Index on Censorship

IF YOU’RE A RUSSIAN JOURNALIST, IT’S NOT CRITICISING THE KREMLIN THAT WILL GET YOU INTO TROUBLE — BUT CHALLENGING AND EXPOSING THE SYSTEM

ULTRA-NATIONALISM IS ON THE RISE IN TURKEY AND HAS FOUND NEW TARGETS IN A BATTLE FOR THE HEART AND SOUL OF THE COUNTRY

Three years ago, the Armenian writer Nouritza Matossian began filming a series of conversations with her friend Hrant Dink. They were part of a work in progress and she had not even begun editing them. With Dink’s sudden and shocking murder, the interviews have become a fascinating and moving testament to the man. When Matossian showed extracts to an audience that had gathered in his memory in London on 28 February, they revealed a human, humorous, brave individual and made his passing all the more poignant.

The extracts which follow are from a conversation filmed in late October 2005 in his office at the AGOS newspaper in Istanbul. Dink had just been sentenced for ‘insulting Turkishness’ under the infamous Article 301, for words taken out of context and misconstrued from an article, urging diaspora Armenians to give up their hatred of Turks. His six month sentence was suspended and he was receiving innumerable death threats. Two other charges against him were still pending, during which time he was forbidden from speaking and writing about his trial. This exchange adds much to our understanding of what motivated him and what he was hoping to achieve. It is also an intimate conversation between two friends.

A CLOSE LOOK AT NEW LABOUR’S DECADE REVEALS A JANUS-HEADED APPROACH TO FREE SPEECH

THE MAIL ON SUNDAY’S BATTLE TO PUBLISH PRINCE CHARLES’S JOURNALS IS A STAND FOR PRESS FREEDOM

IT’S TIME TO RESCUE THE MEANING OF WORDS FROM SPIN DOCTORS, SPIVS AND SNAKE-OIL PEDDLERS

ATTEMPTS TO NEUTER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT BETRAY WHITEHALL’S RESISTANCE TO OUR RIGHT TO KNOW

RESPECT AND CIVILITY ARE THE ENEMIES OF FREE SPEECH — YOU CAN’T LEGISLATE FOR PEOPLE’S FEELINGS

SPEAK OUT AND RISK OFFENCE — IT’S THE ONLY WAY TO CHALLENGE INJUSTICE AND AVOID CENSORSHIP

NEW SPEECH CRIMES BROADEN THE MEANING OF TERRORISM AND ARE A THREAT TO FREE EXPRESSION

WHITEHALL LEAKS ARE A BOON FOR JOURNALISTS, AN EMBARRASSMENT FOR GOVERNMENT — WHISTLEBLOWERS REMAIN UNPROTECTED IN A NEW PUSH FOR SECRECY

EQUALITY FOR BRITISH MUSLIMS LIES BEYOND RACE AND RELIGION — IT’S TIME TO BRING THE LAW UP TO DATE

YOU CAN’T HAVE FREE SPEECH WITHOUT TOLERANCE — THE HEALTH OF SOCIETY DEPENDS ON THEIR DEFENCE

OUT WITH THE SWINGING SIXTIES, IN WITH ZERO TOLERANCE — TONY BLAIR’S CRUSADE ON VALUES BETRAYS A DEEP ILLIBERALISM

This is an overview of the main legislation introduced since 1997 that affects freedom of expression. It includes legislation that supports freedom of expression, such as the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, which protected whistleblowers from victimisation, and the Human Rights Act, which enacted a legally enforceable right to freedom of expression, as well as legislation that restricts freedom of expression, such as the various terrorism and criminal justice acts and, controversially, also the Human Rights Act, which has fuelled much privacy litigation.

Al Azhar, one of the leading religious centres in the Muslim world, is threatening legal action against the celebrated Egyptian writer and activist Nawal El Saadawi for insulting Islam. She describes the course of events.