daily life. But, as filmmaker @taraaghdashloo.bsky.social argues in our latest issue, that praise can overlook the reality of making work under state censorship. Read more & subscribe: www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/07/the-...

#UK: We welcome the Supreme Court's decision not to grant Bahrain immunity in the spyware case brought by Dr Saeed Shehabi and Mr Moosa Mohammed. Read how dissidents are using the UK courts to challenge the Bahraini and Saudi governments ⬇️ www.indexoncensorship.org/2025/12/diss...

Dissidents have started challenging Saudi Arabia and Bahrain through the UK courts - Index on Censorship

Victims of unlawful state surveillance are refusing to back down

indexoncensorship.org

#Azerbaijan: We condemn the shocking sentencing of journalists and media workers linked to independent outlet Toplum TV to prison terms of between 12 and 15 years. They are being punished for their journalism. We call for their immediate release. europeanjournalists.org/blog/2026/07...

Azerbaijan: outrageous sentences of up to 15 years’ imprisonment in the Toplum TV case

The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) condemn the extremely harsh prison sentences handed down on 27 July by an Azerbaijani ...

europeanjournalists.org

Jessica Kingsley Publishers' decision to offer safety covers to protect readers from hostility towards LGBTQ+ people and other marginalised communities is a depressing reminder of the growing intimidation faced by readers and writers today: www.thebookseller.com/news/jessica...

Jessica Kingsley Publishers to offer ‘safety covers’ for books

JKP has launched a new removable dust jacket created in response to increasing hostility towards LGBTQ+ people and other marginalised communities

thebookseller.com

#UK: The government says it stands with people fleeing the crackdown in #HongKong, yet has granted just a seven-day visa to a former pro-democracy lawmaker who was previously imprisoned. We urge the government to extend his visa and ensure his safety: apnews.com/article/hong...

A Hong Kong democracy activist's long-awaited London reunion may be cut short

Former pro-democracy lawmaker Wu Chi-wai has reunited with his family in London after more than five years in a Hong Kong prison.

apnews.com

#UK: 5 Palestine Action activists could be sentenced as terrorists for damage to a bank dating back to 2024. But they've already been charged with property damage. Reverse engineering the case as terrorism is part of a dangerous legal trend, all to quell protest & stifle speech.