Freemuse Defending Artistic Freedom
Artistic freedom of expression to be regulated in Uganda
Uganda’s government is proposing new regulations including vetting new songs, videos and film scripts prior to their release. Artists will have to register with the government and obtain a licence that can be revoked for a range of violations.
Freemuse joins Index on Censorship, PEN America and more than 120 musicians, writers, artists and British and Ugandan members of parliament who have signed a petition calling on the Ugandan government to abandon its plan to introduce new regulations restricting artistic freedom of expression.
Read more here.
Artist Zehra Doğan released from jail in Turkey
Turkish artist, activist and journalist Zehra Doğan has been released from prison. In March 2017, the artist was sentenced to two years, nine months and 22 days in jail over one of her paintings.
Poet found not guilty, released from custody in Somaliland
After six weeks in detention, British-Somalilander poet Abdirahman Abees has been found not guilty of “insulting the police and the government” during a January poetry reading, and released from custody.
FREEMUSE EVENTS
Music Freedom Day
3 March 2019
Music Freedom Day is an annual, global celebration of the human right to musical expression, with artists and organisations uniting to support musicians who simply insist on their right to express themselves. The sad reality is, censorship, persecution, prosecution and imprisonment rob many of these artists of this basic human right.
Music Freedom Day 2019 seeks to highlight and support artists who use their music to represent this year’s theme of women and LGBTI artists.
The State of Artistic Freedom 2019 report launch
26 March 2019
Freemuse is launching its The State of Artistic Freedom 2019 report on 26 March 2019 online and in Oslo, Norway.