Freemuse Defending Artistic Freedom
Freemuse welcomes its new Executive Committee, which was democratically voted in by Freemuse members at its General Assembly held on 11 November 2018.
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Music
Turkey: Singer jailed for six years on terrorism charge
German-Kurdish singer Singer Hozan Cane was sentenced to six years and three months in jail for "being a member in a terrorist organisation".
Visual Arts
Bangladesh: Shahidul Alam granted bail
Renowned photographer and activist Shahidul Alam has been refused bail by a Bangladeshi court, more than a month after his arrest.
Music
Turkey: Singer taken to prison after court upholds sentence for ‘aiding terrorist organisation’
Turkish singer and journalist Atilla Taş has been taken to jail to serve a three-year sentence over his alleged links to the Gülen movement.
All Arts
October 2018: Detained artists, Freemuse at WOMEX
Troubling detentions in the world of artistic freedom; Freemuse at WOMEX and more.
Music
South Africa: Annual festival discontinued after man’s violent death
A South African festival aiming to 'unify the city through the love of music' has been discontinued after a man was shot dead on the dance floor.
Music
China: Live-streamer detained for “insulting” the national anthem
Chinese live-streaming star Yang Kaili (also known as Li Ge) was detained by authorities for five days for “insulting” the country’s national anthem.
Music
Liberia: Protest song producer arrested and allegedly assaulted
A Liberian music producer was arrested and allegedly assaulted by police after revealing he was behind a hit protest song criticising the government.
Music
Uganda: Singer arrested for allegedly calling the president ‘buttocks’
Ugandan musician Viboyo was detained on charges of offensive communication for allegedly using obscene words to insult the president in a song.
Visual Arts
Maldives: Underwater art gallery destroyed for being ‘anti-Islamic’
An underwater art gallery in the Maldives was partially destroyed after a court ruled the human sculptures were anti-Islamic ‘idols’.
Visual Arts
Singapore: Artist jailed over peaceful performance
Artist Seelan Palay has been jailed for two weeks after being convicted and fined for 'staging an unlawful performance without a permit' in Singapore.
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New Executive Committee takes office 11 November 2018
13 November 2018 -
October 2018: Detained artists, Freemuse at WOMEX
30 October 2018 -
September 2018: Artists arrested, imprisoned and on trial
28 September 2018 -
August 2018: Free Shahidul Alam, two poets jailed, and Freemuse events
28 August 2018 -
July 2018: Spotlight on Turkey, LGBT, and Freemuse in Brussels
26 July 2018
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Serbia: Cartoon exhibition shut down following criticism by state officials of caricature in local newspaper
16 November 2018A cartoon exhibition was shut down in Serbia following criticism of one of the artist's caricatures of Hitler and Goebbels bottle-feeding politicians.
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Malaysia: More than 20 minutes of LGBT scenes cut from Bohemian Rhapsody film
14 November 2018 -
USA: Photographer pulls exhibition after city officials allegedly censor images, press release
13 November 2018 -
Tanzania: Actress charged, banned from film industry over ‘explicit’ images
7 November 2018 -
Russia: Rapper’s gig cancelled after cannibalism claims
6 November 2018
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Freemuse and ARC call for Singapore government to drop charges against artist Seelan Palay
24 September 2018Freemuse and ARC call upon the Singapore government to drop all charges against artist Seelan Palay over his October 2017 peaceful performance.
Read More » -
Take action: PEN International and Freemuse protest the continued detention of Shahidul Alam
29 August 2018 -
Freemuse and CADAL joint letter to the European Union’s EEAS
4 June 2018 -
New regulations in Cuba to comprehensively control artists and their expression
8 August 2018 -
Equatorial Guinea: Artist, Finally Free, Leaves Country
30 May 2018
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Drop charges against musician Ferhat Tunç in Turkey
27 September 2018Ferhat Tunç is being prosecuted for his peaceful expression … again. Your actions are important and can make a difference in Ferhat’s life and the lives of others like him in Turkey. Stand in solidarity with these artists and demand that Turkey drop all the charges against Ferhat Tunç. Ferhat is now having to defend himself in an appeal of the recent ruling and two other pending cases against him. Together, the charges of all three amount to more than 13 years imprisonment.
Read More » -
Open letter to the President of Equatorial Guinea: Release artist and writer Ramón Esono Ebalé
16 November 2017 -
Let Women Sing
21 July 2017 -
In prison for a year in Iran; artists call for musician’s and filmmaker’s release
1 June 2017 -
Turkey: Seven members of Grup Yorum arrested
3 December 2016
freemuse.org/resources/item/creativity-wronged-how-womens-right-to-artistic-freedom-is-denied-and...
Bangladeshi photograhper Shahidul Alam is yet to be released from jail despite being granted bail by the High Court on 15 November.
A magistrate court on Monday 19 November refused to issue the order for Alam's release as the government appeals the High Court decision on the grounds the court granted bail "without applying its judicial mind".
#FreeShahidul #FreeShahidulAlam
www.newagebd.net/article/56517/shahidul-alam-not-released
newagebd.net
A magistrate in the capital on Monday declined to issue the order to the jail authorities to release acclaimed photographer Shahidul Alam even after receiving the High Court Division’s verdict grant...Want to work with Freemuse? We're looking for a Music Freedom Day coordinator to help prepare and organise events in various countries during a three-month consultancy based in Copenhagen, starting January 2019.
Find out more here 👉 freemuse.org/jobs/music-freedom-day-coordinator-2/
freemuse.org
Freemuse is seeking a three-month consultancy role for Music Freedom Day 2019.The deadline to submit tenders for an external evaluation is this Friday 23 November. Read more here 👉 freemuse.org/jobs/external-evaluation/
Society for Ethnomusicology (SEM) and Freemuse entered a strategic partnership agreement in April. The two organisations take another step to advance and exchange their common passion on research on music at the SEM annual conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where 1,000 researchers and practitioners get together every year. #SEM_2018
On Friday 16 November, Srirak will run a one-hour “Freemuse Forum”, chaired by Gregory Melchor-Barz, President of SEM.
Come join us at from 8-9pm at Room Alvarado G, Hotel Albuquerque in Old Town.
And on Saturday 17 November, Srirak will address the SEM General Membership Meeting at 1.45pm. He is keen to see how the audience reacts to his messages urging the 1,000 participants to further integrate human rights and artistic freedom to their research on music in the context of global culture of silencing others. This includes being part of Freemuse’s global network of artistic freedom defenders.
Can being objective as a good researcher go hand in hand with being a part of a human rights and artistic freedom defenders network as a good human being? We shall see.
An exhibition by Serbian cartoonists Dušan Petričić and Predrag Koraksić Corax was shut down after the latter’s caricature for daily newspaper Danas, which depicted Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels bottle-feeding members of the Serbian Progressive Party, copped criticism from state officials.
The Serbian Ministry of Culture said the cartoon was “extremely inappropriate” and “calls into question the dignity of the president of Serbia and deputy of the assembly”.
freemuse.org
A cartoon exhibition was shut down in Serbia following criticism of one of the artist's caricatures of Hitler and Goebbels bottle-feeding politicians.
It seems the Serbian "Progressive" Party has a very special way of understanding "Progressive". They should be exiled to Brazil, "Ordem e Progresso" (Order and Progress"), where they could easily give a helping advice to Mr. Bolsonaro.
A Turkish court has sentenced German-Kurdish singer Hozan Cane to six years and three months in jail for “being a member in a terrorist organisation”.
“I am not a member of any organisation. I am merely an artist doing art,” she said, denying the charge.
Turkey: Singer jailed for six years on terrorism charge
freemuse.org
German-Kurdish singer Singer Hozan Cane was sentenced to six years and three months in jail for "being a member in a terrorist organisation".
Dictator Erdoğan will have to pay for his crimes. Jailing innocent people just because the are not Turks. This is racist, apartheid, equalling naziism.
Great news! Shahidul Alam has been granted bail after more than 100 days in custody.
Statement from his legal team:
Today the High Court granted bail to Dr. Shahidul Alam after 102 days in custody. For granting him bail, the court notes that he did not make any confessional statement admitting to any of the allegations made against him. The court also noted that the statements that were made in the police record is completely different from and inconsistent with the interview that he gave with Aljazeera. We should point out that throughout this case the state’s lawyers have insisted that Dr. Alam’s statements amounted to hurting the image of the nation and instigating violence; when in fact the state’s lawyer never even put the Aljazeera interview into the police case or on the record. The court also said, two of the other reasons for granting Dr. Alam bail were that he is an elderly person, and an eminent photographer known throughout the world. And, more importantly, the police still has not submitted its investigation report and it is unclear when they are going to do so. He definitely deserves bail. We are very pleased to have got this order after so many days. We very much hope that the government would respect the order of the court and not in any way further what has already been a grotesque miscarriage of justice.
Barrister Sara Hossain
Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua
Dr. Shahidul Alam’s Defence TeamShahidul Alam granted bail in High Court!!!
Photo: Abir Abdullah
The Malaysian Film Censorship Board has reportedly cut 24 minutes from Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, in line with the country’s anti-homosexuality laws.
One of the deleted scenes includes the moment Mercury tells his fiancée, Mary Austin, that he is bisexual.
Cinemagoers pointed out the deleted scenes —mostly of a homosexual nature—left huge plot holes.
freemuse.org/news/malaysia-more-than-20-minutes-of-lgbt-scenes-cut-from-bohemian-rhapsody-film/
Malaysia: More than 20 minutes of LGBT scenes cut from Bohemian Rhapsody film
freemuse.org
Cinemagoers in Malaysia miss out on seeing 24 minutes of the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody after many homosexual scenes were censored.Photographer Pacifico Silano cancelled his public exhibition in Bal Harbour, Miami after city officials allegedly tried to censor “inappropriate” photographs and remove LGBT references from his press release.
“I couldn’t compromise my values as an artist and a person and go through with this show,” Silano said.
freemuse.org/news/usa-photographer-pulls-exhibition-after-city-officials-allegedly-censor-images-...
USA: Photographer pulls exhibition after city officials allegedly censor images, press release
freemuse.org
Photographer Pacifico Silano has cancelled his public exhibition in Bal Harbour, Miami after city officials 'censored' his images and press release.Turkish singer and journalist Atilla Taş has been taken to jail to serve a three-year sentence over his alleged links to the Gülen movement, two weeks after a regional appeals court upheld his sentence for “knowingly and willingly aiding an armed terrorist organisation as a non-member”.
freemuse.org/news/turkey-singer-taken-to-prison-after-court-upholds-sentence-for-aiding-terrorist...
Turkey: Singer taken to prison for ‘aiding terrorist organisation’
freemuse.org
Turkish singer and journalist Atilla Taş has been taken to jail to serve a three-year sentence over his alleged links to the Gülen movement.Today, 12 November, is award-winning photographer & activist Shahidul Alam’s 100th day in detention. Freemuse joins supporters around the world calling for his immediate and unconditional release. #FreeShahidul #FreeShahidulAlam #Bangladesh
Tanzanian actress Wema Sepetu has been banned from acting and charged with posting sexually explicit content after images of her and her boyfriend went viral on social media.
“The film board, as mandated by law, has decided to take the following action against Wema Sepetu: to lock her out of the acting and arts industry for an unknown period of time until the day the film board will be satisfied that she has corrected her behaviour. The film board will closely monitor her,” Joyce Fissoo of the Tanzanian Film Board said.
Sepetu has “gone against the country’s national values and brought shame to it”, she said.
freemuse.org/news/tanzania-actress-charged-banned-from-film-industry-over-sexually-explicit-images/
Tanzania: Actress charged, banned from film industry over ‘sexually explicit’ content
freemuse.org
Tanzanian actress Wema Sepetu has been banned from acting and charged with posting sexually explicit content after sharing images on social media.Russian theatre director Kirill Serebrennikov is on trial today for alleged embezzlement, after spending the past 15 months under house arrest.
Russian director's case to be heard in open court
yahoo.com
Russian stage and screen director Kirill Serebrennikov was set to appear in the first open hearing of his controversial embezzlement case Wednesday, over a year after his arrest and isolation. The acc...A venue in Russia has cancelled a gig by rapper Husky after pressure from prosecutors who claimed some of his lyrics call for cannibalism.
The lyrics in question are: “Remember you died and we ate your meat” from his song 'Poem about the motherland'.
freemuse.org/news/russia-rappers-gig-cancelled-after-cannibalism-claims/
Russia: Rapper’s gig cancelled after cannibalism claims
freemuse.org
A venue in Russia has cancelled a gig by rapper Husky after pressure from prosecutors who claimed some of his lyrics call for cannibalism.An exhibition in Hong Kong by dissident Chinese-Australian artist Badiucao was cancelled by organisers following “threats made by the Chinese authorities”.
Badiucao’s work challenges censorship and dictatorship in China, often satirising President Xi Jinping.
The exhibition was meant to mark the start of Free Expression Week in Hong Kong.
freemuse.org/news/china-hong-kong-exhibition-cancelled-after-threats-by-chinese-authorities/
China: Hong Kong exhibition cancelled after ‘threats’ by Chinese authorities
freemuse.org
An exhibition by dissident Chinese-born artist Badiucao has been cancelled following alleged threats relating to the artist by Chinese authorities.Safemuse has released the first part of its video series SAFE—a
a campaign that tells stories about artistic freedom, why it is important and what happens when you lose it. Over the next five months, the series will document meetings between Norwegian artists and artists who have been threatened because of their art. Through these conversations the artists themselves will tell their stories, and help us see how important freedom is for the artist, for the art and for us as a society.
Check out the first instalment featuring Moddi and Mai Khoi below and watch the full video here: www.safeseries.no/
Safemuse
. SAFE #1
Mai Khoi var en høyt verdsatt popstjerne i Vietnam. Etter at hun stilte til valg i 2016 blir hun nå trakassert, truet og forfulgt. Hun fortsetter å lage musikk - uansett hva risikoen er. I juni 2018 møtte hun den norske artisten Moddi, for å snakke om frihet, og hva som skjer når du mister den.
Idag lanserer vi SAFE - en videoserie om kunstnerisk frihet og hva som skjer når du mister den.
Gå inn på www.safeseries.no og se hele videoen.
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Mai Khoi used to be a famous and beloved pop star in Vietnam. After nominating herself for the National Assembly in 2016, she has been threatened, detained and prosecuted by the government. She refuses to let her voice be silenced, and keeps touring the world to perform, sing and speak her mind.
Today we launch SAFE - a video series about artistic freedom, and what happens when you loose it.
Go to www.safeseries.no to watch the full video
Bullshit! She is not a famous here, she is an untraditional rude woman here but people still open hearted to hear her messy things. She doesn’t do anything to make her motherland being better! She and you all in the Western are destroying the image of Vietnam 🇻🇳. Plz stop this topic here, she is always safe in her place, and she can do anything she wants if not, all you don’t know who she is and pushing her like a queen in your own world like this. That’s all! P/s: One more think I want to share that: I lived in Norway 🇳🇴 for a while, your country is pretty beautiful/peaceful where a lot of people love to be there. Well, Mai Khoi is posting these topics which insinuates that she want to be in jail and will eat nothing to speak her voice(haha, In modern times, the hunger strike has been employed as a political weapon). Hope all you don’t be dupe then fight for her and pick her to be a political asylum. That’s what she wants. If you want her voice could reach to other people, let her be here in Vietnam, and don’t hear her lie! Thanks for caring too much about our Vietnam 🇻🇳
American indie-rockers Wavves received a death threat at their Houston concert on 21 October 2018 🔴
The band’s frontman Nathan Williams tweeted that someone at the show threatened to kill them because they didn’t play an encore.
Representatives for Wavves confirmed the incident took place and said the person in question was removed from the venue by security. Wavves is currently promoting the 2017 album You’re Welcome on a tour with Beach Fossils
Read more here➡ bit.ly/2D06OZs
We are so proud to present SAFE - a five part video series that tells stories about artistic freedom, why it is important and what happens when you loose it. The series documents meetings between Norwegian artists and artists that have been threatened because of their art. Through these conversations the artists themselves will tell their stories, and help us see how important freedom is. For the artist, for the art and for us as a society.
Tomorrow at 12PM CET we will release the first part, featuring the wonderful artists Moddi and Mai Khoi.
We encourage all our friends to go to www.safeseries.no to watch the full video, and share it in your network. Together we can use our voices to make sure all artists have the right to be heard.
A huge thanks to our collaborators and those who helped us make this happen: Stiftelsen Fritt Ord, Bergesenstiftelsen, NOPA, MFO, Norsk Komponistforening and Freemuse. Javier Auris, Lars Erlend Tubaas Øymo, Synne Mo, Moddi, Mai Khoi, Sina Winter and Rådhuset i Oslo.
Read more here:
www.safemuse.org/single-post/2018/10/31/SAFE---a-video-campaign-on-artistic-freedom
The Illinois Department of Corrections is being sued by Black and Pink - a non-profit organisation focused on supporting LGBTQ prisoners - for allegedly banning and censoring its publications and correspondence sent to prisoners.
The law suit alleges 11 correctional facilities have banned and censored the material as part of a “coordinated effort” since 2016.
Lawyers for Black and Pink are seeking an injunction against IDOC Director John Baldwin and the wardens for alleged violation of the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
Read more here ➡ bit.ly/2JxTZXJ
📷 Black and Pink / Facebook
Bangladeshi photograhper Shahidul Alam is yet to be released from jail despite being granted bail by the High Court on 15 November.
#FreeShahidul #FreeShahidulAlam
Read more 👉 https://t.co/n8C3TbIFpW
Want to work with Freemuse? We're looking for a Music Freedom Day coordinator to help prepare and organise events in various countries during a three-month consultancy based in Copenhagen, starting January 2019.
Find out more here 👉
Music Freedom Day Coordinator
Freemuse is seeking a three-month consultancy role for Music Freedom Day 2019.
freemuse.org
The deadline to submit tenders for an external evaluation is this Friday 23 November. Read more here 👉https://t.co/we500s4LRs
Evening presentation by @Freemuse98 on the intersection of human rights and ethnomusicology. Closer coordination w/ @SEM_Office members is in the cards. #SEM_2018
Srirak will run a "Freemuse Forum" at the Society for Ethnomusicology's annual conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico tonight. #SEM_2018 @SEM_Office
Find the full program here: https://t.co/A0E3mc7Yy3
An exhibition by #Serbian cartoonists Dušan Petričić & Predrag Koraksić #Corax was shut down a day after Corax’s caricature of Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels bottle-feeding members of the Serbian Progressive Party copped criticism from state officials.
Serbia: Cartoon exhibition shut down following criticism by state officials of artist's caricature for local newspaper
A cartoon exhibition was shut down in Serbia following criticism of one of the artist's caricatures of Hitler and Goebbels bottle-feeding politicians.
ow.ly
A #Turkish court has sentenced German-Kurdish singer Singer Hozan Cane to six years and three months in #jail for “being a member in a #terrorist organisation”.
“I am not a member of any organisation. I am merely an artist doing art,” she said,
Turkey: Singer jailed for six years on terrorism charge
German-Kurdish singer Singer Hozan Cane was sentenced to six years and three months in jail for "being a member in a terrorist organisation".
ow.ly
After 102 days Shahidul Alam has been granted bail!
Here is Barrister Sara Hossain's statement on his release.
#FreeShahidul #ShahidulAlam
https://t.co/TBvCRmEHF3
Shahidul's Bail Granted at High Court!!!
15 November 2018!
#freeshahidulalam
The Malaysian Film Censorship Board has reportedly cut 24 minutes from #Queen biopic #BohemianRhapsody, in line with the country’s anti-homosexuality laws. #LGBT
Malaysia: More than 20 minutes of LGBT scenes cut from Bohemian Rhapsody film
Cinemagoers in Malaysia miss out on seeing 24 minutes of the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody after many homosexual scenes were censored.
freemuse.org
Photographer Pacifico Silano cancelled his public exhibition in Bal Harbour, Miami after city officials allegedly tried to censor “inappropriate” photos and remove LGBT references from his press release.
USA: Photographer pulls exhibition after city officials allegedly censor images, press release
Photographer Pacifico Silano has cancelled his public exhibition in Bal Harbour, Miami after city officials 'censored' his images and press release.
ow.ly
Turkish singer and journalist @AtillaTasNet has been taken into custody to serve a three-year jail sentence, after an appeals court upheld his sentence for “knowingly and willingly aiding an armed terrorist organisation as a non-member”.
Turkey: Singer taken to prison for ‘aiding terrorist organisation’
Turkish singer and journalist Atilla Taş has been taken to jail to serve a three-year sentence over his alleged links to the Gülen movement.
freemuse.org
Today, 12 November, is award-winning photographer & activist Shahidul Alam’s 100th day in detention. @Freemuse98 joins supporters around the world calling for his immediate and unconditional release. #FreeShahidul #FreeShahidulAlam #Bangladesh
A 100 days ago, Shahidul Alam was forcibly abducted by Bangladesh's law enforcement authorities, false charges concocted against him and illegally detained. The courts mysteriously continue to defer and refuse bail. Join us to raise our voices to demand his unconditional release.
Freemuse is disappointed to hear that the Turkish authorities have presented musician Ferhat Tunc with a new indictment over tweets from 2016 for 'insulting the president'.
bianet on Twitter
“Ferhat Tunç’a Cumhurbaşkanına hakaret iddiasıyla dava https://t.co/HLm8ZyTgPb”
twitter.com
Ferhat Tunç’a Cumhurbaşkanına hakaret iddiasıyla dava https://t.co/HLm8ZyTgPb
Tanzanian actress Wema Sepetu has been banned from acting and charged with posting sexually explicit content after images of her and her boyfriend went viral on social media.
Tanzania: Actress charged, banned from film industry over ‘sexually explicit’ content
Tanzanian actress Wema Sepetu has been banned from acting and charged with posting sexually explicit content after sharing images on social media.
freemuse.org
At first day of trial against director Kirill Serebrennikov. His statement: I have never stolen anything and never formed any group except theatrical one"
Russian theatre director Kirill Serebrennikov is on trial today for alleged embezzlement. Read more about the case here: https://t.co/j9btDJtO2g
Russia: Theatre director marks another birthday in home detention
Russian theatre director Kirill Serebrennikov will spend another birthday under house arrest, more than a year after he was charged with embezzlement.
freemuse.org
Full house in Moscow’s Meschanskiy court as controversial, politicized case again the director Kirill Serebrennikov moves to trial phase
Censors in the palace, artists in the jails: the global repression of artistic freedom https://t.co/XLg6JyKVi9 #ArtisticFreedom #ArtIsNotACrime
A venue in Russia has cancelled a gig by rapper Husky after pressure from prosecutors who claimed some of his lyrics call for cannibalism.
The lyrics in question are: “Remember you died and we ate your meat” from his song 'Poem about the motherland'.
Russia: Rapper’s gig cancelled after cannibalism claims
A venue in Russia has cancelled a gig by rapper Husky after pressure from prosecutors who claimed some of his lyrics call for cannibalism.
freemuse.org