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;…
Category: International
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…
Vandalized Mural of Cartoonist Atena Farghadani Ignites Debate
The vandalization of a mural depicting jailed Iranian cartoonist Atena Farghadani in Brooklyn, New York, has left free speech advocates confused over the misinterpretation of the message being depicted. The mural, by South African artist Faith47, was put up in…
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…
Fallout 4 to be Released Uncensored and “100% Uncut” in Germany
Although previous versions of the game have seen heavy censorship, a recent announcement at E3 let fans in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland know that they would be able to play the latest installment in the Fallout video game franchise unedited…
Young Adult Novel Banned from Distribution in New Zealand
After a series of back-and-forth censor board reviews, the award-winning young adult novel Into the River by New Zealand writer Ted Dawe is now completely banned in the author’s native country, pending yet another review that will likely come next…
Fellow Cartoonists Honor Atena Farghadani at CRNI Courage Award Ceremony
When political cartoonists from around the country and the world gathered in Columbus, Ohio last week for the annual convention of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, many of them were thinking of a colleague who couldn’t attend. At a…
Cartoonist Bonil Keeps Up Fight Against Government Censorship
From exorbitant fines to charges of “socioeconomic discrimination” to threats from ISIS, cartoonist Xavier Bonilla, best known by his pen-name Bonil, and his work have been frequent targets of the Ecuadorian government. As we learn in a recent interview with…