The week in free expression 17 October – 24 October

Bombarded with news from all angles every day, important stories can easily pass us by. To help you cut through the noise, every Friday Index publishes a weekly news roundup of some of the key stories covering censorship and free expression. This week, we look at the UK’s easing of arrests over speech and the songs Putin doesn’t want you to hear.

Italy: Bomb fails to deter Journalist

Prominent Italian investigative journalist Sigfrido Ranucci, who was the target of a bomb attack this month, has continued to speak out against lawsuits against journalists by members of the Italian government..

On 16 October a bomb exploded outside of the journalist’s home just as he arrived back with his daughter, destroying two cars but resulting in no injuries. Ranucci has been under police protection since 2011 following threats made after his investigations into organised crime groups.

Ranucci’s work has not only drawn the ire of criminal gangs, but also members of President Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing government, a number of whom have sued Report, the RAI 3 show hosted by Ranucci as part of a wider attack on press freedom in the country.

Only days after the attempt on his life, Ranucci spoke at a seminar for a prize dedicated to murdered Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. You can watch the conference including Ranucci’s speech here.

Russia: Teen singer rattles Russians

An 18-year-old Russian singer has been arrested following street performances of banned anti-Putin songs last week.

Diana Loginova, who performs under the name Naoko is part of the street band Stoptime, who are known for their performances on the streets of St. Petersburg. She faces a potential charge of discrediting the Russian army, a charge that can lead to a year in prison.

One of the songs performed was the 2023 track Cooperative Swan Lake by exiled rapper Noize MC. The song references the broadcast of Swan Lake on Soviet television during the 1991 coup d’etat, with the ballet becoming a symbol of the Russian state attempting to conceal current events from the public.

The song has been banned across Russia for its anti-Putin sentiment.

Hear one of the songs that Putin doesn’t want you to hear and watch the video of one of Stoptime’s performances here. For non-Russian speakers, the translation is here.

England: Met decides not to investigate “non-crime hate incidents”

The UK police have dropped charges against activists who projected pictures onto Windsor Castle, and against writer Graham Linehan.

Four members of Led by Donkeys, the group responsible for the projections, had been arrested in September after they projected photographs of US President Donald Trump and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein onto the castle during Trump’s state visit.

A spokesperson for the group said: “We’re happy police resources can now be redirected to investigating Prince Andrew.”

Father Ted writer Graham Linehan was arrested on 1 September by armed police at Heathrow airport for posts he had made on social media attacking transgender people The police action came under intense scrutiny,, leading Prime Minister Keir Starmer to state that the police must “focus on the most serious issues”.

The Metropolitan police has since announced that it will stop investigating what it calls “non-crime hate incidents” following the incident.

A spokesman for the Met police said: “We understand the concern around this case. The commissioner has been clear he doesn’t believe officers should be policing toxic culture war debates, with current laws and rules on inciting violence online leaving them in an impossible position.

“As a result, the Met will no longer investigate non-crime hate incidents. We believe this will provide clearer direction for officers, reduce ambiguity and enable them to focus on matters that meet the threshold for criminal investigations.

“These incidents will still be recorded and used as valuable pieces of intelligence to establish potential patterns of behaviour or criminality.

“We will continue to investigate and arrest those who commit hate crimes – allowing us to comply with statutory guidance while focusing our resources on criminality and public protection.”

U.S.A.: United States of AI 

AI videos have made the rounds in the US this week, with former Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo putting out an AI campaign advert, and President Donald Trump using AI to mock the No Kings Day protests.

Cuomo, who resigned as Governor of New York during investigations into sexual misconduct in 2021, posted the now deleted AI generated advert to X as part of his campaign to become Mayor of New York. The video depicts various criminals expressing their support for fellow candidate Zohran Mamdani. Critics have denounced the video as racist.

Trump’s contribution to AI videos this week included a video posted to his Truth Social page showing himself wearing a crown, flying a fighter jet marked “King Trump” and dropping what appears to be excrement onto protestors. The mockery clearly takes aim at the ongoing No Kings Day protests happening across the country.

Iran: Lavish wedding exposes official 

The wedding of the daughter of a high ranking Iranian official has led to accusations of hypocrisy across Iran.

Ali Shamkhani is an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and a strict enforcer of the country’s headscarf requirements, with the country planning to mobilise 80,000 morality police in Tehran as part of the crackdown.

The leaked video shows the bride dressed in a western-style wedding dress, as well as multiple women attending the event without headscarves.Criticism has also been aimed at the estimated $21,000 luxury venue being used during a wider economic crisis.

Similar displays of wealth from so-called ‘nepo babies’ fueled the flames that led to anti corruption protests and eventually full scale revolts in Nepal. 

Afghanistan

Here is a link to another article we thought was interesting this week, a short essay about hypocrisy and the suppression of girl’s education in Afghanistan by Masrora Nabizada.