Malta: Long-banned play set for production after court ruling

Beginning 14 September 2018, Anthony Neilson’s play Stitching, produced by Unifaun Theatre Productions, will be performed at the Manoel Theatre in Malta, following the European Court of Human Right’s (ECHR) unanimous ruling on 15 May 2018 to overturn the decade-long censorship ban placed on the play, reports The Times of Malta.

According to ECHR’s judges, the ban was a direct violation of Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects the freedom of expression.

In 2008, Unifaun Theatre Productions was denied permission to stage the play after applying for a rating certificate from Malta’s Film and Classification Board. The now-defunct board deemed the play to be blasphemous and insulting due to its use of obscenity and references to sexual assault, writes The Guardian.

In addition to overturning the ban, the ECHR awarded Unifaun Theatre Productions €20,000 for legal costs and moral damages.

The Scottish playwright’s work is about a couple who deal with the loss of their child.