Comic Book Legal Defense Fund

Two Cartoonists to Receive CRNI Award for Courage in Editorial Cartooning

by Maren Williams • May 24, 2012

by Maren Williams

Two political cartoonists who have courageously defied government censorship and brutality will be honored with the 2012 Courage in Editorial Cartooning Award from Cartoonists Rights Network International. Syrian Ali Ferzat and Indian Aseem Trivedi will receive the award on September 15, 2012 at George Washington University in Washington, DC, according to a post on CRNI’s website.

The annual award recognizes cartoonists who have “shown exemplary courage in the face of unrelenting threat, legal action or other pressure as punishment or disincentive for cartoons that are too powerful for some officials, sects, terrorists or demagogues.”

Click through for more on Ferzat and Trivedi’s groundbreaking work.

Archived Content

Cross The Border-Go Directly to Jail

by cbldf • May 24, 2012

What if the comics you took on a plane landed you in jail? That’s the danger facing one American, who could spend a minimum of a year in a foreign prison for doing just that. Turns out that anyone leaving or entering the country can be stopped, searched or detained by customs agents because of comic art in print or on laptops, tablets or cell phones – even without suspicion of criminal activity. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is leading a coalition to defend this case, and has resources to protect travelers traveling internationally. Learn more here, and please make a donation to support this case.

Homepage, News Blog

India Moves to Ban Cartoons from Textbooks

by Soyini Hamit • May 23, 2012

by Soyini A. Hamit

On May 14, one day after the 60^th anniversary of the Indian Parliament, the government decided to ban textbooks from the National Council for Education Research and Training (NCERT) for using cartoons that mock politicians. The government will also review NCERT textbooks, in addition to removing the offensive cartoons.

What began as an affront to famed cartoonist Shankar Pillai’s depiction of political leader B. R. Ambedkar has grown into an assault on the use of all cartoons in textbooks. Members of Parliament protested until the government relented and agreed to censor textbooks. The lone voice of dissent came from MP Sharifuddin Shariq, who felt that the cartoons should not upset politicians because they “reflected the reality.”

More after the jump…

Homepage, News Blog

Webcomic Takes a Stab at Indian Online Content Laws

by Joe Izenman • May 23, 2012

by Joe Izenman

Only a few months have passed since political cartoonist Aseem Trivedi faced charges of treason for mocking the state. But that hasn’t stopped at least one webcomic artist from taking a sarcastic Mother’s Day shot at Indian Parliament’s year-old amendments to their Information Technology Act, which introduced an extraordinary set of restrictions and punishments for a broad range of online content violations.

Indian webcomic Crocodile In Water, Tiger On Land—a self-described purveyor of “below-the-belt cheap shots in comic form” has this to say in “thanks” to India’s lawmakers:

More details about the impact of India’s restrictive policies after the jump…

Fundraising, Homepage, News Blog

Big Wow Raises $1,500 for CBLDF!

by Betsy Gomez • May 21, 2012

by Betsy Gomez

I rolled an hour down the road this weekend for Big Wow! Comicfest, a regional show that’s seen quite a bit of growth since the last time I attended. In the years that have passed since my last outing to the show, it’s grown from a smallish collectors show (where I could fill in the gaps in my Jonah Hex and The Phantom collections) into a bustling event with an impressive guest list and a burgeoning artists alley. It was a genuine joy to see how the show has upped the ante. By the end of the convention, I had introduced many people to CBLDF and talked to many of our regular contributors, raising $1,500 for the cause!

Click through for more…

Homepage, Legal, News Blog

Join Charles Brownstein for a Discussion of Free Expression and the PROTECT Act This Wednesday

by Betsy Gomez • May 21, 2012

This Wednesday, you can join CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein for “Is Manga a Crime? Non-photographic images, Child Pornography and Freedom of Expression,” a program that discusses the impact of the PROTECT Act and the transportation of drawn images across international borders. The program is the Digital Media & Fine Arts Committees of the New York State Bar Association Entertainment, Arts, & Sports Law Section, and attorneys who attend can gain 1.5 MCLE credits in professional practice (pending approval).

More details after the jump.