US citizens are protected by the First Amendment, but in the UK there are several additional laws and practices that are designed to protect free speech but are often misinterpreted, leading to censorship. Whether you’re a British artist or an…
Although international media have widely reported in the past few days that Charlie Hebdo publication director Laurent Sourisseau declared a definitive end to Mohammed cartoons in the satirical magazine, the editorial team clarified today that nothing has changed: They will…
Luigi Brugnaro has taken one of his first stances after being elected mayor of Venice, Italy, by banning several children’s books from kindergarten classrooms. Titles like Qual è il segreto di papà? (What’s Dad’s Secret?), Rosso micione (Big Red Cat),…
Cameroonian political cartoonist Issa Nyaphaga is no stranger to the often violent implications of free expression in a nation plagued by restrictive laws. And like many other creators around the world who have faced legal threats, imprisonment, and exile, he…
As Iranian artist and activist Atena Farghadani continues to languish in prison, sentenced to 12 years and 9 months for a cartoon she drew depicting members of her country’s parliament as animals, she recently got some support from actress and…
For the second time, Malaysian cartoonist Zunar’s trial on nine counts of sedition has been postponed pending a decision in another case which challenges Malaysia’s entire Sedition Act. Zunar’s trial, which could land him in prison for up to 43…
When it came time to print Sonny Liew’s newest graphic novel, The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye, the National Arts Council in Singapore abruptly withdrew their grant, leaving publisher Epigram Books with a financial burden. Taking on difficult subjects…
Tintin in America will be returning to shelves in Winnipeg, Canada, public libraries after it was pulled entirely from the system based on numerous complaints received regarding its dated and controversial depictions of Native Americans, but it won’t be going…
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…
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…