Jemimah Steinfeld

2 weeks ago | indexoncensorship.org | Jemimah Steinfeld

On Saturday 17 May, veteran human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell was arrested. Tatchell is no stranger to arrest. When he celebrated his 70th birthday in January 2022, his post marking the occasion said he’d been arrested 100 times. At the end of that year he added another one to the list, this time in Qatar, where he was protesting the country’s criminalisation of LGBTQ+ people ahead of the World Cup. That arrest wasn’t exactly surprising.

2 weeks ago | indexoncensorship.org | Jemimah Steinfeld

“Saudi Arabia criticised for ignoring the USA’s appalling human rights record” – that was the headline on satirical website News Thump, spoofing this week’s arms deal between the two countries. In these bleak times, I’ll take laughter where I can get it. But behind the joke is a darker truth: the USA’s steady backslide on human rights and Saudi Arabia’s ongoing abuses. This week, it’s Saudi Arabia that demands our attention.

3 weeks ago | indexoncensorship.org | Jemimah Steinfeld

Indian paramilitary troopers stand alert after an unidentified military aircraft crashed in the Wuyan area of Pampore. Photo by ZUMA Press Inc / Alamy Live News A crisis is often seized as an opportunity, especially by those eager to silence dissent – and no more so than in Narendra Modi’s India.

1 month ago | indexoncensorship.org | Jemimah Steinfeld

In today’s world of hot takes and moral outrage, we all want clear answers – good, bad, right and wrong – and people we can easily rally behind or blast – villain, victim, hero, heretic. But the cases of Kneecap, Jonny Greenwood and Dudu Tassa have resisted such clarity, and they’ve forced us to reckon with an uncomfortable truth: freedom of expression, especially in moments of deep political pain and division, isn’t always neat, easy or even popular.

1 month ago | indexoncensorship.org | Jemimah Steinfeld

Victoria Roshchyna had two strikes against her: she was Ukrainian and she was a journalist. Roshchyna frequently reported from Russian-occupied territories, which was and is incredibly dangerous work. In 2022, she was detained, which she wrote about for Index. A year later, she vanished once again. It took nine months for Russian authorities to confirm she was in custody, held without charge. As with much of Russia’s penal system, the details remain murky.