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…
Tag: ecuador
Cartoonist Vilma Vargas Responds with More Humor in Face of Opposition
Cartoonist Vilma Vargas is from a country that has been none too kind to political dissent: Ecuador. President Rafael Correa has seemingly made a sport of censorship, which frequently targets cartoonists. Vargas’s work confronts human rights violations, endorses women’s rights,…
Ecuadorian Artist’s Exhibit Censored by Government
An art exhibit whose central theme is freedom of expression is facing a censorship attempt by the House of Ecuadorian Culture out of concern that it might become a “forum for opinion and political criticism.” Vilma Vargas has built a…
Discriminatory Complaint Against Ecuadorian Cartoonist Declared “Baseless”
Ecuadorian communications agency Cordicom has put to rest a complaint made to governmental censorship agency Supercom earlier this year, determining that a recent cartoon by Javier Bonilla (aka Bonil) is in fact not promoting a discriminatory message against the LGBTQ community. In…
Government Attempt to Shut Down Free Press Group in Ecuador Fails
The latest target in Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa’s campaign against free speech is the non-governmental organization Fundamedios. Citing legal violations for publishing political blog posts that might suggest participation in partisan politics, the government is attempting to shut down the…
Cartoonist Bonil Keeps Up Fight Against Government Censorship
From exorbitant fines to charges of “socioeconomic discrimination” to threats from ISIS, cartoonist Xavier Bonilla, best known by his pen-name Bonil, and his work have been frequent targets of the Ecuadorian government. As we learn in a recent interview with…
Bonil: “The Role of a Cartoonist Is to Be a Dissident”
Ecuadorian cartoonist Bonil — a frequent target of governmental censors and recently threatened by ISIS — spoke with free speech advocacy group and watchdog organization Freedom House about the dire state of free expression in his home country. When Rafael…
Ecuadorian Cartoonist Bonil Fined by His Government and Threatened by ISIS
Earlier last month, political cartoonist, Bonil was charged with socioeconomic discrimination in his home country of Ecuador for his controversial cartoon mocking Afro-Ecuadorian legislative assemblyman, Agustin “Tin” Delgado. But Bonil hasn’t just been targeted by his home country — ISIS…
Ecuadorean Cartoonist May Face Trial for Insulting President
Some troubling media regulations that were passed in Ecuador last year are apparently being employed against political cartoonist Xavier Bonilla, who may face trial over a panel that ran in the newspaper El Universo and offended President Rafael Correa. Bonilla…