Zunar, the Malaysian political cartoonist currently facing 10 sedition charges for criticizing the government of Prime Minister Najib Razak, was forced to cancel a planned cartoon exhibition this week after thinly veiled threats from the ruling party’s youth wing. Last…
Tag: asia
Winnie the Pooh Banned Again on Chinese Social Media
Winnie the Pooh has become the latest casualty in the ongoing war between online censors and the internet denizens of China. Users of Chinese social media sites Weibo and Wechat have found themselves censored when referencing Winnie the Pooh, due…
Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye Counters Official Version of Singapore History
Two years ago on the eve of publication for Sonny Liew’s tour de force graphic history of Singapore, The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye, the city-state’s National Arts Council suddenly got cold feet and revoked a promised grant due…
Report Highlights Cartoonists Under Threat Worldwide
Two years after the attack on Charlie Hebdo staff, the world’s free expression focus has largely shifted away from cartoonists. That certainly does not mean the danger has disappeared, however, as a recent 30-page report from the French nonprofit Cartooning…
Awards & Nominations Pile Up for Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye
Singapore’s government may not have appreciated Sonny Liew’s graphic history The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye, but everyone else certainly does! Despite losing a promised National Arts Council publishing grant due to “sensitive content” just before the book’s initial…
Zunar Hopes to Outsmart Police with Next Book Launch
Malaysian political cartoonist Zunar, plagued by repeated police raids and seizures of his work, has struck upon an innovative solution to censorship: at the launch of his newest book Twit-Twit, Cin Cin this week, buyers will receive only a photocopy…
Ai Weiwei Defines Artists’ Duty to Resist Repression
Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has long been a thorn in the side of authorities, defiantly finding ways to critique government corruption and suppression despite constant surveillance, threats, detention, and a four-year revocation of his passport which prevented him from traveling…
‘Seditious’ Malaysian Artist Encourages Compatriots to Hold Government Accountable
Fahmi Reza, the Malaysian graphic designer and activist who is currently facing sedition charges for depicting Prime Minister Najib Razak as a clown, took his message of resistance to Malaysian expatriates in Australia last week. Even as his case is…
Detained Hong Kong Publisher Wins Swedish Press Freedom Award
Hong Kong publisher Gui Minhai, who has been held in an undisclosed location in mainland China since October 2015 as authorities try to extract information about his customers, has been awarded the Swedish Publicists’ Association’s Anna Politkovskaya Memorial Prize for…
Malaysian Court Awards Zunar Damages for Books Lost in Raid
Malaysian political cartoonist Zunar won a long-awaited victory this week when a High Court judge agreed he was entitled to compensation for books and original art seized by police in 2010. Although the judge awarded him 18,000 Ringgit (about $4,000)…