Tag: middle east/north africa

Farghadani Subjected to Virginity Test in Investigation of “Illegitimate Relations”

Iranian cartoonist Atena Farghadani, currently serving a nearly 13-year prison sentence for caricaturing members of parliament as animals, last week faced trial on the further charge of “non-adultery illegitimate relations” for shaking the hand of her lawyer, Mohammad Moghimi. Moreover,…

Syrian Cartoonist Reportedly Died Under Arrest

Three years since Syrian editorial cartoonist Akram Raslan was arrested by the Assad regime for “offending the state’s prestige” with his work, it is now all but certain that he died in government custody in 2013. Based on testimony from…

Farghadani to Receive CRNI Courage in Cartooning Award

Iranian artist and activist Atena Farghadani, currently imprisoned for a cartoon she drew depicting members of the country’s Parliament as apes and bovines, has been named as the 2015 winner of Cartoonists Rights Network International’s Courage in Cartooning award. CRNI…

Sudanese Artist “Breaks Fear” of Censorship With His Art

Sudanese political cartoonist Khalid Albaih has used his work to uncover social injustices throughout the Middle East and is now utilizing the power of the pen to disclose corruption and violations of free speech around the world. Called “an artist…

Egypt Cracks Down on Street Art

In June 2010, about eight months before the Tahrir Square uprising, a 28-year-old Egyptian blogger named Khaled Said was arrested and beaten to death after he posted a damning video that allegedly showed police helping themselves to the spoils of…

Atena Farghadani’s Lawyer Also Under Arrest in Iran

Just a few weeks after Iranian artist and activist Atena Farghadani was sentenced to over 12 years in prison for drawing a cartoon of her country’s lawmakers, her defense lawyer Mohammad Moghimi has now been arrested as well. The alleged…