The Chinese government this month abruptly placed new restrictions on the publication of children’s picture books from abroad, reportedly in order to “reduce the influence of foreign ideas and enhance ideological control.” Authorities are not commenting directly, but four publishers…
Tag: asia
Zunar Arrested Again at Fundraising Event
For the second time in less than a month, Malaysian police arrested political cartoonist Zunar. Last month it was at an exhibition of his cartoons in Penang; this time it was a “Tea with Zunar” fundraiser, book signing, and live…
Zunar Faces New Sedition Charge After Mob Disrupts Cartoon Exhibit
It’s been an eventful weekend for Zunar, the Malaysian political cartoonist facing nine separate charges of sedition which could net him up to 43 years in prison. First, on Friday his new cartoon exhibit was stormed by an angry mob…
Unidentified Comic Among Hundreds of Books Seized in Raid on Hong Kong Fair
Authorities raided the Hong Kong Book Fair just as it was wrapping up last week, seizing more than 1400 copies of 300 different titles suspected to be obscene or indecent under local law. One unidentified comic was among the books…
Malaysian Police Investigate Lawmaker for Cartoon on Facebook
A Malaysian Member of Parliament is under investigation for sedition after he allegedly shared a cartoon that offended some members of the majority party on Facebook. After heated demonstrations against Nga Kor Ming and his political party DAP this week,…
India’s Madras High Court Refuses to Ban Controversial Novel
A two-judge panel at the Madras High Court in India last week rejected petitions to ban author Perumal Murugan’s novel One Part Woman, which has been the target of public protests including a book burning last year. Rightwing nationalists from…
Large Turnout for Hong Kong Democracy Protest After Bookseller Revelations
Thousands of Hong Kong residents joined pro-democracy demonstrations last weekend, following local bookstore manager Lam Wing Kee’s revelation that he was involuntarily detained for eight months on the Chinese mainland as authorities there sought information about customers and the books…
Thai Cartoonist “Invited” to Explain Himself to Government Commission
A Thai political cartoonist and his editor at a weekly news magazine have been summoned to meet with government election commissioners this week and explain a cartoon that mocked a previous draft of Thailand’s nascent constitution. Even though the cartoon…
Japanese Artist Rokudenashiko: “My Body is Not an Obscenity”
Japanese cartoonist Rokudenashiko recently celebrated the release of her new book What is Obscenity? The Story of a Good For Nothing Artist and her Pussy by challenging claims by the Japanese government that her art, and subsequently her body, is obscene. In…
Malaysian Artist Charged for Viral Image of PM as Clown
Malaysian artist Fahmi Reza is facing sedition charges for depicting Prime Minister Najib Razak in clown makeup, an image that originally appeared online but has since proliferated in street art throughout the capital of Kuala Lumpur. After learning of those…