Malaysian editorial cartoonist Zulkifli Anwar Ulhaque, better known as Zunar, has arrested arrested under the Sedition act hours before his book was to be released. Police seized 70 copies of his book, “Cartoon-O-Phobia”. In an interview with AFP, while in police custody, Zunar said, “police came and raided my office in the afternoon… now they […]
The American Muslim, a North American organization dedicated to the promotion of peace and justice, has come out in defense of free speech and specifically for Molly Norris, Matt Stone and Trey Parker. The organization issued the following statement and is signed by over 80 individuals. A DEFENSE OF FREE SPEECH BY AMERICAN AND CANADIAN […]
The cartoons that ignited a worldwide protest for depicting the Muslim Prophet Mohammad will be reprinted in a book by Flemming Rose. Flemming was the culture editor at the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten where the cartoons were originally published in 2006. According to CNN, the book is due out on shelves September 30 and is entitled, […]
Reuters reports that Gregorius Nekschot, the Dutch cartoonist arrested in 2008 for posting cartoons on his website that were deemed offensive by an Islamic group, will not be charged with a hate crime. . Nekschot, a pseudonym meaning ‘shot in the neck’ in Dutch, was arrested in May 2008 following an investigation that started in […]
Daryl Cagle’s cartoon depicting the eagle on the Mexican flag shot dead in a stream of bullet holes has raised complaints from the Mexican community in and out of the United States. Daryl has appeared on CNN (see below) to discuss the cartoon and the reaction its received.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will be honoring Kurt Westergaard for “defending democratic values in all circumstances.” The chancellor is speaking at Sanssouci Colloquium on the defense of press freedom. The event will award Kurt a prize for his “unbending engagement for freedom of the press and freedom of opinion was incredible.” “Kurt Westergaard is a […]
There are few details regarding this story, so I’m not sure what to make of it other than if true, a Yemen editorial cartoonist has been “forcible disappeared.” The Armies of Liberation website reports that Security authorities arrested cartoonist Kamal Sharef and confiscated his personal belongings including a laptop computer. Others arrested included his brother […]
Last week the State Department issued a travel warning telling Americans not to go to Afghanistan stating: No part of Afghanistan should be considered immune from violence, and the potential exists throughout the country for hostile acts, either targeted or random, against American and other Western nationals at any time. Remnants of the former Taliban […]
Twenty-nine South African editorial cartoonist have signed a declaration protesting all political and religiously motivated threats against the media. The government intends to create a Protection of Information Bill and Media Tribunal which many feel will restrict free speech in that country. Cartoonists who have signed the petition include: Andy (Sunday Times), Brandan (Business Day, […]
The Plymouth Herald sent in their cartoonist to illustrate the Southampton vs. Plymouth game to get the visual story after the Southampton Football Club banned press photography – insisting they purchase the photos from a signal agency. The cartoonist, Chris Robinson, is a city historian and Herald contributor.You can see some of Chris’ illustrations on […]
A new Maziar Bijani has recently launched. New York Times blogger Robert Mackey reports that the site is sponsored by a nongovernmental cultural foundation and as of yesterday was bogged down due to traffic.
The Centre for Independent Journalism is throwing its support behind a legal challenge to book banning by the Malaysian government. Back in June, the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs signed an order banning two satirical books by cartoonist Zulkiflee Anwar Ulhaque (AKA “Zunar”) under the Printing Presses and Publications Act which prohibits material that is […]
The Comics Journal delves into recent news stories regarding a manga translator being arrested in Sweden for possession of manga depicting undressed children (the images posted on TCJ’s site depict a child taking a bath). In Sweden, all images ? be it photos, movies, animations or drawings ? depicting what one can understand to be […]
The Mainichi Daily News reports that Kimihiko Tsukuda, the creator of the longest-running serialized comic strip in Japanese newspapers, has passed away at the age of 80. His comic strip Honobono-kun, dubbed the “Japanese Charlie Brown,” first appeared in newspapers in 1956 and ran through 2007 after Kimihiko fell ill.
Canadian cartoonist (and architect) Shahid Mahmood was barred from flying on Air Canada because his name was a no-fly list back in 2004. Mahmood sued the airline fearing that after 9/11 his cartoons mocking the US administration and teenage years lived in Pakistan was enough to get him profiled. According to The Toronto Star, Mahmood […]