Newsletter from Article 19, published on article19.org on 14 November 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 …

Newsletter from Article 19, published at article19.org on 17 July 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 …

Saudi Arabia has banned women from entering shops selling musical instruments amid continued violation of women’s rights in the Arab kingdom, reported Al-Hayat, Press TV and Tehran Times on 3 July 2013 Saudi Arabia’s Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice allegedly has ordered a number …

Although Saudi Arabia has 27 million inhabitants, there is not a single movie theatre in the kingdom. Movie theatres were banned in the 1980’s in order to appease conservative clerics. The following is an introduction to the film business in the country today. First “all-Saudi” film Haifaa Al Mansour has …

Habib Ali al-Maatiq is a published poet, journalist and photographer who supervised the news website Al-Fajr Cultural Network, known for its critical coverage of political unrest in the country’s heavily restricted Eastern Province. He was arrested by security forces on 22 February 2012 at his workplace in the city of …

In a recent report published by the Saudi News network Al Arabiya News, many Saudi writers admitted that they resort to smuggling their manuscripts to be published abroad to escape censorship. According to the statistics included in the report, Beirut receives the larger share of Saudi books published abroad, followed …

After a Saudi cleric has declared that “there is no clear text or ruling in Islam that singing and music are haram or religiously forbidden” a decree sent by King Abdullahs office states that only senior Islamic clerics appointed by him can issue fatwas and religious rulings. According to the …

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Education issued on 9 June 2010 a circular to all schools in the kingdom ordering that no music or dancing be allowed during upcoming graduation celebrations, reported Muhammad Al-Sulami of Arab News on 10 June 2010. Graduation celebrations, the circular added, are to take place in the …

A last-minute cancellation of the Jeddah Film Festival was only one of several reversals for proponents of freer access to film and music in Saudi Arabia, reported AFP, Reuters and BBC News on 19 July 2009 Saudi Arabia’s religious establishment appears to have drawn a line in the sand over …

Interview with Faisal Al-Alamy, founder of the Saudi Arabian thrash metal band Octum. They released a demo entitled ‘Fighting For Freedom’ in January 2008 By Mik Aidt, Freemuse Guitarist Faisal Al-Alamy lives in Jeddah, and two years ago – inspired by bands such as Megadeth, Metallica, and Kreator – he …