China has long drawn fire for policies that lead to rampant censorship, whether government sanctioned or self-imposed. Recently, a cartoonist fell victim to the country’s crackdown on bloggers. In the last few months, hundreds of people have been detained for…
Category: International
Popular Cartoon Runs Afoul of Chinese Censors
Accusations of animated violence have led to censorship of one of China’s most popular children’s cartoons off air. The cartoon, Pleasant Goat and the Big Bad Wolf — sometimes billed as China’s version of Mickey Mouse, complete with some licencing…
Print Shops Refuse to Print Anti-War Comic Book in the UK
Across the Atlantic Ocean in the United Kingdom, Darren Cullen is currently fighting for his freedom of speech while he struggles to get his new comic book, (Don’t) Join the Army to the printers. The comic is a satirical depiction…
Manga Freedom Events In NYC
CBLDF continues our efforts for manga freedom by providing special events with translator and manga expert Dan Kanemitsu throughout NYCC weekend including a lecture at Kinokuniya Bookstore on Saturday and appearances at the CBLDF booth. Kanemitsu is a well-known expert…
Barefoot Gen Translator Disinvited from Speaking at Japanese School
A little more than a month after Keiji Nakazawa’s manga classic Barefoot Gen was restored to school libraries in the Japanese city of Matsue, an English-language translator of the series has been abruptly disinvited from speaking at a junior high…
Understanding Your Rights FAQ – What Do Obscenity & Related Laws Mean?
Comic Book Legal Defense Fund frequently receives questions from our community about one’s rights relating to comics, so we have created this column – “Understanding Your Rights” as a series of FAQs to help clearly explain these concepts. Today’s column…
Persecuted Cartoonists Converse About Censorship
Cartoonists Rights Network International recently shared in interview between Malaysian cartoonist Zunar and Singaporean cartoonist Leslie Chew — both of whom have been arrested and persecuted in their home countries for their political cartoons. Zunar visited Singapore and interviewed Chew…
Laptop Searches at the U.S. Border Continue to Cause Concern
Imagine going on a relaxing vacation out of the country with friends or family, but upon your return to the United States, your laptop is taken from you by border security for what seems to be no reason at all.…
Using Graphic Novels in Education: Barefoot Gen
Welcome to Using Graphic Novels in Education, an ongoing feature from CBLDF that is designed to allay confusion around the content of banned books and to help parents and teachers raise readers. In this column, we examine books that have…
Radical Voices Continue to Call for Censorship in Barefoot Gen Debate
After debate that focused more on procedure than on free expression, a ban placed on anti-war manga Barefoot Gen was lifted recently in Japan, once again allowing the return of the book to school libraries in Matsue City. Unfortunately, controversy…