South Korea: Anti-Fake News Law and the Silent Arts Sector
South Korea's National Assembly passed a controversial anti-fake news law in December 2025 that allows punitive damages up to five times proven losses against media outlets and online content creators. UNESCO and press freedom groups have condemned the legislation for its vague definitions that could enable censorship. Notably absent from the debate: South Korea's arts sector, which mobilized thousands during the 2014-2017 artist blacklist scandal.
French Institutions Cancel Palestine Events Amid Political Pressure
France's Collège de France cancelled a Palestine conference on November 8, 2025, following political pressure from Higher Education Minister Philippe Baptiste and advocacy groups. The November 7 Israel Philharmonic Orchestra concert in Paris was disrupted three times by protesters with smoke bombs, leading to four arrests. French artists responded with a December 9 charity concert raising €50,000 for Gaza. In January 2026, France indefinitely suspended its Pause asylum program for Gazan artists and scholars, leaving at least 21 recipients trapped despite having been awarded scholarships.
Taliban Detains Theater Artists in Herat as Image Ban Forces Media Blackout
The Taliban detained two prominent theater artists in Herat Province on January 1, 2026, one day after authorities announced enforcement of a ban prohibiting media from broadcasting images of living beings. Gholam Farooq Sarkhosh and Firoz Ahmad Malaeka were summoned by the Taliban's Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice and subsequently detained after they criticized the restriction during a meeting with media representatives.
Lethal Targeting in Gaza and Occupied Territories
REPORT: SKeyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom documents systematic targeting of Palestinian journalists, photographers, and artists in December 2025. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate recorded 99 violations across Palestinian territories, with 48 detention cases in the West Bank alone. Named arrests include writer Sari Arabi (Dec 25), Palestine TV reporter Ahmad Shawar and photographer Bashar Nazzal (Dec 4), and comedian Amer Zahr in Nazareth (Dec 27). Israeli police also raided Haifa's Nayruz Music Institute Christmas performance, arresting three participants.
Egypt's Cycle of Persecution: Poet Ahmed Douma Arrested Again for Online Criticism
Egyptian security agents arrested poet and activist Ahmed Douma without a warrant from his Cairo home on January 19, 2026, charging him with "disseminating false news" for posts about imprisoned activist Mohamed Adel. This marks at least the fifth case against Douma since his August 2023 presidential pardon, following nearly a decade in prison. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention previously deemed his detention arbitrary. Weeks before the arrest, he was prevented from boarding a flight to Lebanon.
At Least 21 Iranian Artists Killed in January Government Crackdown
Iranian security forces killed at least 21 artists and cultural workers during a month-long crackdown on nationwide protests that began January 8, 2026. The deaths occurred across multiple cities as government forces opened fire on demonstrators, turning what Amnesty International called "the deadliest period of repression by the Iranian authorities in decades" into a systematic killing of photographers, musicians, actors, and filmmakers alongside thousands of other civilians.
Ai Weiwei Returns to Beijing After Decade in Exile
Chinese artist Ai Weiwei made a quiet return to Beijing in mid-December 2025, his first visit since leaving China in 2015. The three-week trip, which he described as "smooth and pleasant," has raised questions about whether Chinese authorities are recalibrating their approach to high-profile critics. During his visit, Ai underwent nearly two hours of airport questioning before moving freely through the city. Days after returning, he told Reuters that "the West is not even in a position to indict China" on human rights.
Street Art Under Hong Kong’s New Red Lines
Hong Kong street artist Chan King-fai was prosecuted three times between February 2023 and September 2025 for the same graffiti design combining Chinese characters for "freedom" with dollar signs. Despite claiming the art symbolized financial rather than political freedom, he faced 36 criminal damage charges discovered at different times. Meanwhile, overtly political graffiti and slogans have resulted in prison sentences of up to 14 months under Article 23 sedition laws, creating a stark contrast in how Hong Kong authorities prosecute street art.
Central Asia’s Unstable Cultural Calendar
Concerts, exhibitions and literary events across Central Asia are being cancelled after artists’ political statements or perceived alignment with the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. From pro‑Kremlin musicians dropped in Tashkent to a Taiwanese exhibition halted in Almaty, cultural programming in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan is now defined by quiet pressures and sudden reversals.
Court of Appeal reopens the Rafiki case in Kenya
In January 2026, Kenya’s Court of Appeal ruled that the 2018 ban on Wanuri Kahiu’s film Rafiki was unlawful and disproportionate. The judges found that depicting a same-sex relationship is not the same as promoting crime and said the film should, at most, receive an age-restricted rating. The ruling also struck down police powers to forcibly stop filming and to retain cut footage, narrowing state control over film production
Tamil Actor-Politician Vijay's Final Film Blocked Days Before Release
The Tamil film Jana Nayagan, starring actor Thalapathy Vijay, remains without a release date after the Madras High Court on 27 January set aside an earlier order that would have granted it certification. The film was scheduled to open on 9 January 2026, but certification was withheld after a complaint raised concerns about Indian Army references and communal harmony. The controversy arrives as Vijay prepares to contest the 2026 Tamil Nadu elections with his new political party, Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam.
TikTok Users Report Censorship of Minneapolis Shooting Content After Platform Ownership Change
TikTok is facing accusations of suppressing content about federal immigration enforcement and a fatal shooting in Minneapolis, just days after the platform completed its transfer to majority American ownership. Users claim their videos about the January 24 killing of Alex Pretti received unusually low views or were marked "ineligible for recommendation" by the platform's algorithm. Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse and U.S. citizen, was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents during an immigration
Trump's Second Term: Governance Capture, Funding Cuts, and Creative Resistance
BACKGROUND: Trump's first year back in the White House has produced both dramatic institutional takeovers and sustained pressure that cumulatively narrows room for independent cultural work. In May 2025, the Kennedy Center restructured its bylaws to freeze out Congress-designated trustees. That same evening, the NEA terminated 560+ approved grants totaling $27 million. Yet resistance is mounting: 150+ organizations pledged support for artistic freedom, and the Fall of Freedom movement staged 600+ coordinated events in November 2025. The battle over culture defines 2026
Antisystemic Art: Controversy in Paphos, Cyprus
In December 2025, Giorgos Gavriel opened Antisystemic Art in Paphos, reinterpreting Christian icons in provocative ways. The exhibition faced political and church criticism, gallery disruptions, and threats. Days later, a low‑power explosive was thrown at the artist’s home, raising concerns about safety and freedom of expression in Cyprus.
TikTok's New Owners and the Architecture of Digital Silencing
COMMENT: On January 22, 2026, TikTok handed American control to a consortium of Larry Ellison's Oracle and an Abu Dhabi state fund called MGX. Ellison has given $26 million to Israel's military since 2014. MGX is chaired by the UAE's national security adviser, a country that criminalizes dissent, tortures prisoners, and surveils residents. The White House called it a national security win. For others it's a consolidation of power designed to silence. The First Amendment and Section 230 now shield these new gatekeepers from accountability.
Cultural Sector Revolts Over Venice Pavilion Cancellation
South Africa: Minister Gayton McKenzie's unilateral cancellation of Gabrielle Goliath's Venice Biennale pavilion has triggered a constitutional crisis in South Africa's arts sector. The artist, unanimously selected by an independent panel, was removed after her "Elegy" series addressing Gaza was deemed "divisive." McKenzie claims sovereignty concerns and denies censorship, but critics say he violated the arm's-length principle protecting artistic freedom. Goliath has filed suit, and the sector awaits presidential intervention.
Comedy, religion and criminalisation in Lebanon
Lebanese stand up comedian Mario Moubarak became the target of a national backlash in late 2025 after a joke about Jesus from his Awk.word set “I Believe” was edited, stripped of context and republished online. Christian activist networks and religious institutions amplified the clip, triggering doxxing, death threats and a blasphemy complaint that led to his arrest at Beirut Airport and an ongoing criminal investigation
Cabaret Paulikevitch: Extremists Target Beirut Baladi Show
Cabaret Paulikevitch in Beirut became a flashpoint in 2025, when Lebanese dancer and artivist Alexandre Paulikevitch faced threats and incitement from both Christian and Islamist extremists over his baladi performance. Despite calls to ban the show and online campaigns depicting his work as “perversion”, the September 11 cabaret went ahead to a sold-out audience at Metro Al-Madina, turning the stage into a rare moment of public resistance for queer-coded dance and artistic freedom in Lebanon
Laylat al‑Iḥsās in Tripoli and Religious Protests
Laylat al‑Iḥsās (“Night of Emotion”) in Tripoli on 30 August 2025 became a focal point of debate over concerts during the Gaza war. A day before the show, Hizb al‑Tahrir activists and self‑described “defenders of Gaza and religion” marched against the event, backed by a statement from the Association of Muslim Scholars in Lebanon. Despite pressure, the concert went ahead under heightened security and without reported incidents
Marhaba Dawle: satire on trial in Lebanon
Lebanon’s satirical TV series “Marhaba Dawle” has become a key test case for artistic freedom, after the Ministry of Interior sought to ban it, producer Firas Hatoum was interrogated by security forces, and Christian and Muslim institutions filed complaints over alleged insults to religion. The legal setbacks for the state, and rising moral panic, reveal how courts, security bodies and religious authorities are reshaping the space for televised satire.
"Jogging” and Artistic Freedom in Lebanon
In April 2025, Lebanese artist Hanane Hajj Ali performed her acclaimed play “Jogging – Theatre in Progress” at the Lebanese International University in Saida, to a calm audience and open discussion. Days later, the university condemned the show under moral and religious pretexts, following an online smear campaign that weaponised decontextualised video clips and threats. Artists and cultural workers mobilised in response, framing the case as a dangerous precedent for artistic freedom in Lebanon
Lebanese Film "Disorder" Censored Over October 2019 Protest Scene
Lebanon's General Security Censorship Bureau delayed the theatrical release of the acclaimed anthology film "Disorder" in July 2025, conditioning its screening license on removal of a 20-second scene depicting security force violence against protesters during the October 2019 uprising. Director Lucien Bourjeily, facing a binary choice between censorship or complete ban, reluctantly complied to protect the work of three other filmmakers. The incident underscores Lebanon's continued suppression of artistic documentation of state violence and exemplifies the extrajudicial nature of the country's film censorship system.
Lebanons Awk.word, comedy and control
Awk.word, Lebanon’s first underground stand up comedy platform, uses humour to confront corruption, inequality and shrinking civic space. Its cancelled Saida anniversary show and the prosecutions of comedian Nour Hajjar, over jokes about the army and religion, reveal how security bodies and religious authorities increasingly police what can be said on stage, turning comedy into a key battleground for artistic freedom.
Art Against Artillery: Ukrainian Artists Under Fire
BOOK: In Art against Artillery: Voices of Resilience, Ukrainian journalist Olha Volynska documents how artists, musicians and theatre makers continue to create under bombardment and displacement. The book reveals culture as both survival and resistance, showing how stages, galleries and rehearsal rooms become frontline spaces for defending memory, truth and the right to exist as a people.
Syria Prisons Museum founder Amer Matar briefly detained
The brief detention of Syria Prisons Museum founder Amer Matar in September 2025 shows how fragile the space remains for documenting torture and disappearance in post‑Assad Syria. By targeting a virtual museum that uses 3D technology to reconstruct prisons, authorities signalled that immersive memory projects and digital archives of abuse remain under suspicion.
Uganda’s 2026 elections: blackout, repression and shrinking space for scrutiny
Uganda’s 2026 elections are unfolding under a deliberate information blackout. A nationwide internet shutdown, assaults on journalists, and orders for rights groups to halt work have gutted independent scrutiny of the vote. The combined pressure on media, NGOs and cultural actors exposes a deepening digital authoritarianism that directly threatens civic and artistic freedoms in Uganda.
A Syrian writer under digital fire
When Syrian writer Morris Ayek described a “second phase” of Syria’s civil war and used the term “Sunni fascism” in an August 2025 essay for Al Jumhuriya, he triggered a wave of online intimidation. The phrase was torn from its analytical context and recirculated on social media, where Ayek and the platform were attacked for opening a difficult debate on sectarian power and minority vulnerability in post‑Assad Syria.
Cultural memory in Syria’s post Assad landscape
The August 2025 decision to rename Syrian schools exposed a deep struggle over cultural memory and identity. When authorities moved to remove playwright Saadallah Wannous’ name from a Damascus school, public backlash forced a rare reversal. Meanwhile, a sweeping order in Aleppo replaced dozens of cultural figures with religious names, signalling an ideological reshaping of Syria’s educational space.
Homs’ New Clock Square, Martyrdom and Silenced Music in Syria
The sudden cancellation of Malek Jandali’s “Syrian Symphony for Peace” tour in December 2025 has exposed how cultural policy, religious authority and the politics of martyrdom intersect in post war Syria. The decision to drop his Homs Clock Square concert at the last minute, followed by conflicting official and religious justifications, reveals how fragile guarantees remain for artists using public space to confront traumatic memory.
Religious Opposition Forces Cancellation of Concert in Basra After Successful Nasiriyah Performance
Iraqi singer Mohammed Abdel Jabbar successfully performed in Nasiriyah on November 15, 2025, despite opposition from religious figures who condemned the concert as incompatible with the city's religious identity. However, just over a week later, concerts scheduled in Basra were cancelled after the organizing company received threats. The cancellation followed protests by clerics denouncing entertainment events, continuing a pattern of pressure against cultural activities in southern Iraq since 2019.
Syrian Comedian Faces Online Threats After Satirizing HTS Leader's Paris Visit
UK-based Syrian comedian and journalist Malath Alzoubi faced a wave of online threats after a July 2025 stand-up clip satirising Syria’s new leader Ahmad Al‑Sharaa and HTS’s history of dismantling infrastructure. Weeks after the video, a coordinated harassment campaign across Instagram, X and Facebook used homophobic slurs and location-based threats, exposing how Syrian artists in exile remain vulnerable to transnational digital intimidation.
When Clerical Pressure Becomes Institutional Policy
Iraq’s 2025 Husseini Chant Festival shows how religious authority can curb cultural policy without legal bans. After the Ministry of Culture introduced instrumental music into Arbaeen rituals, a clerical backlash led by Ali Al‑Talqani sparked online outrage and institutional hesitation, revealing how informal pressure and fear of controversy drive self‑censorship in Iraq’s cultural sector.
Governance Crisis in Syrian Artists' Syndicate Signals Broader Challenges for Artistic Freedom
In May 2025, a governance crisis shook the Syrian Artists’ Syndicate when four council members challenged newly appointed head Mazen Al‑Natour over unilateral decisions and lack of accountability. Their attempt to withdraw confidence was rejected as “illegal,” followed by their removal from the council. The episode exposes how post‑Assad institutions risk replicating old authoritarian patterns instead of protecting artistic freedom
Iraq: Moral Censorship Under the Guise of Tradition
Iraq’s Ministry of Higher Education has banned mixed-gender events at universities, including student marathons, citing “moral and cultural values.” The directive, issued under political and religious pressure, institutionalizes gender segregation and deepens a broader crackdown on student freedoms, women’s visibility, and youth-led cultural expression within academic spaces.
Adelaide Writers’ Week: Boycott, Backlash and the Politics of “Cultural Sensitivity”
In January 2026, Adelaide Writers’ Week imploded after its board disinvited Palestinian‑Australian author Randa Abdel‑Fattah in the wake of the Bondi Beach Hanukkah shooting. Abdel‑Fattah called the move “a despicable attempt to associate me with the Bondi massacre,” arguing that her mere presence as a Palestinian was treated as dangerous or “unsafe,” sparking a mass author boycott and institutional crisis.
The Uganda Law Society’s Election Watch
Uganda Law Society has launched an Election Watch and Rapid Response Mechanism ahead of the 2026 polls, deploying over 600 lawyers to monitor violations, document incidents in real time, and offer free legal aid to victims. The initiative targets arbitrary arrests, violence and electoral malpractice, seeking to turn Uganda’s legal community into an active shield for civic space and democratic participation.
Myanmar’s Artists and the Junta Repression
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.
Indian Films in the Gulf: Growing Scrutiny of “Sensitive” Narratives
Indian films are facing growing, selective scrutiny in Gulf states, especially when they depict India–Pakistan tensions, Kashmir, or LGBTQIA+ lives. Recent bans on “Dhurandhar”, “Sky Force”, and the Malayalam film “Maranamass” show how geopolitical sensitivities and moral norms shape access to cinema for South Asian audiences across the region
Egypt widens morality crackdown to TikTok creators
Egyptian authorities are widening their morality crackdown to TikTok and other short video platforms, using vague charges of indecency and violating family values to detain comedians, belly dancers and youth creators. The arrests of high visibility figures like Mohamed Abdelaty show how digital platforms have become a new front line for tightening control over artistic and everyday expression in Egypt.
The Bern Light Show: When China’s Censorship Crosses Swiss Borders
In November 2025, the Bern Light Show in Switzerland removed Tibetan works, including Tenzin Mingyur Paldron’s film “Listen to Indigenous People”, after pressure from Chinese authorities. Framed as “too political” for the Federal Palace façade, the decision exposes how cross border censorship and institutional self censorship can silence exiled communities, even inside Europe’s supposedly safe democratic spaces.
How US Retreat and Norway’s Engagement Shape the Future of Artistic and Digital Freedom
COMMENTARY: The Trump administration’s withdrawal from key digital‑rights and cultural‑governance bodies exposes a sharp clash of political visions. On one side, the United States casts multilateral institutions as vehicles of “global governance” and “progressive ideology” that threaten national sovereignty. On the other, Norway treats the very same organizations as essential infrastructure for protecting human rights, artistic freedom and cultural heritage.
Russia's Escalating Assault on Artistic Freedom (2022-2026)
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.
Kazakhstan: Artists Turn Harassment Into a Warning Signal
Kazakhstan is tightening legal pressure on artists, comedians and satirists, using “petty hooliganism,” “incitement of hatred” and new “LGBTI propaganda” provisions to police creative work. Recent cases against a rapper, stand‑up comics, a choreographer and a satirical blogger have turned social media into an early‑warning system, as artists frame each arrest as part of a broader crackdown.
Policing Culture in Kano, Nigeria’s North
Nigeria: Over the past year, Kano State's Film and Video Censorship Board has emerged as one of West Africa's most assertive cultural regulators. In May 2025, it suspended 22 popular Hausa-language drama series including Labarina and Dadin Kowa, barring all broadcast and streaming. The Board also banned singer Usman "Sojaboy" and actresses Shamsiyya Muhammad and Samha Inuwa on moral grounds, while closing eight entertainment centres and restricting Islamic musical debates. These actions reveal how sub-national authorities reshape artistic ecosystems through enforcement of Sharia-aligned cultural policy—while clashing with Nigeria's federal broadcasting regulator.
“March for Justice”: Youth Movement Demands Accountability for Sharif Osman Hadi's Killing
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
Iran's Artist Uprising: From Visible Icons to Strategic Silence
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.
