An edited version of a controversial 2013 film ‘The New Village’ will remain banned in Malaysia as it “still appears to glorify communism”, the Malaysian Home Ministry said. Set against the backdrop of 1950s British rule in Malaya, The New Village depicts a love story between a village girl and …

The Home Ministry in Malaysia has banned the popular “Fifty Shades of Grey” erotica trilogy, citing reasons of morality, after previously prohibiting the screening of the movie adaptation locally. The order under the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 dated 24 February 2015 banned the printing, publication and even ownership …

Countries that often object to sexual content – Malaysia, Indonesia, Zimbabwe, Kenya and India – have banned ‘Fifty Shades’ from cinema theatres. Authorities in Russia’s North Caucasus have also banned the film. In Malaysia, the head of the film censorship board called it “more pornography than a movie”, according to …

The office of cartoonist Zunar (real name: Zulkiflee Anwar Ulhaque) was raided on 28 January 2015 while he was on a speaking tour in London. More than 150 of his books were confiscated in a raid conducted under Printing Presses and Publications Act, the Sedition Act and the Penal Code.  …

The film ‘The Raid 2: Berandal’ was supposed to have opened in Malaysian cinemas on 28 March 2014 but it was reported that the film was not allowed to be screened in the country. The Indonesian presidential election campaign took a twist when a Democratic Party leader questioned the alleged …

Malaysia has banned a translation of a comic book with the popular Japanese superhero Ultraman after it used the word “Allah” to describe Ultraman. The Home Ministry said in a statement that the Malay-edition of ‘Ultraman, The Ultra Power’ contained elements that can undermine public security and societal morals. » Global …

Newsletter from Article 19, published on article19.org on 14 March 2014: Art, in any form, constitutes a key medium through which information and ideas are imparted and received. Artist Alert, launched by ARTICLE 19 in 2008, highlights cases of artists around the world whose right to freedom of expression has …

“The removal of the artwork of two young artists from the National Visual Arts Gallery [in Kuala Lumpur] has raised questions over censorship and the freedom of artistic expression and, ultimately, who decides to what we should watch, read and listen,” wrote The Malaysian Insider on 21 February 2014, saying …

Newsletter from Article 19, published on article19.org on 5 December 2013: Art, in any form, constitutes a key medium through which information and ideas are imparted and received. Artist Alert, launched by ARTICLE 19 in 2008, highlights cases of artists around the world whose right to freedom of expression has …

Malaysia’s painter J Anu recently came under government scrutiny for a work critiquing American involvement in Iraq. The artist was involved in a police investigation regarding one of his paintings, ‘I is for Idiot’, a piece that was in a public group show co-organised by the National Art Gallery of …