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In the run-up to Ukraine’s parliamentary elections in March 2006, ARTICLE 19 has issued a statement, emphasising the importance of impartiality during elections and calling for problematic clauses of the new Law on Election of People’s Deputies to be withdrawn. Amidst concern that aspects of the law are not in line with international standards of freedom of expression for elections, the organisation also recommends guidelines to be drawn up on election reporting for the broadcast media. (02-DEC-05)
 

The Freemuse Conference on Freedom of Expression in Music in Beirut, 6–8 October 2005 was the first regional forum of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa, producing some fascinating revelations about man’s love and fear of the art of music. Trevor Mostyn reports on the Freemuse conference. (30-NOV-05)
 

Along with dozens of other free speech groups, Index on Censorship and Article 19 had long questioned the suitability of Tunisia to host last week´s United Nations World Summit for the Information Society (WSIS). Following days of mayhem, rights abuses and attacks on freedom of expression, Tunisia proved that concerns were justified. Index on Censorship reports from Tunis. (25-NOV-05)

Sokari Douglas Camp and Siraj Izhar are the joint winners of the competition to design a Living  Memorial for Ken Saro-Wiwa, it was announced at a commemoration ceremony in London today. The event marked the 10th anniversary of the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight fellow campaigners, and drew attention to the continued deterioration of the Niger Delta. (10-NOV-05)
 

An alliance of human rights groups and community activists, including Index on Censorship and English PEN, are joining forces to mark the forthcoming tenth anniversary of the executions of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight colleagues. A shortlist of five proposals selected by a panel will be exhibited in the run-up to the anniversary on 10 November 2005. (04-NOV-05)

Belarusian journalist Iryna Khalip has been honoured as one of Time magazine’s 2005 European   heroes, it was announced on 24 October at a ceremony in London. Khalip, who is deputy editor-in-chief of bi-weekly independent newspaper Delovaya Gazeta (BDG), has reported widely on corruption, drawing attention the deterioration of human rights in the country. (31-OCT-05)

October 24 marks the launch of Index Arts’ exciting and innovative new visual art project, imagine.  art. after. The project, hosted by Guardian Unlimited and curated by Brenda Beban, links refugee artists based in London with artists from their country of origin and will culminate in an exhibition in March 2006. (24-OCT-05)
 

The anniversary of the 1915 events in Armenia has generated more public debate on both sides of  the issue than ever before. The impassioned disagreement over the semantics of the matter has assumed what to many seem absurd proportions. The Turkish authorities are ready to settle for the term ‘massacre’; the Armenian diaspora insists on the use of ‘genocide´. Index on Censorship reports (18-OCT-05)
 

Not one month after Sudan’s president promised his country a free press, two Sudanese Arabic-language dailies had their printing presses shut down without explanation. The move was neither out of character nor unexpected, but it did abruptly end the honeymoon that permeated Sudan?s political arenas throughout much of July. Index on Censorship reports. (11-OCT-05)