Right now, South Africa’s government is considering a new and highly controversial digital content law that, if passed unaltered, would essentially authorize widespread censorship of the internet. The Online Regulation Policy drafted by the Film and Publication Board of South…
Tag: censorship
Iranians Embrace Ebooks to Combat Censorship
In Iran, ordinary words like “kiss,” “dance,” and “wine” can be cause for a printed book to be vetted and censored. Laws that would prohibit the publication of words such as these as well as legally empower the ministry of…
New York Venue Censors Neil LaBute’s Anti-Censorship Monologue
The New York theater scene is known for putting on some of the most controversial plays, but not when it comes to the monologue Mohammed Gets a Boner. The Sheen Center for Thought and Culture in Greenwich Village made a…
Cartoonists Under Threat Around the World
“The world is unfortunately waking up to the power and influence of cartoonists, [responding] through the exercise of violence and murder.” So said Robert Russell, executive director of Cartoonist Rights Network International, in the recent report, “Drawing the Line: Cartoonists…
Maus Pulled from Russia Bookstores for Depicting Nazi Propaganda
Although no formal complaints were issued, several major bookstore chains in Russia have begun pulling the Pulitzer Prize winning graphic novel Maus off of their store shelves and internet sites. The reason: The cover depicts a Nazi swastika. According to…
Fear for Reputation Leads Queen’s University to Cancel Charlie Hebdo Conference
Earlier this week, it was sadly announced that Queen’s University Belfast would be canceling an academic conference on the Charlie Hebdo attacks over security concerns as well as the potentially negative reputation that the University would garner by holding such…
Iranian Cartoonist Overcomes Censorship with Savvy Style
From government imposed to self censorship, CBLDF has reported on the significant number of artists and cartoonists who face a variety of challenges when it comes to having their works published and shown. One Iranian cartoonist, though, seems to have…
Tanzania Bans Newspaper Over “Disrespectful” Cartoon
The Tanzanian government has banned the Nairobi newspaper, The EastAfrican, from newsstands. Although the publicized reason for the ban is that the newspaper was being distributed within Tanzania without proper legal registration as required by a 1976 law, several individuals…
Ecuadorian Cartoonist Faces Charges for “Socioeconomic Discrimination”
Political cartoonist Xavier Bonilla, known as Bonil, has been charged with “socioeconomic discrimination” in his home country of Ecuador for a cartoon targeting Agustín “Tin” Delgado, a former professional soccer player who now sits on Ecuador’s legislative assembly. Bonilla is…
CBLDF Joins Coalition Cautioning Hanover Schools About Proposed Sensitive Materials Policy
In light of Hanover, Virginia, School District’s planned discussions to reform policies for teaching specific instructional materials, CBLDF has joined a coalition led by the National Coalition Against Censorship to caution school officials about the potential harm — and censorship…