JP O'Malley

Jan 8, 2025 | independent.ie | JP O'Malley

HistoryFor most of history, Armenians and Azerbaijanis have peacefully co-existed in a rugged landscape, south of the Caucasus mountains, where Europe and Asia intertwine. Armenians claim to be the world’s oldest Christian nation, while Azerbaijanis are predominantly Shia Muslims, partially descended from Seljuk Turks. There have been some benefits to living on lands that lay on the outer margins of large empires, once run by Arabs, Mongols, Persians Ottomans and Russians.

Dec 2, 2024 | indexoncensorship.org | Martin Bright |Emily Boyle |JP O'Malley

Doughty Street Chambers, Index on Censorship and Human Rights Foundation welcome news that their client, Iranian rapper and activist Toomaj Salehi, has been released from prison overnight by Iranian authorities. Mr Salehi’s release comes after 753 days spent in prison in Isfahan. He was initially arrested in October 2022 for his involvement in the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini whilst in the custody of Iran’s morality police.

Nov 29, 2024 | indexoncensorship.org | JP O'Malley |Martin Bright |Jemimah Steinfeld

Mikhail Viktorovich Feigelman started working at the Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics in Moscow in 1980. Eleven years later, when the Soviet Union collapsed, funding and decent modern equipment were rare for Russian scientists but there was suddenly intellectual freedom. “This is why I stayed in Russia at this time, despite the hardships,” the 70-year-old physicist told Index.

Nov 29, 2024 | indexoncensorship.org | Martin Bright |Emily Boyle |JP O'Malley |Jemimah Steinfeld

As thoughts turn to the festive season, Americans will have the chance to ponder what the New Year and a Donald Trump presidency will mean. But this is not the only significant election in the continent to have happened this year. This weekend Venezuelans will take to the streets to demonstrate against President Nicolás Maduro’s refusal to acknowledge his defeat in elections on 28 July.

Nov 29, 2024 | indexoncensorship.org | Emily Boyle |JP O'Malley |Jemimah Steinfeld

The protester had only been shouting for a few seconds before he was grabbed by a man in black and dragged to the ground. Determined, he got back up and continued. If you paid enough attention at COP29, you could see these black-suited men carefully patrolling the corridors of Baku’s Olympic Stadium. Like me, many activists covering the United Nations’ flagship environment conference in Azerbaijan, believed them to be state security services.