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.

Are you our new senior editor? Index is on the hunt for a new senior editor to work at the heart of our editorial team across our magazine and website. This is an exciting opportunity at a time when Index is launching a membership scheme and redesigning its magazine and website. Reporting to the editor, you will be expected to edit agenda-setting essays, columns, features and investigations. The right candidate will have excellent judgement and editing skills and be a deep thinker. You will be confident working with some of the biggest names in journalism and the arts, as well as committed to finding and commissioning underrepresented voices and stories.  A non-tribal outlook is essential: Index is non-partisan and its only “cause” is that of promoting free expression and examining censorship. The right candidate will combine curiosity with excellent attention to detail. You will support the editor with the production and editing side of the magazine and website as well as commissioning a larger network of freelance contributors around the world, alongside sub-editors, illustrators and designers. The new senior editor must be equally at home working on print and digital-only journalism and analysis. The role demands someone who is just as comfortable writing a grabbing web headline as they are editing a 2,000-word essay. Regular writing opportunities are also available. About Index Index on Censorship is Britain’s leading organisation that campaigns for, reports on and defends free expression worldwide. We publish work by censored writers and artists, promote debate and monitor threats to free speech. Our work is varied and always rewarding. On any given day, we could be publishing letters written by Belarusian political prisoners and defending a cartoonist who might have caused offence – all to make the case that freedom of expression is vital for liberal democracy and for a vibrant and creative society. At the organisation’s heart and in circulation since 1972 is an award-winning quarterly magazine that has featured some of the world’s best-known writers. In addition to the magazine is a website, a weekly newsletter, a policy arm and an events programme. Together they make Index what it is today – the go-to for information on the global free speech landscape. Specific responsibilities Edit articles and analysis for the magazine and upload copy for the website and other digital platforms Coordinate with contributors from around the world to ensure news articles, analysis and essays are of high quality and on time Manage the weekly newsletter to Index subscribers Commission content for the magazine and web stories including photographs, cartoons and the cover illustration Write articles and analysis for the magazine and website Operate the content management system for publication of written stories Lead on a website refresh and support the redesign of the magazine so they have an overall look and brand that work together Monitor analytics across written content (web and magazine), adjusting strategy to optimise KPIs, membership and grow our audience Work with the communications manager on developing new formats including more use of video and audio to tell stories, through experimentation and data-driven decision-making Forge partnerships with creators globally and digital platforms to expand Index’s reach and engagement Represent Index at events, panels or media appearances where appropriate Support the editor with general commissioning, editing and proof-reading  for the magazine and when needed Knowledge Excellent editing and commissioning abilities, with attention to style, accuracy and tone Deep knowledge of the principles of digital and magazine journalism Strong digital acumen, including familiarity with SEO, analytics tools and CMS platforms Understanding of website design and how to improve it Knowledge of other digital platforms Proven ability to write authoritative magazine and online articles and analysis Knowledge of UK and global affairs and the principles of censorship and free speech issues in the UK and globally Skills (essential) Experience working for a magazine and/or online digital platform The ability to work under deadline pressure Excellent written and verbal communication skills Strong communication skills to work collaboratively with contributors in a small team Prior experience managing contributors Experience of identifying content that will grow a digital audience while driving membership of the organisation The ability to recognise sensitive or potentially libellous issues and raise them for discussion Experience in web publishing, including using content management systems such as WordPress Strong organisational skills and the ability to thrive in a small team The initiative to identify tasks and to work independently Ability to commission articles by and defend the right to free speech for people with whom you personally fundamentally disagree or believe are wrong Preferred Understanding of international affairs Experience working with writers whose first language is not English Familiarity with the Economist style book Experience managing newsletters Proficiency in at least one major language other than English Hours: Full-time, contract Salary: £35,000 – £42,000 dependent on experience Location: Remote but with lots of travel to London Index is a small and ambitious organisation that values diversity. We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome all applicants regardless of ethnic origin, national origin, gender, gender identity, race, colour, religious beliefs, disability, sexual orientation, age or marital status To apply please send a cover letter with your CV by Friday 19 June 2026 to [email protected] If you want to find out more about the job please email the editor on [email protected] READ MORE

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Are you our new senior editor? Index is on the hunt for a new senior editor to work at the…

A social video about Reform’s policy on immigration centres. Image: www.instagram.com/zia.yusuf/ We did warn that the Online Safety Act would chill free speech and vehemently opposed the legislation for that reason. We said the remit of the act was too wide and that perfectly legitimate legal points of view would be shut down under its provisions. And we are beginning to see that happening and beginning to see also how it will be used politically, by all sides. GB News on the right and The Canary on the left have both blogged about the case of Zia Yusuf the Reform spokesman on home affairs who had two recent TikTok videos taken down from the platform. GB News in outrage, and The Canary saying the platform was quite right to do so because Reform policies amount to  “hateful behaviour”. It all started when Yusuf told his X followers that a video of him saying that Reform would put migration centres in Green-voting areas – and which Yusuf claims had millions of views on other social media channels – had been taken down by TikTok which cited the Online Safety Act for their decision. Then a second video was removed – also by TikTok a couple of days ago. Here Yusuf was saying some unpleasant, but not illegal things, about migration ie that Reform would deport everyone who is in the country illegally including foreign nationals committing crimes and those not paying their way. TikTok  said it had acted on a complaint by a user. In this case, the platform first cited the Online Safety Act and then said that the video contained “hate speech and hateful behaviour”. Yusuf was also furious that TikTok threatened to remove him from the platform altogether if he committed further “offences”, blasting the Conservatives for pretending to pass legislation to protect children, when in fact the law was “silencing voices the open-borders political establishment don’t like”. Enter Nadine Dorries, the erstwhile Conservative Culture minister, today a Reform champion and Daily Mail columnist who steered the legislation through parliament and now says it has to be consigned “to the dustbin where it now belongs” because it is silencing her colleagues. Yusuf’s video, by the way, has now been restored. None of this would have happened without the Online Safety Act – and this is exactly how we warned the legislation would be used – to shut down legitimate debate. Unless speech is aired in a public forum, it cannot be challenged. And the implications go wider. What about other types of speech in the future, on the left say? Will these videos too be challenged by the TikTok community for being “hateful” or “causing public disorder”? Will there by a tit-for-tat war now with political players on all sides trying to shut down the speech of their opponents, because that’s what the Online Safety legislation is enabling. Maybe that’s what the Chinese-owned company TikTok wants – believing as the Chinese Communist Party does that liberal democracies cause chaos –   but perhaps that’s a conspiracy theory too far. The spat has certainly fuelled the suspicions of many Reform voters that there is liberal establishment trying to shut down ideas they don’t like. And we agree, that’s exactly what it looks like. Free expression means nothing if it is not for all. READ MORE

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We did warn that the Online Safety Act would chill free speech and vehemently opposed the legislation for that reason.…

Three men werte acquitted of the Ćuruvija’s murder in 2024 The undersigned media freedom and journalist organisations stand in full solidarity with the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation, which has been ordered to pay over one million dinars (€8,812) in damages in a defamation case brought by those acquitted of the murder of the Serbian editor and newspaper founder, Slavko Ćuruvija. For 27 years, the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation has fought for justice for the assassination of Ćuruvija, who was gunned down outside his apartment in Belgrade in 1999.  On 15 May 2026, the Second Basic Court in Belgrade ruled that the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation had defamed Milan Radonjić, Ratko Romić and Miroslav Kurak. The three men were previously convicted of Ćuruvija’s murder before the landmark ruling was controversially overturned in February 2024, leaving the murder case in a state of total impunity. Following the ruling, the Foundation published a statement entitled “A Country That Does Not Punish Murderers Has No Future”, criticising the acquittal and renewing the call for justice. The former defendants sued the Foundation for allegedly violating their honour and reputation, and causing them non-material damage in the form of emotional distress.    The Court of Appeal judgment in Ćuruvija’s case, criticised by the Foundation, was ultimately determined by the Supreme Court as containing substantial violations of the criminal procedure of Serbia.  In its ruling, the Second Basic Court in Belgrade ruled against the Foundation and ordered them to pay a total of 1,035,000 dinars (€8,812) in damages. This included  €1,700  to each plaintiff in compensation, and €979,2 in additional legal costs, according to reports. The Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation announced they will appeal the first instance’s ruling. The undersigned organisations raise concern that this amount is  disproportionately higher than damages in similar defamation cases. We are concerned that the scale of damages will dissuade others from investigating or publicly addressing Ćuruvija’s murder and the family’s fight against impunity. This judgement not only highlights the failure of the judicial system to bring those responsible for the murder of Slavko Ćuruvija to justice, but disproportionately weakens the Foundation’s efforts to combat impunity in cases of journalist killings in Serbia and to preserve Ćuruvija’s legacy. During a recent mission to Serbia on 26–27 March, partners of the Council of Europe’s Platform for the Safety of Journalists and the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) met with the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation and Ćuruvija’s daughter, who told the delegation about the double injustice of being denied justice for 27 years and now being on the defendant’s bench themselves.  To conclude the mission, a symbolic press conference was held at the site of Ćuruvija’s murder, during which the delegation urged Serbian officials to put an end to the spiral of violence, before attacks on journalists lead to another tragedy. In the coming weeks, a mission report will be published, including a set of recommendations for both the Serbian authorities and the international community. Ranked 104th out of 180 countries in the 2026 RSF World Press Freedom Index, media freedom in Serbia has reached a new historical low. From January to 19 May 2026, 91 attacks on journalists have already been documented on the Mapping Media Freedom platform, representing nearly half of all attacks recorded for 2025. These numbers confirm the continuing decline of journalists’ safety in Serbia, given the record surge of cases of attacks against journalists recorded last year by the platform. Amidst severe democratic backsliding, a letter signed by ten organisations was sent last week to a group of European Affairs ministers in support of the call to suspend EU funds to Serbia, as suggested by EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos. At this critical time, when journalists are facing unprecedented pressure, the authorities, including the judiciary, must urgently protect them from intimidation by ensuring that justice is served and that their right to press freedom and freedom of expression is preserved.  The undersigned organisations express their full solidarity with the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation and with the journalist’s family.   Signed by  European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) Free Press Unlimited (FPU) ARTICLE 19 Europe International Press Institute (IPI) International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) Index on Censorship Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT) Reporters Without Borders (RSF) PEN International READ MORE

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The undersigned media freedom and journalist organisations stand in full solidarity with the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation, which has been ordered…

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