World-renowned Turkish pianist Fazil Say appealed to the Turkish government on 23 October 2014 not to be ‘afraid’ of artists after he claimed that his works were removed from a state-funded orchestras repertoire. The 44-year-old virtuoso, who has had many run-ins with the authorities, wrote an open letter to the …

Law suits, arrests, threats and banning orders, these are all dangers that artists in Turkey who touch on sensitive issues face today. This is pointed out by the UPR submission that Freemuse, Siyah Bant and the Initiative for Freedom of Expression has forwarded to the UN. The Turkish Anti Terror …

Law suits, arrests, threats and banning orders, these are all dangers that artists in Turkey who touch on sensitive issues face today. This is pointed out by the UPR submission that Freemuse, Siyah Bant and the Initiative for Freedom of Expression has forwarded to the UN.

A Turkish imam, Ahmet Muhsin Tüzer, has been allowed to rock on after the country’s powerful religious authorities gave him the green light to continue playing in his band after a nine-month investigation. Ahmet Muhsin Tüzer, a Muslim religious leader from a tiny hamlet on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast, was investigated …

Turkish artists and arts organisations fear that a new draft bill prepared by the Erdoğan government will serve as a tool for the government to crack down on free expression of artistic work, creativity and cultural themes The bill is seen as a tool to give the government the absolute …

A piece of art was censored in November 2013 during the exhibition titled ‘Will There Be An Intervention?’ at the 23rd Istanbul Art Fair. The exhibit was primarily focused on works of art inspired by the Gezi Park protests, and it included many secular-minded domestic and foreign artists. The censored …

Leading writers from Turkey and around the world have joined PEN, the international association of writers, to call on the Turkish authorities to respect freedom of expression as a universal and fundamental human right, and to create an environment in which all citizens are able to express themselves freely without …

Turkey has banned the Danish director’s latest film from screening in its theatres, saying the film can be classified as pornography due to its graphic content. Actor Christian Slater is baffled by Turkey’s ban on his new movie “Nymphomaniac,” but insists his own daughter will never see the controversial Lars …

In the aftermath of a brutal government crackdown on dissent during the Gezi Park protests, PEN has prepared a report highlighting some of the issues raised by the nationwide protest movement ‘The Gezi Park Protests: the impact on freedom of expression in Turkey’ is a joint report published by English …

British theatre producer David Cecil, Lebanese playwright Lucien Bourjeily, Egyptian rapper Mayam Mahmoud and the Turkish writer Arikan are shortlisted for the Index Awards 2014, which during 14 years have honoured some of the most remarkable fighters for free expression from around the world. The award show takes place in …