The week in free expression: 5 September – 12 September 2025

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 release of political prisoners in Belarus and the cancellation of a concert in Ghent.

Belarus releases 52 political prisoners after easing of US sanctions

A number of political prisoners held in Belarusian jails have been released from custody and taken over the border to Lithuania following a visit from a US delegation and the easing of sanctions on national airline Belavia.

The easing of sanctions is set to allow Belavia to purchase American manufactured parts for its aircraft, something that critics claim opens doors for Russia to bypass sanctions.

Opposition activist and politician Mikola Statkevich reportedly refused to leave Belarus, spending a few hours in the border area between the two countries before being brought back into Belarus by border guards.

Among the released prisoners were Belsat journalists Larysa Shchyrakova and Yauhen Merkis who both wrote for Index in 2021 about the persecution they faced a the hands of hte government.

Opposition leaders claim that some of the prisoners had almost finished serving their sentences, and have now been left exiled with no way to return to home.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, exiled leader of the opposition, said in a post on X: “Freed political prisoners must have the right to remain in Belarus, not be forcibly deported. Many were released only weeks or months before their unjust prison terms ended. Forcing them out is not freedom – it’s another crime by the regime.”

Kenyan documentary filmmakers have spyware installed on their devices while in police custody

Arrested Kenyan filmmakers have discovered – with the help of forensic analysis by the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab –  that spyware was installed onto their devices while they were in custody.

Mark Denver Karubiu, Bryan Adagala, Nicholas Wambugu, and Christopher Wamae were all arrested following the release of the BBC documentary Blood Parliament. They were accused of working on the documentary, charges both the BBC and the filmmakers deny.

A statement from the BBC Press Office said: “We have been made aware of the arrest of four journalists in Kenya. To confirm, they were not involved in any way in the making of BBC Africa Eye’s Blood Parliament documentary,”

The filmmakers were taken into custody in Nairobi on 2 May 2025 and had their devices seized. They were released on 3 May however their devices were not returned until 10 July. It is during this time that the police are accused of installing FlexiSPY software.

FlexiSPY describes itself as “the world’s most powerful monitoring software for computers, mobile phones and tablets”

The filmmakers face a court hearing on 15 September. They are accused of publishing false information and cyber-bullying.

Flanders festival Ghent cancels show amid uncertainty around conductor’s stance on Israel

In a move condemned by Belgian and German officials a performance by the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra has been cancelled by the Flanders Festival Ghent.

The cancellation of the show is due to concerns from the organisers regarding the stance towards the Netanyahu government of the Israeli conductor of the orchestra Lahav Shani who was to lead the performance. Shani is also the music director for the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever posted on X: “This decision has rightfully provoked great consternation and has been characterised as antisemitic.

“Equally troubling is the unprecedented requirement that artists provide written statements of their political views. This runs directly counter to the very essence of artistic freedom.”

A statement from the festival said: “Lahav Shani has spoken out in favour of peace and reconciliation several times in the past, but in the light of his role as the chief conductor of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, we are unable to provide sufficient clarity about his attitude to the genocidal regime in Tel Aviv. In line with the call from the Minister of Culture, the city council of Ghent and the cultural sector in Ghent, we have chosen to refrain from collaboration with partners who have not distanced themselves unequivocally from that regime.”

The festival will be going ahead without this concert, with shows running from 12 September until 2 October.

Saudi citizen executed for protests when he was a teen

A Saudi man Jalal Labbad was executed on 21 August 2025 for his involvement in protests that took place in 2011 and 2012, when he was 15 years old.

Labbad was arrested in 2017 and went on trial in 2019 accused of participating in a demonstration, attending funerals of victims shot by government forces, and helping to treat and shelter wanted persons who were wounded while attacking soldiers. In 2020 he was sentenced to death.

Saudi Arabia executed a total of 180 people between January and June 2025.

A statement released by UN human rights experts said; “We are dismayed by the execution of Mr. Jalal al-Labbad on 21 August, despite our grave concerns repeatedly communicated to the authorities. It is particularly disturbing that his family was not informed of the execution date and reportedly learned of his death through social media. We call on authorities to immediately return Mr. al-Labbad’s body to his relatives and permit an independent medico-legal examination.”

Turkish reporter faces up to 15 years in prison

Freelance court reporter Furkan Karabay faces 6 to 15 years in prison following his arrest in May relating to posts on X and YouTube.

Karabay is facing charges of “insulting the President,” “repeatedly targeting individuals who served in the fight against terrorism,” and “insulting a public official because of their duty,” based on social media posts..

The journalist has faced arrest on a number of occasions for similar charges based on his reporting, but was acquitted back in 2024.

This follows a concerning trend in Turkey, where a number of journalists have been detained this year alone.