Freemuse speaks with political cartoonist Khalid Albaih on his polarising work and why it was never really about the cartoons at all.

Award-winning Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof has been sentenced to one year in prison for "spreading propaganda" against the Islamic republic.

UPDATE There has been a positive development for Turkish writer Ahmet Altan. Altan’s sentence to life in prison was overturned in the Supreme Court of Appeals of 5 July 2019 due to a lack of sufficient and credible evidence, according to a statement on English PEN.  The prominent Turkish novelist, …

Freemuse calls on the General Judiciary of the Province of Tehran to repeal harsh sentencing of Confess band members Nikan “Siyanor” Khosravi and Arash “Chemical” Ilkhani and allow the musicians to return to Iran without fear of reprisal for expressing themselves artistically.

The Musicians Syndicate cancelled its decision to ban Egyptian artist Sherine (real name Sherine Abdel-Wahab) from singing on 4 June 2019.

Targeting and persecuting female artist has become a trend observed in Iran relating to religious regulations.

Iranian Education Minister has deemed videos of schoolchildren dancing as “disturbing” and part of the greater plot to undermine the Islamic Republic.

Poet will stay behind bars, having been sentenced to 3 years in prison and 10 000 Egyptian pounds (480 euros) fine in the Military Court in Cairo.

Religious protesters are demanding the removal of an artwork depicting a crucified Ronald McDonald at the Haifa Museum of Art in Israel.

A court in Casablanca has ordered the dissolution of Racines, a cultural organisation that promotes culture and advocates for freedom of expression in Morocco.