This past weekend, Egyptian writer Ahmed Naji went to court to face charges that an excerpt of his novel The Use of Life violates decency laws. Naji is facing a two-year jail sentence and a 10,000 Egyptian pound ($1,245) fine,…
Palestinian cartoonist Baha Yassin was caught up in complex internal politics this week, as the Palestinian Authority issued a warrant for his arrest due to his cartoons critical of the Fatah party. Yassin lives outside of Palestinian Authority jurisdiction, but…
Singaporean author Jee Leong Koh and poet Alvin Pang refused to accept funding from the government-linked National Arts Council (NAC) after NAC CEO Kathy Lai and Chairman Professor Chan Heng Chee made comments the writers claim justify and defend governmental…
A controversial cartoon printed in the Sunday edition of Indian newspaper Marathi Daily has put the owner, editor, and cartoonist in hot water with the Islamic community. Called “blasphemous” and religiously insensitive, the cartoon accompanied an article entitled “ISIS Money”…
A new graphic novel by the European Youth Press explores the state of free press in Europe as seen through the eyes and pens of young European cartoonists and journalists coming into their craft. Entitled Free Our Media, the graphic…
Two Chinese dissidents, including political cartoonist Jiang Yefei, were deported from Thailand back to China last month despite having been granted refugee status by the United Nations. Jiang and fellow pro-democracy activist Dong Guangping were imprisoned upon their return to…
One of India’s best-known graphic novelists fell afoul of Facebook’s whimsical moderation regarding artistic nudity last week when the social media giant, acting on an anonymous user report, removed his work which showed a woman getting dressed. Orijit Sen and…
When Syria’s civil war began in 2011 as an outgrowth of the Arab Spring uprisings that swept the region, many citizens were initially optimistic about the outcome, seeing a chance to overthrow the brutal Assad regime. Instead, the instability in…
With his future hinging on a legal challenge to Malaysia’s Sedition Act, cartoonist Zunar is currently in the United States to accept an International Press Freedom Award from the Committee to Protect Journalists tonight. Last week he and the other…
In yet another chilling development for cartoonists’ freedom of expression worldwide, an Algerian appeals court this week convicted cartoonist Tahar Djehiche of insulting the country’s president and inciting mob violence via cartoon. He has appealed the verdict to the Supreme…