Index on Censorship
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Index on Censorship is a magazine founded in 1972 by a group of writers, journalists and artists, who were inspired by the British poet Stephen Spender to take to the page in defence of the basic human right of freedom of expression.
Initially, the magazine focused on censorship in the former Soviet Union. Since the demise of communism in the 1990's, the magazine has sought to shed light on other challenges facing free expression, including religious extremism, the rise of nationalism, and Internet censorship.
Over the years, Index on Censorship has filled its pages with writings by some of the world's most distinguished writers and thinkers, including Václav Havel, Nadine Gordimer, Salman Rushdie, Doris Lessing, Arthur Miller, Noam Chomsky, and Umberto Eco. The editor-in-chief is Ursula Owen.
Index on Censorship is closely associated with the Writers and Scholars Educational Trust, with whom it collaborates on projects to support press freedom around the world. These projects support local journalists and help build the capacity of independent media outlets in transitional and post conflict countries such as Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
It is also a partner with Eurozine, a network of more than 50 European cultural journals.
Since 2005, the magazine has been published by Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis group.
Index on Censorship is a founding member of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange, a global network of non-governmental organisations that monitors censorship worldwide and campaigns to defend journalists, writers, Internet users and others who are persecuted for exercising their right to freedom of expression.
It is also a member of the Tunisia Monitoring Group, a coalition of 15 free expression organisations that lobbies the Tunisian government to improve its human rights record.
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[edit] Contents
Issues are usually organised by theme, and contain a country-by-country list of recent cases involving censorship, restrictions on freedom of the press and other free speech violations. Occasionally, Index on Censorship publishes short works of fiction and poetry by notable new writers.
[edit] Theo van Gogh Controversy
In November 2004, Index on Censorship attracted controversy for publishing an article that, to many readers, seemed to condone or justify the murder of Dutch film-maker Theo van Gogh. The article, written by the magazine's Associate Editor Rohan Jayasekera, claimed that van Gogh was a "free-speech fundamentalist" who had been on a "martyrdom operation[,] roar[ing] his Muslim critics into silence with obscenities" in an "abuse of his right to free speech". Describing van Gogh's film Submission as "furiously provocative", Jayasekera concluded by describing his death as:
- A sensational climax to a lifetime's public performance, stabbed and shot by a bearded fundamentalist, a message from the killer pinned by a dagger to his chest, Theo van Gogh became a martyr to free expression. His passing was marked by a magnificent barrage of noise as Amsterdam hit the streets to celebrate him in the way the man himself would have truly appreciated.
- And what timing! Just as his long-awaited biographical film of Pim Fortuyn's life is ready to screen. Bravo, Theo! Bravo! [1]
There were many protests from both left- and right-wing commentators. Nick Cohen of the London Observer newspaper wrote in December 2004, that:
- When I asked Jayasekera if he had any regrets, he said he had none. He told me that, like many other readers, I shouldn't have made the mistake of believing that Index on Censorship was against censorship, even murderous censorship, on principle -- in the same way as Amnesty International is opposed to torture, including murderous torture, on principle. It may have been so its radical youth, but was now as concerned with fighting 'hate speech' as protecting free speech.[2]
Ursula Owen, editor-in-chief of Index on Censorship, apologised in mid-December 2004 for publishing the article, saying she didn't think "the tone is right" [3]. However, she said she would not remove it from the magazine's online archives nor fire Jayasekera. She repudiated Cohen's opinions in a letter to the Observer. [4].
Jayasekera himself expressed a measure of regret about the article and wrote a follow-up article explaining his reasons for criticising van Gogh [5].
[edit] Awards
Each year, Index on Censorship gives out Freedom of Expression Awards to courageous journalists, writers, lawyers, campaigners, filmmakers and whistleblowers who have made a significant contribution to free expression over the past year.
