Index on Censorship facts for kids
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| Formation | 1972 |
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| Type | Non-profit |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom |
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Region served
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Worldwide |
| Trevor Phillips (Chair), David Aaronovitch, Anthony Barling, Kiri Kankhwende, Kate Maltby, Sanjay Nazerali, Elaine Potter, David Schlesinger, Mark Stephens | |
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Parent organization
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Writers and Scholars International |
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Staff
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12 |
| Website | indexoncensorship.org |
Index on Censorship is an organization that works to protect freedom of expression around the world. It publishes a magazine of the same name four times a year from London. This group is run by a non-profit company called Writers and Scholars International, Ltd (WSI). It also works with a UK charity, also called Index on Censorship. Both are led by Trevor Phillips, a British writer and broadcaster. The main office for Index is in central London.
WSI was started by famous people like poet Stephen Spender, philosopher Stuart Hampshire, and publisher David Astor. The first editor of the Index on Censorship magazine was Michael Scammell (from 1972 to 1981). He is still a supporter of the organization today.
Contents
How Index on Censorship Started
An Idea from the USSR
The idea for Index on Censorship came from a letter written by two people in the Soviet Union. Their names were Pavel Litvinov and Larisa Bogoraz. They wrote about how unfair a trial was in 1968. They asked people around the world to speak out against it.
The Times newspaper in London printed their letter. In response, the English poet Stephen Spender sent a message. He said that he and his friends supported their bravery. Many famous people signed this message. These included poet W. H. Auden and musician Yehudi Menuhin.
Later, in 1968, Bogoraz, Litvinov, and others protested in Red Square in Moscow. They were against the Soviet Union's invasion of Czechoslovakia. Litvinov then suggested to Spender that a regular publication should be made. This would share information about what was really happening in the Soviet Union.
Choosing the Name and Focus
Stephen Spender and his team decided to cover more than just the Soviet Union. They wanted to show censorship in other countries too. This included places like Latin America, Greece, Spain, and Portugal.
Around the same time, Amnesty International started publishing translations of news from the Soviet Union. This news showed human rights problems. Index on Censorship and Amnesty International worked together. If Index received human rights reports, they sent them to Amnesty. If Amnesty heard about censorship, they sent it to Index.
The magazine was first going to be called Index. This name referred to lists of banned books, like the Catholic Church's Index Librorum Prohibitorum. But the founders realized that many people might not understand this. So, they quickly added "on Censorship" to the name.
Stuart Hampshire explained the group's goal when it started. He said that unfair hiding of cruelty should always be challenged. He believed there should be public attention on every place where people were held unfairly. He also wanted a public record of every time free expression was stopped.
The Magazine
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The Index on Censorship magazine began in 1972. It supports free expression. The magazine publishes works by famous writers from all over the world. It also shares stories that have been hidden. It starts important discussions and keeps a record of censorship globally.
Each quarterly magazine often focuses on a specific country or region. Sometimes, it focuses on a common topic in the global debate about free expression. Index on Censorship also publishes short stories and poems by new and censored writers.
When it first started, the magazine focused on censorship in the Soviet Union. But it also covered dictatorships in Greece, Portugal, and Latin America. Over time, the magazine has also looked at other challenges to free expression. These include extreme religious views, the rise of nationalism, and Internet censorship.
In the first issue, Stephen Spender wrote that the magazine would not just be about problems. He said that censored writings from different countries were often very exciting. He also noted that censorship was a big topic everywhere, not just in strict societies.
The magazine has featured works by many important writers and thinkers. These include Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Milan Kundera, and Salman Rushdie. Recent issues have covered topics like taboos and the legacy of William Shakespeare. There have also been special issues on China and internet censorship.
Since 2010, SAGE Publications has published the magazine. It is available in print and online. You can also read it on apps for phones and tablets.
Important Publications
Index on Censorship has published many important works. These include Ken Saro-Wiwa's writings from prison in 1997. It also printed the first English translation of the Czechoslovak Charter 77 manifesto. This was written by Václav Havel and others in 1977.
The magazine also published Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's Nobel Prize acceptance speech. It shared stories of people who "disappeared" in Argentina. It also featured works by banned poets in Cuba. The magazine printed writings from Chinese poets who survived the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.
Index on Censorship has a long history of publishing translated works. These include writings by Bernard-Henri Lévy and Ma Jian. It also published news reports, like Anna Politkovskaya's coverage of the war in Chechnya.
The play Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (1977) by Tom Stoppard was inspired by an Index on Censorship article. The play is about a Soviet mental hospital. Stoppard later became a supporter of Index.
In 1989, Index on Censorship published a statement supporting Salman Rushdie. It said that everyone has the right to express their ideas freely. Six months later, it published a "Hunger Strike Declaration" from student leaders of the Tiananmen Square protests.
The magazine used to have a section called Index Index. This section listed abuses of free expression worldwide. It was published until 2008, when it moved to the website. The first Index Index listed censorship in Greece, Spain, and Brazil.
Index on Censorship paid special attention to Czechoslovakia. This was between the Soviet invasion in 1968 and the Velvet Revolution in 1989. It dedicated an entire issue to the country in 1976. This issue included writings by Václav Havel. It also listed "Padlock Publications," which were 50 banned books that were only shared as typed copies.
Campaigns
Index on Censorship also runs campaigns to make changes. One important campaign was "Free Speech is not For Sale." This campaign highlighted how English libel laws could stop free speech. Libel laws deal with false statements that harm someone's reputation.
The campaign showed that big companies were using these laws to limit fair comments. After much discussion, the UK Justice Secretary promised to make these laws fairer.
These campaigns show that Index on Censorship has become more active in public advocacy. Before 2008, the organization focused more on reporting. Now, it works to influence policy and public opinion.
Arts and International Programmes
Index on Censorship also has programs that put its ideas into action. These programs are in the UK and other countries. In places like Afghanistan, Burma, and Iraq, they support journalists and artists. These people often work in dangerous situations.
The organization's arts programs look at how social changes affect artists. They explore how artists might censor themselves. They also use art to get young people involved in discussions about free expression. They work with groups in the UK that are often ignored. They create new ways for these groups to share their art.
Index on Censorship also supports new creative works internationally. This includes new photography, films, and visual art. For example, they had an exhibition of photos by women in Iraq called Open Shutters. They also worked with refugee artists in the UK. Their art was shown at Tate Britain in 2007.
They have also worked with artists from Burma who live outside their home country. Index also helped publish a book of poetry by homeless people in London and St. Petersburg.
CEO
The Chief Executive of Index on Censorship from May 2014 was Jodie Ginsberg. In June 2020, Ruth Smeeth took over this role.
Freedom of Expression Awards
| Freedom of Expression Awards | |
|---|---|
| Presented by | Index on Censorship |
| Location | London, United Kingdom |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| First awarded | 2001 |
| Last awarded | 2022 |
Every year, Index on Censorship gives awards to people around the world. These awards honor journalists, artists, and activists. They recognize those who have made a big difference in free expression. Sponsors for these awards have included Google and SAGE Publications.
The awards ceremony was held online in April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, the awards were given out in London on October 27.
2022 winners:
- Journalism: Huang Xueqin
- Campaigning: OVD-Info
- Arts: Hamlet Lavastida
- Trustee Award: Andrey Kurkov
2021 winners:
- Journalism: Samira Sabou
- Campaigning: Abdelrahman 'Moka' Tarek
- Arts: Tatyana Zelenskaya
- Trustee Award: Arif Ahmed
2020 winners:
- Journalism: OKO.press
- Campaigning: Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, Veysel Ok
- Digital: 7amleh
- Arts: Yulia Tsvetkova
2019 winners:
- Journalism: Mimi Mefo
- Campaigning: Cartoonists Rights Network, International
- Digital: Fundación Karisma
- Arts: Zehra Doğan
2018 winners:
- Journalism: Wendy Funes
- Campaigning: Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms
- Digital: Habari RDC
- Arts: The Museum of Dissidence
See also
In Spanish: Index on Censorship para niños
