Fahmi Reza, the Malaysian graphic designer and activist who is currently facing sedition charges for depicting Prime Minister Najib Razak as a clown, took his message of resistance to Malaysian expatriates in Australia last week. Even as his case is…
Category: International
Syrian Cartoonists Persevere Despite Chaos
Six years after Syria’s uprising began, the future of the country is far from certain. But one surprising result of the turbulence is already apparent: an abrupt flowering of cartoons, comic magazines, and animated shorts spreading mostly through rebel-held areas…
Detained Hong Kong Publisher Wins Swedish Press Freedom Award
Hong Kong publisher Gui Minhai, who has been held in an undisclosed location in mainland China since October 2015 as authorities try to extract information about his customers, has been awarded the Swedish Publicists’ Association’s Anna Politkovskaya Memorial Prize for…
Tell DHS Not to Require Social Media Passwords from Foreign Travelers
A coalition of 29 advocacy organizations called Fly Don’t Spy has launched a new online petition urging Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly to reject a proposal requiring refugees, visa holders and other foreign visitors to relinquish information about…
Dissident Cartoonist Wins Digital Activism Award
Chinese dissident cartoonist Rebel Pepper has been awarded Index on Censorship’s Freedom of Expression Award for Arts. The win was revealed last night in London, during Index’s Awards Gala. Rebel Pepper, the pseudonym of Wang Liming, has long targeted the Chinese…
Chinese Cartoonist Fights from Exile
Seven years ago, dissident cartoonist Badiucao fled his home country of China for Australia. He’s long relied on the internet to share his work. “I felt this deepening of free expression, as everyone began to use the internet in a new way,…
Actor and Columnist Sentenced to Prison for Sharing Cartoon
Turkish actor and columnist Orhan Aydin has received a suspended sentence of 11 months and 20 days prison for insulting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan by sharing a cartoon on social media. Aydin shared a cartoon by Brazilian cartoonist Carlos Latuff that…
Malaysian Court Awards Zunar Damages for Books Lost in Raid
Malaysian political cartoonist Zunar won a long-awaited victory this week when a High Court judge agreed he was entitled to compensation for books and original art seized by police in 2010. Although the judge awarded him 18,000 Ringgit (about $4,000)…
Musa Kart Indicted After Lengthy Detention, Could Face 29 Years in Prison
Five months after Turkish political cartoonist Musa Kart was arrested along with several of his colleagues from Cumhuriyet newspaper on suspicion of supporting Kurdish militants and the Gulenist movement, they finally were formally indicted this week. If convicted, Kart could…
China Imposes New Restrictions on Foreign Picture Books
The Chinese government this month abruptly placed new restrictions on the publication of children’s picture books from abroad, reportedly in order to “reduce the influence of foreign ideas and enhance ideological control.” Authorities are not commenting directly, but four publishers…