29 Nov 17 | News and features
Stall at the Gagged exhibition, showcasing political cartoonists’ work
“This is a key to realms of wonder, but it’s also a deadly weapon, a weapon of mass distraction,” UK cartoonist Martin Rowson said, describing a pen, as he opened a discussion about censorship and repression of political cartoonists.
The event had planned a video link-up with Zulkiflee Anwar Haque, the Malaysian cartoonist better known as Zunar, but he was unable to attend. There have been reports of his arrest. Zunar uses his art to take a stand against corruption in Malaysian politics. The cartoonist is facing 10 sedition charges which are still pending trial. On these charges, Zunar faces 43 years in prison.
In his absence, a video of the cartoonist was shown in which he states, “you can ban my books, you can ban my cartoons, but you cannot ban my mind”.
The Westminster Reference Library hosted a discussion on 28 November, during an exhibition of political cartoons: Gagged. Speakers included Index on Censorship’s Jodie Ginsberg, UK cartoonist Martin Rowson, Sudanese cartoonist Khalid Albaih, and Cartoonist Rights Network International’s Robert Russell.
Cartoonist Rowson and Albaih, currently based in Copenhagen, expressed the responsibility they feel working from a safe environment. They acknowledged the oppression of their colleagues and cited them as inspiration for the cartoons they continue to publish.
“I feel so guilty that I’m here doing this but at the same time, I have a lot of friends who are in jail, who were arrested, and who are really fighting that fight to say what they want to say … It’s something that hurts me everyday”, Albaih said. “Everyday that I’m walking down Copenhagen. It’s a beautiful city but I can’t enjoy it because most of my friends can’t even get a visa to go to the country next to them … People like Zunar, they’re incredible and they’re powerful and I look up to them. And I hope one day I can go back to my country and be able to do that without being scared that something will happen to my kids, you know?”
Ginsberg spoke on the importance of freedom of expression in the face of adversity and the reality of censorship in countries that believe they have “free speech”. “Censorship isn’t something that happens ‘over there’. It happens here and it happens on our doorstep.”
“I genuinely believe that the pen is mightier than the sword, but I also think … that many pens and many voices are even better. Oppressors win when they think their opponents are alone,” Ginsberg said. “We succeed when we demonstrate that it’s not the case.”
**The exhibition has now been extended to 7 December.
22 Nov 17 | Mapping Media Freedom, media freedom featured, News and features
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”96621″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]Governments have arsenals of weapons to censor information. The worst are well-known: detention, torture, extra-judicial (and sometimes court-sanctioned) killing, surveillance. Though governments also have access to less forceful but still insidious tools, such as website blocking and internet filtering, these aim to cut off the flow of information and advocacy at the source.
Another form of censorship gets limited attention, a kind of quiet repression: the travel ban. It’s the Trump travel ban in reverse, where governments exit rather than entry. They do so not merely to punish the banned but to deny the spread of information about the state of repression and corruption in their home countries.
In recent days I have heard from people around the world subject to such bans. Khadija Ismayilova, a journalist in Azerbaijan who has exposed high-level corruption, has suffered for years under fraudulent legal cases brought against her, including time in prison. The government now forbids her to travel. As she put it last year: “Corrupt officials of Azerbaijan, predators of the press and human rights are still allowed in high-level forums in democracies and able to speak about values, which they destroy in their own – our own country.”
Zunar, a well-known cartoonist who has long pilloried the leaders of Malaysia, has been subject to a travel ban since mid-2016, while also facing sedition charges for the content of his sharply dissenting art. While awaiting his preposterous trial, which could leave him with years in prison, he has missed exhibitions, public forums, high-profile talks. As he told me, the ban directly undermines his ability to network, share ideas, and build financial support.
Ismayilova and Zunar are not alone. India has imposed a travel ban against the coordinator of a civil society coalition in Kashmir because of “anti-India activities” which, the government alleges, are meant to cause youth to resort to violent protest. Turkey has aggressively confiscated passports to target journalists, academics, civil servants, and school teachers. China has barred a women’s human rights defender from travelling outside even her town in Tibet.
Bahrain confiscated the passport of one activist who, upon her return from a Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, was accused by officials of “false statements” about Bahrain. The United Arab Emirates has held Ahmed Mansoor, a leading human rights defender and blogger and familiar to those in the UN human rights system, incommunicado for nearly this entire year. The government banned him from travelling for years based on his advocacy for democratic reform.
Few governments, apart from Turkey perhaps, can compete with Egypt on this front. I asked Gamal Eid, subject to a travel ban by Egyptian authorities since February of 2016, how it affects his life and work? Eid, one of the leading human rights defenders in the Middle East and the founder of the Arab Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), has seen his organisation’s website shut down, public libraries he founded (with human rights award money!) forcibly closed, and his bank accounts frozen.
While Eid is recognised internationally for his commitment to human rights, the government accuses him of raising philanthropic funds for ANHRI “to implement a foreign agenda aimed at inciting public opinion against State institutions and promoting allegations in international forums that freedoms are restricted by the country’s legislative system.” He has been separated from his wife and daughter, who fled Egypt in the face of government threats. The ban forced him to close legal offices in Morocco and Tunisia, where he provided defence to journalists, and he lost his green card to work in the United States. He recognises that his situation does not involve the kind of torture or detention that characterises Egypt’s approach to opposition, but the ban has ruined his ability to make a living and to support human rights not just in Egypt but across the Arab world.
Eid is not alone in his country. He estimates that Egypt has placed approximately 500 of its nationals under a travel ban, about sixteen of whom are human rights activists. One of them is the prominent researcher and activist, Hossam Bahgat, founder of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, who faces accusations similar to Eid’s.
Travel bans signal weakness, limited confidence in the power of a government’s arguments, perhaps even a public but quiet concession that, “yes indeed, we repress truth in our country”. While not nearly as painful as the physical weapons of censorship, they undermine global knowledge and debate. They exclude activists and journalists from the kind of training that makes their work more rigorous, accurate, and effective. They also interfere in a direct way with every person’s human right to “leave any country, including one’s own,” unless necessary for reasons such as national security or public order.
All governments that care about human rights should not allow the travel ban to continue to be the silent weapon of censorship – and not just for the sake of Khadija, Zunar, and Gamal, but for those who benefit from their critical voices and work. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Mapping Media Freedom” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_separator color=”black”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][vc_icon icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-times-circle” color=”black” background_style=”rounded” size=”xl” align=”right”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]
Since 24 May 2014, Mapping Media Freedom’s team of correspondents and partners have recorded and verified 3,597 violations against journalists and media outlets.
Index campaigns to protect journalists and media freedom. You can help us by submitting reports to Mapping Media Freedom.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_separator color=”black”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Don’t lose your voice. Stay informed.” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_separator color=”black”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Index on Censorship is a nonprofit that campaigns for and defends free expression worldwide. We publish work by censored writers and artists, promote debate, and monitor threats to free speech. We believe that everyone should be free to express themselves without fear of harm or persecution – no matter what their views.
Join our mailing list (or follow us on Twitter or Facebook) and we’ll send you our weekly newsletter about our activities defending free speech. We won’t share your personal information with anyone outside Index.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][gravityform id=”20″ title=”false” description=”false” ajax=”false”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_separator color=”black”][/vc_column][/vc_row]
15 Nov 17
[vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1510749691901{padding-top: -150px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_single_image image=”96667″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]
Risks, Rights & Reputations (RRR) provides artists and arts organisations with the guidance, inspiration, tools and resources to navigate the rights and responsibilities of producing socially sensitive work.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]Embracing risk and controversy, understanding rights and responsibilities and re-evaluating reputation, all contribute to creating the conditions for freedom of artistic expression to thrive.
Drawing on our experience of monitoring censorship and self-censorship over the past 10 years in the UK, Index aims to build institutional and individual confidence and resilience needed to navigate dilemmas and embrace controversy associated with challenging, provocative art and expression by the full diversity of artists. Building on the 2018 programme run in partnership with What Next? And Cause4 RRR provides resources, guidance, mentoring, bespoke training, and access to pro-bono support to promote artistic freedom of expression to the cultural sector. [/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Resources” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_row_inner disable_element=”yes”][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]
RRR pro-bono professional advice
The service provides free advice and support to colleagues in the cultural sector facing ethical, reputational, legal or personal issues at any point in the life cycle of creating, producing or presenting a piece of work.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]
Bespoke training and consultancy
The problems and dilemmas associated with the programming and planning of certain works of art are usually very specific, affected by the specific location and siting of the work, the audience, particular communities of interest who might be hostile to the work, concerns about press and social media. We offer bespoke training and consultancy.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”Case Studies” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]These case studies cover art work going back over the past 9 years that deals with some of the most highly sensitised, contentious and complex issues in today’s society – terrorism, incest, slavery, illegal immigration, grooming, radicalisation – provoking debate and controversy around authorship, representation, the role of the police and online campaigns and self-censorship. In some cases the work was removed, in others not – in some the controversy was anticipated, in others not. Collectively, the case studies aim to equip arts organisations and artists with insight into what worked and what didn’t, what mistakes were made, and what lessons were learned.
The most recent and ongoing series of case studies, written over the past couple of years, are short publications of record with a brief account of what happened, supported by press commentary and short ‘reflective’ interviews with people involved looking back on the legacy of the events.[/vc_column_text][posts_grid_width_page category_id=”8884″][vc_custom_heading text=”Commentary and Reports” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][posts_grid_width_page category_id=”8885″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”103263″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]Kwame Kwei-Armah, Artistic Director, Young Vic[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]
“The work produced and directed on stages across the UK has made unprecedented strides in putting ideas, visual or otherwise, to audiences since the UK Theatre Act was overturned in 1968. That said, it’s our duty as theatre makers to keep the torch burning and ensure the legacy of those who campaigned continues. We can do that by never believing there isn’t a boundary that can’t be pushed, or a difficult question we can’t ask.”
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”105283″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]Sir Nick Serota, chair of Arts Council England[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]
“In recent years there have been an increasing number of high-profile cases raising ethical and censorship issues around plays, exhibitions and other artworks. Censorship – and self-censorship – can stand in the way of great art. That’s why Arts Council England is committed to supporting those organisations who are taking creative risks. It’s important that organisations are aware of relevant legislation and the excellent guidance that exists. This programme is an important step in ensuring that our sector can continue to create vital, challenging, and risk-taking work.”
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_separator][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Further Reading” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][posts_grid_width_page category_id=”22244″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Art and the Law” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.indexoncensorship.org%2Fcampaigns%2Fart-and-the-law%2F|||”][vc_column_text]Guides to the law on free expression and the arts in England and Wales[/vc_column_text][vc_tta_tabs][vc_tta_section title=”Child Protection” tab_id=”1500476202857-57f7def9-a917bf12-4b2a”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]
Child protection is a sensitive area of law and a deserved focus of public concern. The prospect of a police investigation alone will be a matter of substantial press interest, while an actual prosecution, although unlikely in the professional arts sector, would nevertheless result in grave consequences for the gallery and the artist.
Read more[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”81100″ img_size=”full” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https://www.indexoncensorship.org/2015/07/art-and-the-law-child-protection/”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Counter Terrorism” tab_id=”1500535116364-451e594b-9153bf12-4b2a”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]
Counter-terrorism is a complex and controversial area of the law, not least because the offences are often very widely drafted. The relevant legal definition of terrorism, contained within the Terrorism Act 2000 (and further extended in 2006), is very broad and potentially covers a very wide range of acts beyond those that are widely understood to be “terrorist” in nature.
Read more[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”81105″ img_size=”full” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https://www.indexoncensorship.org/2015/07/art-law-counter-terrorism/”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Obscene Publications” tab_id=”1500535326180-535796ce-7cf4bf12-4b2a”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]
Obscene publications are governed by the Obscene Publications Act 1959 and the Obscene Publications Act 1964. The 1959 Act sets out the legal test for obscenity and creates certain offences and defences.
Read more[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”81110″ img_size=”full” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https://www.indexoncensorship.org/2016/02/art-law-obscene-publications/”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Public Order” tab_id=”1500535513084-1a5d8cbc-8b31bf12-4b2a”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]
Public order law is complicated and its application to any particular case will be fact-specific. It should be borne in mind that much of this area of law – in particular breach of the peace – is governed by the common law. Common law, also referred to as case law, is made by judges and developed in the cases that come before the court over time.
Read more[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”81133″ img_size=”full” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https://www.indexoncensorship.org/2015/07/art-law-public-order/”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Race and Religion” tab_id=”1500535700426-333d46b7-c509bf12-4b2a”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]
UK law criminalises conduct that has the intent of stirring up racial hatred or hatred on grounds of religion or sexual orientation.
Read more[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”81139″ img_size=”full” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https://www.indexoncensorship.org/2016/02/art-law-race-religion/”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_tabs][/vc_column][/vc_row]
03 Nov 17 | Artistic Freedom, News and features
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”96393″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]Cartoonist Ramón Esono Ebalé has been named the winner of the 2017 Cartoonists Rights Network International Award for Courage in Editorial Cartooning.
An outspoken and gifted graphic novelist and cartoonist, Ebalé is imprisoned in Equatorial Guinea’s notorious Black Beach prison under as yet unspecified charges.
“The Equatorial Guinean government, one of the most notorious kleptocracies in Africa, is clearly angered by his outspoken comic and cartoon based criticism of the ruling family,” Joel Pett, president of the CRNI board of directors, wrote in a statement accouncing the award.
Ebalé, alias Jamon y Queso, was arrested on 16 September in Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea. He was initially questioned by security agents in relation to his cartoons that are critical of President Obiang and other government officials. News outlets reported a few days later that he is being investigated for alleged money laundering and counterfeiting money.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”96264″ img_size=”full” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https://www.indexoncensorship.org/2017/10/exhibition-repressive-governments-world-fear-cartoonists/”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]
Repressive governments the world over fear cartoonists. Cartoonists get straight to the point. Join Index, CRNI and the UK’s Professional Cartoonists Organisation for an exploration of cartooning.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Don’t lose your voice. Stay informed.” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_separator color=”black”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Index on Censorship is a nonprofit that campaigns for and defends free expression worldwide. We publish work by censored writers and artists, promote debate, and monitor threats to free speech. We believe that everyone should be free to express themselves without fear of harm or persecution – no matter what their views.
Join our mailing list (or follow us on Twitter or Facebook) and we’ll send you our weekly newsletter about our activities defending free speech. We won’t share your personal information with anyone outside Index.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][gravityform id=”20″ title=”false” description=”false” ajax=”false”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_separator color=”black”][/vc_column][/vc_row]
