After months of delay, it looks like Malaysian cartoonist Zunar will finally get his day in court next month as he faces nine sedition charges which could bring up to 43 years in prison. That’s not particularly good news, however;…
Author: Maren Williams
High School Reading Assignments Challenged in Illinois, New Jersey
Banned Books Week is barely over, but book challenges continue around the country! Today we got word that Jonathan Safran Foer’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close was pulled from a high school English class in Mattoon, Illinois before students could…
Banned Books Week News Roundup
Banned Books Week is almost over, and once again it’s been a great success! Let’s take a look at CBLDF and Banned Books Week in the news: Banned Books Week: How comics are fighting a hail of critical fire: CBLDF…
London Gallery Removes Toy Dioramas from Free Speech Exhibit Amid Terrorism Fears
A London gallery hosting an annual freedom of expression exhibit last week pulled a series of satirical photo dioramas after police raised concerns about “potentially inflammatory content” that could anger Islamic State or other extremists. The photos by pseudonymous…
13 Free Speech Victories for Banned Books Week 2015!
This year, CBLDF and its partners in anti-censorship advocacy have seen a dramatic increase in book challenges compared to last year. Fortunately, in most of those cases we and local free speech fighters have prevailed! Here are some free speech…
12 Challenged or Banned Summer Reading Books for Banned Books Week 2015!
In the past two years, we’ve seen a veritable explosion of challenges and bans to books assigned as summer reading in middle school, high school, and even college. Moreover, in many cases school districts or administrators seem unsure as to…
YA Author Urges Parents to Develop Understanding of Manga
In anticipation of the young-adult-themed Banned Books Week starting this Sunday, YA author Amy McNulty recently shone the spotlight on some of her favorite manga series for teens that have faced challenges in the United States. In a guest post…
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…
Sudanese Government Seizes Newspaper to Suppress Cartoon
In the midst of a press censorship spree over the weekend, Sudanese government authorities seized the entire Sunday print run of Al-Khartoum newspaper, apparently in retaliation for an editorial cartoon that appeared on the front page. Ironically, the cartoon criticized…
Zunar’s Sedition Trial Postponed for Third Time
Malaysian political cartoonist Zunar, currently awaiting trial on nine counts of sedition, will have to wait a little longer. Last week his trial was postponed for the third time and is now set to begin on November 6. Meanwhile, he’s…