Myanmar’s artists, musicians and performers have become voices in resisting the junta’s rule, both inside the country and in exile. Through satire, underground music scenes and documentary projects, they document abuses, support mutual‑aid networks and challenge propaganda. Despite arrests, executions, citizenship revocations and harsh new laws, these creative communities continue to carve out rare spaces for honest expression and solidarity.
FEATURE: Russia is rapidly constructing a new censorship machine that reaches into every field of art. Renowned filmmakers like Alexander Sokurov are rebuked in front of Putin, publishers face extremism charges over LGBT‑themed books, theatre directors are jailed for “justifying terrorism,” and musicians, museums and street artists navigate raids, blacklists and vigilante denunciations. Together, these cases reveal a deliberate strategy to turn artistic life into a zone of permanent legal risk.
Bangladesh: A youth-led “March for Justice” set out from Dhaka’s Shahbagh on 6 January, demanding accountability for the killing of activist, writer and teacher Sharif Osman Hadi. Led by Inqilab Mancha, the march tied Hadi’s assassination to wider struggles over democracy, Indian hegemony and “cultural fascism,” as protesters vowed to escalate their campaign unless planners, collaborators and cross‑border protectors of his killers are brought to justice
During the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom protests, Iranian artists became cultural icons—over 100 arrested or prosecuted for their activism. Today, with leaked government documents exposing a secret "Celebrity Task Force" and systematic work bans, prominent creatives have gone underground. The December 2025–January 2026 uprising shows artists participating through encrypted channels and anonymous work rather than public visibility. Yet the cultural infrastructure they built—from the Grammy-winning anthem "Baraye" to protest imagery—remains the emotional backbone of resistance, while the fates of 2022's imprisoned and exiled figures continue to shape how the movement unfolds.
The July 2025 eviction of Damascus’s historic Al‑Kindi Cinema by Syria’s Ministry of Religious Endowments has become a defining test of post‑Assad cultural policy, pitting promises of renewal against fears that religious and political authorities are tightening their grip on what counts as legitimate art and public memory.
Bulgaria’s winter protests against a controversial 2026 budget and entrenched corruption have been driven not only by politics but by culture. Young demonstrators, many protesting for the first time, were mobilised by artists, musicians and digital influencers who turned posts into calls to action. From actors and pop stars on the streets to vloggers translating outrage into everyday language, culture became a key engine of collective action.
Iranian singer, Parastoo Ahmadi, 27, stages a bold hijab‑free “imaginary concert” in a historic caravanserai, livestreamed on YouTube with no physical audience but watched by thousands online. Performing in a sleeveless dress with uncovered hair alongside three male musicians, she directly challenges Iran’s bans on women singing publicly. Within 24 hours, the judiciary announces legal proceedings, turning one virtual show into a high‑stakes test of artistic freedom.
Poet and opposition leader Chaima Issa has become a central symbol of Tunisia’s shrinking civic space. Arrested on 29 November while joining a women’s rights protest in Tunis, she is now serving a 20‑year sentence in the politically driven “Conspiracy Case” and has launched a hunger strike from Manouba Prison, turning her body into a final form of protest against President Kais Saied’s escalating repression.
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As Uganda heads toward the 2026 elections, opposition‑aligned musicians are being drawn into an intensifying crackdown marked by arbitrary arrests, house‑arrest‑style sieges and shootings at rallies. From repeated cordons around Bobi Wine’s home to the arrest of Nubian Li and the shooting of Omukunja Atasera, the state is treating music as a security threat rather than a space for artistic expression
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As President Daniel Noboa attends the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Ecuador’s cultural sector faces mounting pressure at home. From the cancellation of a political caricature exhibition in Quito to direct threats against an installation at the Bienal de Cuenca, artists are confronting censorship, intimidation and growing self-censorship. These cases unfold amid protest repression, media shutdowns and shrinking civic space.
Palestinian documentary filmmaker Abdallah Motan has been held in Israeli administrative detention since January 2025 without charges or trial. Known for his internationally recognized work, including Deferred Reclaim, Motan’s detention highlights the suppression of Palestinian cultural voices. Despite international calls for his release and solidarity screenings of his films, his status remains unconfirmed, raising urgent questions about freedom of expression and the rights of artists under occupation
In Western Sahara, art is not decoration but defiance. From refugee camps where film festivals replace embassies, to occupied cities where poems and cameras lead to prison, Sahrawi culture has become a frontline of resistance. Through music, poetry, cinema, and the bodies of activists themselves, a stateless people wages a powerful struggle for visibility, memory, and self-determination. Against walls, prisons, and exile, culture becomes both shield and weapon in a war fought with words, images, and sound.
As war escalated in Gaza after October 2023, Meta’s platforms became crucial spaces for documentation and solidarity. Yet investigations and leaks suggest a vast system of digital censorship targeting Palestinian and pro-Palestinian content, allegedly in close coordination with Israeli authorities. While platforms deny political bias, artists and activists across the Arab world are now developing creative strategies to evade algorithmic suppression and preserve their narratives.
In November 2025, the Fall of Freedom movement mobilized artists across more than 600 U.S. cities in one of the largest coordinated acts of creative resistance in modern history. Through performances, installations, readings, and public gatherings, artists confronted rising authoritarianism and threats to free expression. The movement highlighted art’s vital role in defending democratic values and resisting government interference in cultural institutions.
Indonesia in 2025 has witnessed a convergence of economic anxiety, anger over political privilege, and public outrage at police conduct. What began as protest against parliamentary allowances escalated into a nationwide wave of demonstrations — catalyzed by the death of a young ride-share driver struck by a police armoured vehicle. Alongside these developments, youth-driven visual and musical protest culture has flourished, even as authorities respond with censorship, confiscations, and pressure on cultural workers.
Traditional musician Abbas Peymani was arrested by Iran’s IRGC Intelligence in Shahriar after criticizing political and economic conditions on social media. Taken to an undisclosed location with no public charges, his fate remains unknown, raising fears of enforced disappearance. Rights monitors say the case reflects a wider crackdown on artists, where peaceful expression is treated as a security threat and cultural voices are silenced.
Iraqi singer Hussein Al-Turki says he was tricked into joining the Russian army after traveling to Moscow for what he believed was a performance contract. Regional outlets report he was moved far from the city, had his phone confiscated, and was pressured to sign documents he couldn’t read. While his account remains unverified, it reflects a broader pattern of foreign nationals being misled into military service.
Peru’s APCI law, strengthened by the September 2025 sanctions regulation, is raising alarms in the arts and culture sector. Artists, filmmakers, and cultural organizations warn of potential fines, project cancellations, and indirect censorship due to vague rules and prior-approval requirements. While no cultural institutions have yet been penalized, the law’s chilling effect is reshaping creative freedom, international collaborations, and civil society engagement in Peru.
In August 2025, Korean-born violinist John Shin was detained by ICE while on a work assignment in Colorado, despite decades of life and artistic work in Utah. His case sparked an unprecedented mobilization from Utah’s music community, exposing how aggressive immigration enforcement can abruptly disrupt the lives and livelihoods of non-citizen artists
Moroccan rapper Hamza Raid became a central figure in the Gen Z protests that swept Morocco in September 2025, demanding education and healthcare reforms. Raid was detained and charged with unauthorized assembly and incitement to protest, drawing wide attention from youth and rights groups. His case highlights the risks artist-activists face and Morocco's tense climate for artistic freedom while authorities pledge order and due process.
