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In 2009, Index on Censorship, English PEN and ARTICLE 19 became part of the Free Word Centre, an international centre for literature, literacy and free expression. The three organisations played a leading and formative role in the development of the centre. Here is a summary of the NGOs’ activities in 2009.

Ramirez, Miranda, Martinez, Montanez, Martín, Barrón, Ortega, Hernandez, Ibarra, Mendez, Vázquez, Robles. The killing of 12 journalists in Mexico this year and the failure to bring murderers to justice poses a serious problem for Mexican democracy, argues Ángel García Català in a comment ‘Mexico: democracy without voice’ for Index on Censorship.

Ahmad Zeid-Abadi, an Iranian journalist and political analyst who was
imprisoned following Iran’s disputed presidential election in June, has
been awarded the 2010 Golden Pen of Freedom, the annual press freedom prize
of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).

In 2009 the government, courts and the police have connived in the suppression of investigative journalism and scientific research. But campaigns for free expression are gaining ground. A summary of the year is suggested by John Kampfner, chief executive of Index on Censorship, for Guardian.

In an interview in the Norwegian daily Dagbladet, the UN’s special representative in Islamic Republic of Afghanistan discloses some of the secrecy that has characterized the case of Afghan journalist Sayed Pervez Kambakhsh, right, his release and travel to Scandinavia. Credit is also given to Norwegian PEN and its Vice President Elisabeth Eide for contributing positively to solving this case.

ARTICLE 19, together with International Media Support (IMS), urge private and publicly funded media in Ukraine to behave responsibly and to respect professional and ethical standards of journalism in the period leading up to and during the presidential elections scheduled for 17 January 2010.

Based on two years of research across 176 countries, this online resource maps civil defamation across the world. In this unique mapping exercise, ARTICLE 19 charts cases and the damages awarded and demonstrates how civil cases can be just as limiting to free expression as criminal defamation cases.

An Index on Censorship event on the politicisation of climate science reflected a growing debate, highlighted by “climategate”. Padraig Reidy, right, news editor of Index on Censorship, reports on an event at the Free Word Centre hosted by Index on Censorship – “Is climate change scepticism the new Holocaust denial?”

Index on Censorship has opened nominations for its 10th freedom of expression awards. You can make nominations across three categories—Journalism, New Media and Law and Campaigning, to honour individuals who are leading the fight against censorship in all corners of the world.