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.
The censorship of Better than Earth at the 26th Ismailia International Film Festival exposes how informal, undocumented decisions by Egyptian authorities can effectively erase a film from public view. Despite being officially selected, the film was barred through a verbal order, revealing the fragility of artistic freedom under Egypt’s censorship regime and the limited, quiet resistance available to filmmakers and festival organisers operating within state-run cultural institutions.
Iraqi digital artist and performer Joanna Al Aseel was arrested in Baghdad on 12 May 2025 after her online content was flagged as “immoral” by a Ministry of Interior committee. Her conviction and three‑month prison sentence on 20 November 2025 exemplify Iraq’s expanding use of vague public‑morals laws to police artistic expression online and deter women artists and content creators from participating in digital public space
In August 2025, security forces shut down Um Al-Rabe’ain Café in Mosul after a video of two women dancing inside the venue went viral online. The women, both employees, were detained along with other staff for alleged violations of “public morals.” The case exposes how digital outrage now drives state action, shrinking space for culture, leisure, and women’s visibility in Iraq’s recovering cities.
Iraqi novelist Rusly Al Maliki says security agents have informally banned his new book A Year of Decline, a searing account of Iraq’s corruption and social deterioration in 2024. The book was reportedly blocked from bookstores, the Baghdad Book Fair and delivery services without any court order. Al Maliki denounced the move as illegal and vowed to put the book online for free unless authorities back down by 26 September.
In August 2025, the Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Damascus University ordered a ban on nude models in all graduation projects, threatening students with a grade of zero if they refused to comply. The decision triggered protests, a strong student statement, and wide online debate, reigniting long‑standing tensions over morality, religion, and artistic freedom in Syria.
In March 2025, security forces in Karbala closed the “Umm Kulthum” cultural café under the 2021 Sanctity of Karbala Law, solely because its name honored the iconic singer Umm Kulthum. The case shows how religiously framed regulations in Iraq are reshaping public space, restricting cultural venues, and pressuring owners to adopt overtly religious branding to avoid future trouble
In July 2025, authorities in Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, banned the sale and circulation of Labubu collectible dolls, citing deceptive blind-box marketing, consumer exploitation and potential psychological impacts on children. The move, framed as both consumer protection and cultural defence, has triggered debate over children’s welfare, market regulation and state control over cultural products.
When journalist Naouel Bizid invited trans activist and performer Khookha McQueer to mark the 100th episode of Deep Confessions Podcast, a show about mental health became a flashpoint for Tunisia’s culture war over queer visibility and freedom of expression.
A groundbreaking Tunisian–Croatian theatre collaboration on migration drew full houses and critical praise, only to be quietly shelved by the Tunisian National Theatre without explanation.
At the 26th Ismailia International Film Festival, Mohammed Salah’s Co-directed with a Ghost won Best Film yet was barred from public screening by Egypt’s censorship authorities, exposing how opaque permit regimes quietly erase celebrated works from local audiences.
On 15 December 2025, a Moscow court designated feminist punk collective Pussy Riot an “extremist organisation,” banning all its activities across Russia after a closed-door hearing. The ruling vastly expands criminal liability for referencing the group, sharing its music or displaying its symbols. Human rights groups warn the decision marks a new stage in Russia’s use of extremism laws to erase artistic dissent, cultural memory and political opposition.
UK arts charity Queercircle has documented how trustees and senior leaders across England’s cultural sector are quietly restricting Palestinian artistic programming. By rebranding Palestinian shows as “contentious” and shifting them into closed, invitation‑only formats, institutions are building a hidden system of structural suppression that keeps Palestinian perspectives out of the public cultural sphere
PEN America’s new list of the 52 most banned books in U.S. schools reveals a coordinated campaign against literature addressing race, gender, sexuality, and state violence. With over 22,000 documented bans since 2021 across 45 states, educational censorship is becoming normalized. Award-winning classics and YA titles alike are being removed, undermining artistic freedom, cultural rights, and young people’s access to diverse stories.
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 Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi remains in detention after a violent arrest at a memorial ceremony in Mashhad, where security forces beat mourners and detained dozens. Mohammadi has been hospitalized twice for serious head and neck injuries caused by baton blows and has since been returned to custody despite serious pre-existing health conditions. Authorities have opened a new security case against her, including an accusation of “cooperation with Israel,” raising urgent concerns about her health, safety, and access to medical care.
In December 2025, Russia blocked Roblox, citing extremism and “LGBT propaganda.” For millions of children, the platform is more than a game—it’s a social and creative space. The ban sparked tens of thousands of complaints to the Kremlin, protests in Tomsk, and widespread discussion about digital rights, highlighting how Russia’s push for a closed “Runet” now clashes with youth culture, creativity, and freedom of expression.
The quiet cancellation of Jumana Manna’s solo exhibition at Heidelberger Kunstverein in 2023 has ignited debates on artistic freedom, Palestine, and the use of antisemitism frameworks in cultural institutions. Critics argue that IHRA definitions risk conflating political critique of Israel with antisemitism, limiting Palestinian voices. Manna’s case highlights self‑policing, institutional caution, and calls for alternative standards like the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism.
The Egyptian Musicians’ Syndicate’s investigation of singer Reda El Bahrawi after his July 2025 North Coast concert highlights the body’s growing influence over live performance in Egypt. With only vague references to unspecified “violations,” the case raises ongoing concerns about transparency, due process, and the impact of discretionary cultural regulation on artistic freedom.
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Mohamed Ramadan faces a two-year prison sentence for releasing his hit “Number One, you halves” without Egypt’s required censorship permits, extending state control into music published on global platforms like YouTube. The conviction, though not yet enforced, sends a chilling signal to high-profile artists as authorities tighten oversight of digital creativity and blur the line between stardom and criminalisation.
