Category: International

“Good for Nothing Girl” Takes on Japan’s Anti-Terrorism Law

“Good for nothing girl” Rokudenashiko has turned her art to a new cause: fighting Japan’s controversial anti-terrorism law. Rokudensahiko, or Megumi Igarashi, has long worked to fight gender inequality and to destigmatize the depiction of female genitalia in Japanese artwork.…

Musa Kart Out of Prison But Still Facing Charges

Following a judge’s order, Turkish cartoonist Musa Kart is out of prison after nine months along with six colleagues from Cumhuriyet newspaper. Four more are still detained, however, and all of the defendants still face charges that could result in…

Musa Kart Issues Scorching Defense of Press Freedom in Court

The trial of Turkish cartoonist Musa Kart and 16 colleagues from the newspaper Cumhuriyet, which began on Monday nine months after their initial arrests, is still ongoing as of Friday morning. In a hearing statement earlier this week, Kart pushed…

Cartoonist Uses Webcomics to Combat Inequality in India

Rachita Taneja is a Bangalore-based cartoonist who has been using webcomics to address political issues in India since 2014. Taneja’s highly accessible webcomic, Sanitary Panels, started as a political pursuit to speak out against 66A of India’s IT Act (a…

Winnie the Pooh Banned Again on Chinese Social Media

Winnie the Pooh has become the latest casualty in the ongoing war between online censors and the internet denizens of China. Users of Chinese social media sites Weibo and Wechat have found themselves censored when referencing Winnie the Pooh, due…

Trial Finally Begins for Musa Kart and Cumhuriyet Colleagues

After nine months of pre-trial detention, Turkish cartoonist Musa Kart and his colleagues from Cumhuriyet newspaper finally appeared in an Istanbul court today for hearings expected to last all week. The case is seen as virtually the last stand for…

Exiled Satirist Uses Cartoons to Tackle Sex Education in Iran

The strict religious views of Iranian authorities have had a dramatic effect on several social issues in country, one of the most problematic being that of sexual education — or lack thereof. Keyomars Marzan, the Iranian satirist better known as Kya,…

Egyptian Novelist Ahmed Naji Banned From Travel

Despite his successful appeal for retrial, Egyptian novelist Ahmed Naji, author of The Use of Life, has been prevented from traveling through the Cairo airport by a government travel ban. The travel ban comes in the wake of a series of…

Zunar Pessimistic About Chances for Overturning Travel Ban

Malaysian cartoonist Zunar is pessimistic about the chance of overturning his travel ban after a recent Court of Appeal decision. “Malaysian Court of Appeal today ruled that the right of Malaysian citizens to travel overseas is at the absolute discretion…