Activist, journalist and writer Parvin Ardalan has long fought for women's rights in Iran—at great personal cost. Now in exile, she speaks to Freemuse about the role of artists in resistance, the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, and the ongoing fight for artistic freedom. #parvinardalan #artisticfreedom

Egypt's artists face severe repression through censorship, restrictive laws, and extra-legal tactics. Egypt’s crackdown on artistic freedom, exemplified by cases such as Galal El-Behairy and Ashraf Omar, reveals the harsh reality for creators challenging authority. As Egypt’s human rights record will be reviewed at the UN’s Universal Periodic Review on 28 January, Freemuse calls for urgent action to protect artistic freedom.

Iran will come before the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva for its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) this week, on 24 January, a critical moment for assessing the country’s human rights record. In Iran, artistic expression has become an extraordinary act of defiance. Freemuse takes this opportunity to raise the situation of artists at risk in Iran and urges that artistic freedom of expression be among the issues highlighted.

Georgia's delay of EU talks has ignited unrest, with protests over October's elections escalating into violence and reports of torture and arrests, increasingly targeting cultural figures. Actor Andro Chichinadze and comedian Onise Tskhadadze now face charges, prompting concerns from Freemuse and AICA about violations of their right to peaceful protest. Both organisations are calling for their immediate release and a fair, transparent trial.

Inspiring article on the role of artists towards positive change in Bangladesh. "Singers, songwriters and artists have always been at the core of our political movements.” says one artist. "I had to speak out and this is my only language—art is like a weapon for me" says another. Read more here:

In reference to cartoonist Ann Telnaes resignation from The Washington Post earlier this week and also the fact that yesterday marked the 10th anniversary for the attack on the Charlie Hebdo magazine, Freemuse join Cartoonists Rights International in commemorating those who were murdered at Charlie Hebdo ten years ago. The cartoon by Ann Talnaes in this article is by the way brilliantly illustrating the challenges that cartoonists face today.

📷 𝙍𝙀𝙇𝙀𝘼𝙎𝙀 𝙄𝙍𝘼𝙉𝙄𝘼𝙉 𝙁𝙄𝙇𝙈𝙈𝘼𝙆𝙀𝙍 𝙉𝘼𝙑𝙄𝘿 𝙈𝙄𝙃𝘼𝙉𝘿𝙊𝙐𝙎𝙏 𝙉𝙊𝙒! Freemuse supports The International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk (ICFR)s capaign to release Iranian colleague Navid Mihandoust, who has been serving a three-and-a-half year prison sentence in Iran since August 2023. This last December, Navid was released from prison ever so briefly, before being sent back into detention with his chances for full release on parole now very much unclear. Freemuse joins ICFR in their call to the Iranian authorities for Navid's immediate and unconditional release.

The freedom of cartoonist Atena Farghadani and rapper Toomaj Salehi marks a brief yet significant victory for artistic expression in Iran. While Freemuse celebrates their release, it highlights the ongoing risks artists face. On 14 December, singer Parastoo Ahmadi was briefly detained for performing a viral concert without a headscarf.

Geneva, 18 December 2024. On the occasion of minorities day – the anniversary of the adoption in 1992 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities – Freemuse and its partners @UNHumanRights, @MinorityRights and the City of Geneva announce the launch of the fourth edition of the International Contest for Minority Artists (2025). The 2025 theme of the Contest is Belonging, Place and Loss. The 2025 theme invites creative exploration by minority artists human rights defenders of the connections between minority rights, minority experiences, and questions of belonging, environmental justice and climate change, as well as wider aspects of minority attachment to place and existence, loss of community, language and culture. Artists who identify as belonging to a national, ethnic, religious or linguistic minority are invited to submit high-quality electronic images of up to five works of art related to the 2025 theme of the Contest. Applications for the Contest should be submitted here:

Ettijahat, an organisation that promotes independent culture across the Arab world, released a statement on 14 December titled Syria Has Shown Us the Way Again, celebrating Syria’s liberation. The statement honours the sacrifices of those who fought for freedom and justice and emphasises the crucial role of arts and culture in rebuilding the country, fostering shared spaces for understanding and dialogue, and protecting cultural heritage. Freemuse fully supports this message and its call to action. For more details, visit:

'Today, we find ourselves fighting for freedom and independence once again. The echoes of past Russian repressions reverberate through this struggle, but we remain steadfast and unafraid. We will not stop fighting.' Artists are among the 100s of people arrested and attacked during protests in Georgia against the suspension of EU accession talks, and increasingly hardline laws aimed at civil society, suppressing free expression and LGBTQ+. Read their statement here

Congratulations to our partners @susma24susma for co-staging this important exhibition on censorship of the arts in #Turkiye featuring works from poets, painters, cartoonists and other artists inside prisons across the country.

Insightful article about the state of the arts and artistic freedom in Myanmar 🔹 as the human rights situation declines, so does life for Burmese artists 🔹 many have gone abroad - with Thailand becoming a hub for those who have left 🔹 those that stay have places to show their work although these are diminishing as the economy worsens, and there is heavy censorship particularly on political topics 🔹 Human rights and pro-democracy organisations stage art shows outside Myanmar but these tend to focus on politics and the struggle for democracy, and less so on personal narratives. Read more here: 👉

RT @VilleDeGeneve: Le Concours international pour artistes issu-e-s des minorités met en lumière des talents uniques. Découvrez les lauréat…

Freemuse & P24 – Susma have submitted a report for Türkiye's 2025 Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the UN Human Rights Council. It highlights crackdowns on freedom of expression, artistic freedom, and cultural expression, especially targeting LGBTQ+ groups and Kurdish artists. The report urges Türkiye to protect artistic freedom, repeal restrictive laws, and prevent the improper use of anti-terror laws.

On 13 November, Nicaragua appeared before the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva to report on how it has stood by its commitments to uphold human rights over the past five years under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). During the session, the acute situation in Nicaragua was raised by many UN member states, including harassment and persecution of political dissidents, among them artists. The mass closures of civil society organisations was also raised, and this too has led to the shut down of cultural centres. Read more here:

Delighted to see three artists who have stood up against censorship nominated for this year's Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression award. Atena Farghadani of Iran, Aleksandra Skochilenko of Russia & Jota Ramos of Colombia - all worthy to win!

Egyptian cartoonist, Ashraf Omar, has spent over 100 days in pre-trial detention. Held under dubious charges of terrorism and having reportedly suffered beatings when arrested, Omar’s cartoons satirising Egyptian government policy failures are likely to be the cause of his detention. Freemuse joins 15 other cartoonists’ and rights organisations in calling for his immediate release. Read petition here: Portrait of Ashraf Omar by Gianluca Costantini – Channeldraw

#Afghanistan Over 20,000 instruments reported destroyed by the Taliban in the past year. Many musicians have fled the repression, continuing to perform in exile. In Afghanistan, The Taliban Wages War On Music