Global Free Speech

Global Free Speech covers international stories and trends affecting the right to speak, publish, and share ideas across borders. From government crackdowns to grassroots movements, this category highlights the global fight for free expression in diverse political and cultural landscapes.

A soldier stands guard by a charred vehicle after it was set on fire, in Cointzio, Mexico, Feb. 22, 2026, following the death of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Oseguera, known as “El Mencho.” Photo by: AP Photo/Armando Solis, File When I heard the horrifying news of tourists being shot at the Teotihuacán pyramids in Mexico (one Canadian woman was killed), I was struck by a detail – the number of people who wished to remain anonymous when interviewed by the media. I probably shouldn’t have been surprised. For years Mexico was the deadliest place to be a journalist – the media caught between murderous cartels and corrupt officials. The country no longer occupies the number one spot (that goes to Gaza where 53 press members were killed in 2025), but it’s still an incredibly dangerous place to be a reporter. Between October 2024 and October 2025 10 journalists were killed. All of which impacts people’s willingness to go on the record. The journalists’ killings are part of a wider context of extreme violence in Mexico, laid bare two months ago when masked gunmen from the Jalisco New Generation Cartel went on a rampage to avenge the killing of their leader “El Mencho” by security forces. Yes, the Teotihuacán pyramids’ attack seems to have been carried out by a lone assailant with no apparent links to cartels. But violence begets violence – the backdrop counts. The current Mexican president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has condemned the attack on tourists and called for a thorough investigation. Will that happen in a meaningful way? The jury is out. Sheinbaum is not her predecessor when it comes to freedom of expression (Andrés Manuel López Obrador was actually crowned our Tyrant of the Year in 2022 due to his hostility to the media; Sheinbaum is slightly better here). Both leaders though have in different ways struggled to fully confront and discuss the country’s violence. Sheinbaum says the problem is getting better, citing declining murder rates. Others dispute this, pointing to things like the growing numbers of forced disappearances, which don’t count as murder. Obrador did the same. He proclaimed femicide figures had dropped under his leadership, except he narrowed the reporting period to the lowest point, ignoring the time when the numbers rose under him. Anyone who highlighted this was derided as an enemy of Mexico (as we reported in 2023). It’s easy to understand why both leaders would want to downplay the violence – it’s hardly a great look politically, nor does it position Mexico as a “top holiday destination”. And with Mexico hosting the World Cup in June, it’s an extra-sensitive moment. Sadly such tactics don’t stop the realities on the ground. The opposite in fact – they feed into the climate of impunity, where ordinary people are so intimidated they are reluctant to bear witness, even to random attacks, for fear of becoming victims of violence themselves. READ MORE

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When I heard the horrifying news of tourists being shot at the Teotihuacán pyramids in Mexico (one Canadian woman was killed), I…

The white string marks the place where Linn Htut, Sai’s father, NLD member and Chief Minister of Shan State, would have been had he not been detained Two months ago, Burmese artist Sai finally received the news he had been waiting for: his application for refugee status in the UK had been approved. He and his wife had been living in turmoil since the morning of 1 February 2021, when the Myanmar military staged a coup d’état against the country’s democratically elected government and established a military junta, arresting thousands of protesters and politicians – including Sai’s father – in the process. Having spent the last five years fleeing from persecution and attempting to attain justice for his father and his country, Sai, who was nominated for the Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Award in the Arts category, spoke to Index about the astonishing journey that led him to this point. Sai came from humble beginnings, hailing from a remote town around 200 miles from the Chinese border. He admitted that his childhood home, which has since been destroyed by an airstrike, was an unlikely place for a future artist to grow up. “Throughout my childhood we didn’t really have too much electricity or a proper public library,” he told Index. “You can see the lightbulb and it just looked like a tomato, so we used to call lightbulbs tomatoes! “There was no art, there was not much of a culture.” Although Sai was an only child with two working parents, money was difficult to come by. The family struggled financially because of what Sai describes as “structural institutional violence by the state”. As a result, his parents were reluctant to see their son being drawn into the arts world. “They didn’t want me to be an artist,” he said. “When you’re broke, you don’t want your only child to have the least sustainable lifestyle! Whenever I tried to learn music or languages or drawing, my father would initially encourage me but would never support me for the long term.” Despite their objections, Sai was instantly hooked when at seven years old he got hold of his uncle’s instant camera. “I can remember when I looked through the viewfinder I felt a sense of liberation,” he said. “Of course, as a kid you don’t know what liberation is, but your heart feels really open.” His passion was put on hold as his family could not afford a camera growing up, but Sai reacquainted himself with photography in his early twenties while he was training to become a civic educator at the American Center in Myanmar. From there, his love for art grew. “I transitioned from photography enthusiast to deep into the rabbit hole,” he said. “I found myself experimenting with different forms and concepts, using different media, exploring discrimination and identity.” This artistic development was suddenly cut short by the military coup in February 2021. His father, Linn Htut was arrested. Htut was a prominent political figure. Soon after his graduation from dental school and after a foray into political comedy, Htut had become involved in the 1988 Myanmar uprisings, a predominately student movement which led to the emergence of Aung San Suu Kyi. He remained politically active in opposition and when Suu Kyi’s National League of Democracy party came to power in 2015 he was appointed Chief Minister of Shan state, the largest state in Myanmar which covers almost a quarter of the country. Like thousands of other political prisoners, Htut was taken by the military to be interrogated and tortured. “In the first three days [of the coup] he was taken to the military compound, then he was released into house arrest for seven days,” he explained. “During that time I suggested to my father to get out, but he didn’t listen to me; he was eager to show solidarity against the military coup.” Ten days after the coup started Sai’s father was taken away for good. Sai’s uncle was arrested on the same day as his father, and his mother was placed in detention. Forced to relocate after his address was made public and unable to help his parents, Sai found other ways to protest against the coup and the oppressive junta. “I used my small network of artists to create infographics, because during that time of really high stress information got lost really easily,” he said.  “[I was] researching fundamental things like what tear gas is, how you treat it. “Immediately after the coup, when people were not really preparing for the worst, I was already trying to research gunshot wounds, shields and strategies against police brutality.” At that point, Sai explained that his focus had moved away from making art and into whatever he could do to help the protest movement. “I never wanted to create art during that time, it was just ‘how can I be useful?’,” he said. “It would be too egotistical just to create art in the time where you can play a role and serve the people in any way you can.” During this time, Sai was “hiding in plain sight”, living in a building above a police interrogation centre where arrested protesters were taken, before deciding to break into the military compound where his mother was being held, bringing his camera with him. “The only thing I can do is to document and I was very adamant to bring a camera inside the compound,” said Sai. “That was a death wish because [you go] through many checkpoints and if you are found with a phone or a camera you will be immediately shot or killed, or taken into an interrogation centre to get tortured or imprisoned.” Thankfully, he was able to get the camera through undetected by hiding it in his wife’s skirt. The resulting photographs of Sai and his mother demonstrate why he was willing to take such a risk. “I always wanted to take a family photograph, even before the coup,” he explained. “We didn’t have much of a family portrait together because we didn’t have access to a camera. “My father is absent due to abduction, but I wanted to materialise that idea anyway, so we left a space for him to encapsulate his presence in the absence.” After collecting everything he needed, he uploaded the photographs, deleted them off his camera and exited the compound the way he came in. Despite having by his own admission risked his life to perform this act of resistance, Sai was quick to downplay his own courage.  “Maybe it’s being ADHD?” he laughed. “For me I don’t have many choices, it’s not out of courage or bravery. When hundreds and hundreds of people get killed every day, dying becomes the new normal. “I tried to visualise it many times. Would I be okay to die right now, at this moment? I think it helps in a way, I already accept it. “It’s not a unique situation for me. It’s a new normal that Myanmar people as a collective have to go through.” Fearing persecution, Sai and his wife left Myanmar and have spent several moving from place to place, reaching out to humanitarian organisations and attempting to spread the word about what was happening at home. His father continues to be in prison and his mother is under house arrest.  In 2023 Sai and his wife relocated to Thailand, where last year one of his exhibitions was censored after Chinese embassy officials demanded that it be shut down. Feeling unsafe in their new home and worried about being deported back to Myanmar, the couple now reside in the UK under refugee status which was granted earlier this year. With so much distance between him and his home country, Sai said he was able to feel more confident in fighting for his father publicly, even dropping the mask that he had previously used to shield his identity. He credits those who have stood in solidarity against oppressive authoritative networks for helping him to publicly advocate for his father and the tens of thousands of political prisoners held in Myanmar. “I have managed to meet a lot of individuals like Index on Censorship, Hong Kong activists, artists, researchers, who have been very supportive and shown solidarity,” said Sai. “People may think that it doesn’t matter, but it does matter a lot.” READ MORE

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Two months ago, Burmese artist Sai finally received the news he had been waiting for: his application for refugee status…

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