Vladan Jeremić and Uroš Jovanović were detained on charges of insulting Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić for using his photo in their performances.

Poet Reza Ekvanyan has been sentenced to three years in prison and 40 lashes on charges of “propaganda against the state” and “insulting the sacred”.

Female singer Diana Namukwaya (popularly known as Spice Diana) was reportedly beaten by police at the Kampala City Festival on 8 October 2017.

Religious leader Prophet Kumchacha placed a “spiritual injunction” on Patapaa’s hit song “One Corner”, calling the music “demonic, stupid and useless”.

Little Rock city officials attempted to cancel a hip hop concert after police alerted them of gun violence following two of the rapper’s previous concerts.

On 27 September 2017, Israeli authorities shut down the el-Hakawati Theatre over a cultural event they claimed was sponsored by the Palestinian Authority.

Libya's RADA Special Deterrent Forces shut down a comic book convention in Tripoli and arrested the event organisers for violating public morality.

  On 22 October 2017, Ramallah city officials banned Lebanese-French director Ziad Doueiri’s film “The Insult” from being screened at the end of the Cinema Days film festival, after groups called for his boycott, claiming the director supports the agenda of Israel “normalization”, reported BBC. One group – the Boycott, …

On 21 October 2017, a group of protesters, who led chants against secularism, attempted to destroy a sculpture and shut down an exhibition in Istanbul.

Popular and influential Uyghur singer Abdurehim Heyit has been detained and held without formal charge in regional capital Urumchi since April 2017.