19 Aug 19 | Awards, Fellowship, Fellowship 2016, Index in the Press
Frequent visitors to the skatepark on London’s South Bank may have noticed two new works of art among the decades-old graffiti. Both spray-painted in black and white, one image depicts a naked and emaciated mother clutching a newborn; another shows a starving boy, his hair on end, listlessly picking at his hands. Entitled “Hollowed Mother” and “Lost Generation” (pictured), the figures are cadaverous and haunting, with dark empty holes where their eyes should be. Similar works of street art can be found in Hodeida and Sana’a, cities in Yemen: on the wreck of a door, now in a garbage dump, or on the last standing wall of a house reduced to rubble. “Faces of War”, a project by Murad Subay, a Yemeni artist, seeks to draw attention to the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. Read the article in full.
19 Aug 19 | Index in the Press
Using stencils and spray paint, Murad Subay creates haunting figures, portraits and motifs. Read the full article.
25 Sep 18 | Campaigns -- Featured, Saudi Arabia, Statements
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”102812″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes”][vc_column_text]ALQST for Human Rights in Saudi Arabia, English PEN, the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR), Index on Censorship, and PEN International call on the authorities in Saudi Arabia to release Yemeni writer and online activist Marwan Al-Muraisy, who has been subject to enforced disappearance since June.
On 01 June 2018, security forces arrested Al-Muraisy from his home and transferred him to an unknown location. Reliable reports confirmed that he is being held incommunicado. To date, Al-Muraisy’s family have been denied information about the charges against him, the location where he is being held and are unable to visit him.
Al-Muraisy, born in 1982, moved from Yemen to Saudi Arabia in 2003 and began his journalism career the following year. He has worked for several Saudi media outlets, including TV channels Al-Majd and Al-Resalah. His Twitter account has more than 100,000 followers, with his tweets focusing on his areas of specialisation, including digital media and human development. He has prepared more than 30 television programmes and has been a guest on a number of television programmes dealing with technology and social media. Al-Muraisy wrote one book, published in 2013, entitled “Sparrow’s Milk”.
The arrest of Marwan Al-Muraisy is part of a string of arrests that included dozens of academics, writers, journalists and human rights defenders, including prominent women’s rights activists, since 15 May 2018. The arrests have targeted human rights defenders calling for women to be allowed to drive, and to live free of the guardianship system.
In June 2018, women were finally permitted to drive in Saudi Arabia, but the crackdown seems designed to deter any criticism of the Kingdom or its rulers. Hundreds of human rights defenders, intellectuals and other activists are already imprisoned and serving lengthy sentences in Saudi Arabia, many from banned NGOs.
Saudi authorities should clarify Al-Muraisy’s situation and ensure that all his civic and human rights are respected. He should be released immediately and unconditionally in order to get back to pursuing his successful career as a writer.
Signed:
ALQST for Human Rights in Saudi Arabia
English PEN
Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR)
Index on Censorship
PEN International[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”4″ element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1537794256021-38c231b2-4977-8″ taxonomies=”6534″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
15 Jan 18 | Awards, Fellowship, Fellowship 2016, Index in the Press
Murad Subay sees the devastated streets and bombed buildings in Yemen’s war as something more than just ruins: he sees canvases onto which he can tell stories through art. The award-winning 30-year-old street artist’s aim is to spread a message of peace during Yemen’s current crisis – and his work is having a major impact in Yemen and abroad. Read in full.
