Freemuse Defending Artistic Freedom
Religious protesters are demanding the removal of an artwork depicting a crucified Ronald McDonald at the Haifa Museum of Art in Israel.
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All Arts
Moroccan court orders shut down of cultural organisation Racines
A court in Casablanca has ordered the dissolution of Racines, a cultural organisation that promotes culture and advocates for freedom of expression in Morocco.
Literature
Somalia: Poet arrested after poetry reading
Poet Abdirahman Abees has been arrested in Somaliland over his poetry readings about "police brutality", "arbitrary detentions" and "poor leadership".
Dance
Yemen: Hip-hop dance group detained, banned from dancing in public
Members of Yemeni hip-hop dance group WaxOn Crew were detained by police and made to sign a document saying they would stop dancing in public.
Literature
Egypt: 300th day behind bars for poet Galal El-Behairy
28 December 2018 marks 300 days behind bars for Galal El-Behairy, who was jailed for "publishing false news"and "insulting the army" in his poetry.
Music
China: Singer-songwriter jailed for ‘stirring up trouble’
Chinese singer-songwriter Xu Lin has been jailed for three years for "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble".
Music
Zambia: Musician Pilato acquitted over 2017 peaceful protest
Zambian musician Chama Fumba aka Pilato and five other human rights activists have been acquitted over a 2017 peaceful protest outside parliament.
Film
Bangladesh: Two men arrested over alleged plot to kill filmmaker
Counterterrorism police arrested two men accused of plotting to kill Bangladeshi actor and filmmaker Khijir Hayat Khan.
All Arts
December 2018: Cuba’s Decree 349, Russian rappers and LGBT police
A message from the Executive Director, Cuba's Decree 349 comes into force, Russia's clampdown on rappers and more.
Visual Arts
Russia: Tajik blogger allegedly attacked at Moscow metro in front of policeman
A blogger from Tajikistan says he has received threats for the past year and was attacked in Moscow in front of a police officer.
Theatre
Belarus: Theatre students arrested, fined for LGBT artistic stunt
Three student activists were arrested and fined for dressing as police officers with rainbow epaulettes in a performance about homophobia in Belarus.
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Israel: Protesters clash with police, demand removal of ‘McJesus’ artwork
16 January 2019 -
Brazil: Artists take performance to the street after government cancels exhibition
16 January 2019 -
Turkey: Wedding singers in court over alleged terror propaganda
9 January 2019 -
Turkey: Rapper charged with promoting drugs
4 January 2019 -
Tanzania: Hip hop artists banned from performing indefinitely
2 January 2019
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December 2018: Cuba’s Decree 349, Russian rappers and LGBT police
20 December 2018A message from the Executive Director, Cuba's Decree 349 comes into force, Russia's clampdown on rappers and more.
Read More » -
November 2018: Women and artistic freedom report
4 December 2018 -
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
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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
Rio de Janeiro arts collective És Uma Maluca has staged a performance on the street to protest censorship after the government shown down an exhibition in an alleged move to prevent the performance from happening.
Alluding to torture during Brazil’s military dictatorship (1964 to 1985), the performance includes a partially naked artist surrounded by hundreds of plastic cockroaches.
Read more here 👉 freemuse.org/news/brasil-artists-take-performance-to-the-street-after-government-cancels-exhibition/
Brasil: Artists take performance to the street after government cancels exhibition
freemuse.org
Artists in Rio have staged a performance about torture outside a cultural centre after the government ordered it not be performed in public.A sculpture depicting a crucified Ronald McDonald on display at the Haifa Museum of Art in Israel has sparked violent protests that left three police officers injured.
Arab Christian demonstrators calling for the 'McJesus' artwork to be removed tried to force their way into the museum, with some allegedly throwing rocks at police officers who used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the crowd. A Molotov cocktail was reportedly thrown at the museum a day earlier.
Finnish artist Jani Leinonen, who has joined the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, also wants his artwork to be removed from the exhibition.
Read more here 👉 ow.ly/o9Nm30nkTFu
Israel: Protesters clash with police, demand removal of 'McJesus' artwork
freemuse.org
Religious protesters are demanding the removal of an artwork depicting a crucified Ronald McDonald at the Haifa Museum of Art in Israel.British-Somalilander poet Abdirahman Abees has been arrested after reciting poems about “police brutality, “arbitrary detentions” and “poor leadership” at a poetry reading in Somaliland.
Police say he was arrested because his poem was "insulting and defaming the police", according to Human Rights Centre.
freemuse.org/news/somalia-poet-arrested-after-poetry-reading/
Somalia: Poet arrested after poetry reading
freemuse.org
Poet Abdirahman Abees has been arrested in Somaliland over his poetry readings about "police brutality", "arbitrary detentions" and "poor leadership".A court in Casablanca has ordered the dissolution of Racines - جذور —a non-governmental organisation that promotes culture and advocates for freedom of expression in Morocco and a long-term partner of Freemuse—over its involvement in a cultural programme.
Freemuse stands with Racines and its important work in engaging in cultural events and stimulating and initiating dialogues, as well as acting as a beacon for freedom of expression in the country.
freemuse.org/news/moroccan-court-orders-shuts-down-of-cultural-organisation-racines/
Moroccan court orders shuts down of cultural organisation Racines
freemuse.org
A court in Casablanca has ordered the dissolution of Racines, a cultural organisation that promotes culture and advocates for freedom of expression in Morocco.Nine wedding singers were detained and taken to court for allegedly praising terror organisations during wedding ceremony performances in the Turkish town of Viranşehir.
Read more here 👉 ow.ly/6luh30nfkFP
Turkey: Wedding singers in court over alleged terror propaganda
freemuse.org
Nine wedding singers in Turkey were detained and taken to court for allegedly praising terror organisations during wedding ceremony performances.Characters in the hit US TV show 'Modern Family' might be a bit too modern for Turkish audiences.
The national watchdog RTÜK banned TV network BeIN Series HD Comedy channel from airing two episodes of 'Modern Family' and fined it for showing "profane language, allowing coverage of a child born out of wedlock and contradicting national and sentimental values".
Read more here 👉 tinyurl.com/ybgh4c6v
📸 Modern Family Facebook
*Some* Turkish audiences. The sort the government approves of.
Did you know that artists in Uzbekistan can’t post their video clips online or have them shown on TV without permission from the national arts council?
Singer Jahongir Poziljonov recently made headlines when his song ‘Selfies with my President’ was broadcast on ZO'R-TV without official permission.
Read more here 👉 ow.ly/SL4V30nevFpОфициальный сайт: www.zortv.uz ZO'RTV @ Instagram instagram.com/ZORTV.UZ ZO'RTV @ Telegram telegram.me/ZORTV_KANAL ZO'R TV @ Facebook h...
Five members of Yemeni hip-hop dance group Wax on Crew were briefly detained by police in the city of Mukalla and only released after they signed a document saying they would stop dancing in public.
They were told they had been arrested for dancing because it is a religious sin and were given two options – pledge not to dance hip-hop or stay in detention. They all agreed not to dance.
WaxOn Crew members have questioned why hip-hop dancing was targeted but not other dance styles such as folk dancing.
Read more here 👉 freemuse.org/news/yemen-hip-hop-dance-group-detained-banned-from-dancing-in-public/
Yemen: Hip-hop dance group detained, banned from dancing in public
freemuse.org
Members of Yemeni hip-hop dance group WaxOn Crew were detained by police and made to sign a document saying they would stop dancing in public.
Thanks Freemuse for defending our art freedom 💙
Thanks for defending our art freedom ❤
Well fuck their religious police!
UPDATE: Turkish rapper Burry Soprano charged with promoting drug use.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office is seeking up to 10 years in jail for the rapper, who is accused of promoting drug use in his hit song 'Mary Jane'. The indictment says “Mary Jane” is slang for cannabis and posting the song on social media “overtly encourages” drug use.
Read the update here 👉 freemuse.org/news/turkey-youtube-pulls-rappers-music-video-after-court-rules-it-encouraged-drug-use/
The head of a regional TV channel for Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB has been fired after airing the Jackie Chan film 'Shinjuku Incident' without removing a sex scene.
Under Iranian censorship rules, men and women are not allowed physical contact on screen.
"Clips of immoral scenes of a film featuring Jackie Chan have been circulating on social media which was apparently shown by Kish IRIB," the semi-official ISNA news agency reported, according to AFP.
"These scenes which are in total contradiction with the principles of IRIB has ultimately led to the dismissal and reprimand of some of the employees of IRIB in Kish."
Read more here 👉 www.msn.com/en-xl/middleeast/top-stories/iran-tv-boss-fired-over-jackie-chan-sex-scene/ar-BBRDDuz
Egyptian poet Galal El-Behairy has spent 300 days behind bars for his poetry.
In July, he was sentenced to three years in jail and fined 10,000 Egyptian pounds (480 euros) for “publishing false news” and “insulting the army” in his unpublished book of poetry, 'The Finest Women on Earth'.
Galal is appealing the sentence and continues to write poetry from prison.
Read his latest poem here 👉 freemuse.org/news/egypt-300th-day-behind-bars-for-poet-galal-el-behairy/
Egypt: 300th day behind bars for poet Galal El-Behairy
freemuse.org
28 December 2018 marks 300 days behind bars for Galal El-Behairy, who was jailed for "publishing false news"and "insulting the army" in his poetry.The third video in the Safemuse series about artistic freedom is out today.
Afghan musician Hamid Sakhizada was forced to leave his country to play his own traditional music. He met with Sami artist Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen to talk about music, tradition and the cost of fighting for their cultural heritage.
Go to www.safeseries.no to watch the full video.
Safemuse
Tredje del av videoserien SAFE er ute!
Den afghanske musikeren Hamid Sakhizada ble tvunget til å forlate landet sitt for å kunne spille sin egen tradisjonsmusikk.
En desemberdag i Oslo møtte han den samiske artisten Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen, for å snakke om musikk, tradisjon og prisen for å kjempe for sin kulturarv.
Gå inn på www.safeseries.no for å se hele videoen
Takk til Hamid og Ella Marie for deres vakre ord, takk til Kulturkirken JAKOB, og takk til alle våre samarbeidspartnere som har vært med.
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The third video in our series about artistic freedom is out today.
Afghan musician Hamid Sakhizada was forced to leave his country to play his own traditional music.
A December day in Oslo he met Sami artist Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen, to talk about music, tradition and the cost of fighting for their cultural heritage.
Go to www.safeseries.no to watch the full video.
Thanks to Hamid and Ella Marie for their beautiful words, thanks to Kulturkirken JAKOB for letting us use their wonderful space, and thanks to all our collaborators for making this happen.
Tanzanian national arts council BASATA has banned hip hop artists Diamond Platnumz and Rayvanny from performing in the country and abroad after the pair continued to play their hit single Mwanza, which was banned by the regulatory body for being sexually explicit.
“We have reached the decision because the two musicians have treated our directive with disdain,” BASATA said in a statement.
Read more and watch the offical music video here 👉https://freemuse.org/news/tanzania-hip-hop-artists-banned-from-performing-indefinitely/
Tanzania: Hip hop artists banned from performing indefinitely
freemuse.org
Tanzanian hip hop artists Diamond Platnumz and Rayvanny have been banned indefinitely from performing in the country and abroad.Earlier this month, a court in China sentenced singer-songwriter Xu Lin to three years in jail for “picking quarrels and stirring up trouble”.
He was detained in September 2017 after writing songs about Chinese political prisoner Liu Xiaobo, who died of liver cancer while in custody.
A judgment handed down on 7 December 2018 at the Guangzhou City Nansha District People’s Court said Xu Lin had “commented on the internet and repeatedly insulted the country’s leaders, causing adverse social impacts” and posted false information.
The judgment said the widely disseminated information caused “serious disturbance to public order”.
Read more here 👉https://freemuse.org/news/china-singer-songwriter-jailed-for-stirring-up-trouble/
Counter-terrorism police have arrested two men accused of plotting to kill Bangladeshi actor and filmmaker Khijir Hayat Khan.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police said the accused men belong to banned militant group Ansarullah Bangla Team.
One man had allegedly been staking out the home of Khan, who co-wrote the screenplay for 'Mr Bangladesh', a new anti-terrorism film.
freemuse.org/news/bangladesh-two-men-arrested-over-alleged-plot-to-kill-filmmaker/
Bangladesh: Two men arrested over alleged plot to kill filmmaker
freemuse.org
Counterterrorism police arrested two men accused of plotting to kill Bangladeshi actor and filmmaker Khijir Hayat Khan.Freemuse is pleased to learn Zambian musician Chama Fumba aka Pilato and five other human rights activists have been acquitted of “disobeying lawful orders” in the course of a peaceful demonstration outside Lusaka parliament in September 2017.
The six were charged after a protest march criticising the government for buying 42 fire trucks for USD 42 million, saying it was a misuse of public funds.
Pilato told Freemuse on 21 December 2018 a magistrate ruled the group did not have a case to answer.
“Acquitted”, he simply said on social media.
freemuse.org/news/zambia-musician-pilato-acquitted-over-2017-peaceful-protest/
DECEMBER 2018
#QueSeaElPrimeroDeMuchos #DemandaLegalContraGobiernoCubano #RussianRappers #LgtbPolice/ #NoAlDecreto349 | Freemuse
'As our State of Artistic Freedom report found, one artist every wee...
#QueSeaElPrimeroDeMuchos #DemandaLegalContraGobiernoCubano #RussianRappers #LgtbPolice/ #NoAlDecreto349 | Freemuse
'As our State of Artistic Freedom report found, one artist every wee...
YouTube reportedly removed Turkish rapper Burry Soprano's music video for 'Mary Jane', which has clocked up more than 35 million views, after a Turkish court ruled the song’s lyrics “encouraged drug use and criminal behaviour".
Two months earlier he was reportedly detained by police for allegedly encouraging drug use in the song’s lyrics.
freemuse.org/news/turkey-youtube-pulls-rappers-music-video-after-court-rules-it-encouraged-drug-use/
Turkey: YouTube pulls rapper’s music video after court rules it ‘encouraged drug use’
freemuse.org
YouTube removed a music video by rapper Burry Soprano after a Turkish court ruled the song’s lyrics “encouraged drug use and criminal behaviour”.Films with #LGBT content or other “inappropriate culture” will not be approved by the Malaysian government’s Film Censorship Board, unless the films make strong "cautionary lessons" on LGBT characters.
freemuse.org/news/malaysia-film-censorship-board-bans-inappropriate-lgbt-culture/
Malaysia: Film censorship board bans ‘inappropriate’ LGBT culture
freemuse.org
Films with LGBT content or other “inappropriate culture” will not be approved by the Malaysian government’s Film Censorship Board.Three of Belarus Free Theatre ‘Studio Fortinbras’ students were arrested and fined for "holding an unauthorised mass event" when they dressed as police officers with #LGBT rainbow epaulettes in a public performance piece.
"These arrests are meant to intimidate us and all human rights defenders and ordinary citizens into silence and to remind us that the police and the laws in Belarus are not there to protect the people but to protect the state from its own citizens," Belarus Free Theatre said in a statement.
“However, we will not be silenced and will continue to call out human rights violations, wherever they happen.”
freemuse.org/news/belarus-theatre-students-arrested-fined-for-lgbt-artistic-stunt/?fbclid=IwAR1ax...
Belarus: Theatre students arrested, fined for LGBT artistic stunt
freemuse.org
Three student activists were arrested and fined for dressing as police officers with rainbow epaulettes in a performance about homophobia in Belarus.
Rio de Janeiro arts collective És Uma Maluca has staged a performance on the street to protest #censorship after the government shown down an exhibition in an alleged move to prevent the performance from happening.
Page not found - Freemuse
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A sculpture depicting a crucified Ronald McDonald #McJesus on display at the Haifa Museum of Art in Israel has sparked violent protests that left three police officers injured.
Israel: Protesters clash with police, demand removal of 'McJesus' artwork
Religious protesters are demanding the removal of an artwork depicting a crucified Ronald McDonald at the Haifa Museum of Art in Israel.
ow.ly
#I_SupportRacines #CultureRemainsTheSolution @RacinesMaroc
The government of #Somaliland has arrested British-Somalilander poet Abdirahman Abees after he recited poems about “police brutality, “arbitrary detentions” and “poor leadership” at a poetry reading event.
Somalia: Poet arrested after poetry reading
Poet Abdirahman Abees has been arrested in Somaliland over his poetry readings about "police brutality", "arbitrary detentions" and "poor leadership".
ow.ly
A court in #Casablanca has ordered the dissolution of @RacinesMaroc, a cultural organisation that promotes #culture and advocates for #FreedomOfExpression in #Morocco. Freemuse stands with Racines and its important work.
Moroccan court orders shuts down of cultural organisation Racines
A court in Casablanca has ordered the dissolution of Racines, a cultural organisation that promotes culture and advocates for freedom of expression in...
ow.ly
We're gearing up for Music Freedom Day 2019 on 3 March to celebrate the human right to musical expression! If you're interested in hosting an event— anywhere in the world—please let us know: https://t.co/tIZ3sdv7mz #FreedomofExpression #FreeExpression
Nine wedding #singers were detained and taken to #court for allegedly praising terror organisations during #wedding ceremony performances in the #Turkish town of Viranşehir.
Read more here 👉
Turkey: Wedding singers in court over alleged terror propaganda
Nine wedding singers in Turkey were detained and taken to court for allegedly praising terror organisations during wedding ceremony performances.
ow.ly
Iranian singer Mehdi Yarrahi is waiting on a potential ban over an antiwar song and music video. But says "I'm from Ahwaz, I grew up with the sound of the [air-raid] sirens. I have the right to ask [questions]." https://t.co/u8gGj5nGPc
"Music is one of the most effective ways to bring about social and political change."Check out @MusicInAfrica 's compilation of stories on music #censorship in Africa: https://t.co/alj3gXQZ4O (one of @Freemuse98 's reports is on the list!) #FreeExpression #ArtIsNotACrime
Characters in hit US TV show #ModernFamily might be a bit too modern for #Turkish audiences. TV network BeIN Series was fined for showing "profane language" and "a child born out of wedlock" and banned from showing two episodes. Read more here 👉 https://t.co/YtbQ0Rqnw6
Did you know that artists in Uzbekistan can’t show their video clips online or on TV without permission from the arts council? Singer Jahongir Poziljonov made headlines when his song ‘Selfies with my President’ was broadcast without official permission.
Bojalar - #SelfiMeningPrezidentim | ÐÐ¾Ð¶Ð°Ð»Ð°Ñ - #СелÑиÐенингÐÑезиденÑим
ÐÑиÑиалÑнÑй ÑайÑ: http://www.zortv.uz ZO'RTV @ Instagram http://instagram.com/ZORTV.UZ ZO'RTV @ Telegram ...
ow.ly
Five members of #Yemeni #hiphop dance group Wax On Crew were briefly detained by police and only released after they signed a document saying they would stop #dancing in public. https://t.co/pbTnpQ4hKu
UPDATE: #Turkish rapper Burry Soprano is facing up to 10 years in jail as prosecutors accuse him of promoting drug use in his hit song 'Mary Jane'. https://t.co/MxEURR9lJj
The head of a regional TV channel in Iran has been fired for airing #JackieChan @EyeOfJackieChan film 'Shinjuku Incident' without removing a sex scene. Under Iranian censorship rules, men and women are not allowed physical contact on screen. Read more 👉 https://t.co/SCcYZ0JVv8
Detailed report from Dareen Tatour appeal hearing on Dec 25, 2018
Palestinian jailed for poems appeals conviction | +972 Magazine
Dareen Tatour was convicted of incitement to violence and support for terrorism in her poetry. Rescinding the charges won‘t exonerate her comple...
972mag.com
Egyptian poet Galal El-Behairy has spent more than 300 days behind bars for his poetry, yet he continues to write from prison. Read his latest poem here: https://t.co/UcqUULKgTl #FreeGalal #FreedomOfExpression #HumanRights #Egypt
Check out the latest video on #artisticfreedom from @safemuse: Afghan musician Hamid Sakhizada was forced to leave his country to play his own traditional music. He talks to Sami artist Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen about #music, tradition & the cost of fighting for cultural heritage.
SafeMUSE on Twitter
“SAFE #3 is out! Don't miss this meeting between the two wonderful artists, Hamid Sakhizada and Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen. Full video at https:...
twitter.com
SAFE #3 is out! Don't miss this meeting between the two wonderful artists, Hamid Sakhizada and Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen.
Full video at https://t.co/wiLBwLmcqi
Today marks 300 days since Egyptian poet Galal El-Behairy was arrested because of his poetry. Read Galal's new poem from behind bars, share it, support Galal's voice! https://t.co/HN0HOZ1lRU #FreeGalal #PEN #ArtistsAtRisk #FreeMuse #FreedomOfExpression #HumanRights #Egypt
The Tanzanian national arts council #banned hip hop artists Diamond Platnumz and Rayvanny from performing in the country and abroad after the pair continued to play their hit song #Mwanza, which was previously banned for being sexually explicit.
Tanzania: Hip hop artists banned from performing indefinitely
Tanzanian hip hop artists Diamond Platnumz and Rayvanny have been banned indefinitely from performing in the country and abroad.
ow.ly
Jailed Palestinian poet Dareen Tatour is appealing her conviction for “inciting violence” in the District Court of Nazareth in Israel.
Israel: Jailed Palestinian poet appeals conviction
Palestinian poet Dareen Tatour is appealing her conviction for "inciting violence" after serving five months in an Israeli jail.
freemuse.org