The Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, Ms. Farida Shaheed, submits the present report in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 19/6.  In this report, the Special Rapporteur addresses the multi-faceted ways in which the right to the freedom indispensable for artistic expression and creativity may be curtailed. She reflects upon the growing worldwide concern that artistic voices have been or are being silenced by various means and in different ways. This report addresses laws and regulations restricting artistic freedoms as well as economic and financial issues significantly impacting on such freedoms. The underlying motivations are most often political, religious, cultural or moral, or lie in economic interests, or are a combination of those.

The Special Rapporteur encourages States to critically review their legislation and practices imposing restrictions on the right to freedom of artistic expression and creativity, taking into consideration their obligations to respect, protect and fulfil this right. The Special Rapporteur notes that more discussion is urgently needed in several areas that she has considered.

The European Commission wants to assess whether the legislation has achieved its objectives. Building on this evaluation, the Commission plans to propose amendments to revise the Visa Code and to further develop and modernise the common visa policy. The revision of the Visa Code is identified as one of the priority initiatives of the Commission’s Work Programme for 2013 in the area of home affairs. The online consultation is open until June 17 for individuals and organisations.

Germany's international broadcaster, Deutsche Welle, recognizes with the German Development Media Awards excellence in human rights and development journalism.The awards are open to journalists from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Middle East as well as from Germany. Outstanding reports can be submitted until May 31, 2013.

artsfreedom.org has published it's first survey presenting a glimpse of the situation for artists worldwide in 2012 and includes cases in more than 50 countries across the fields of dance, film, music, theatre, visual arts and literature (journalists are not included). A total number of 186 cases of attacks on artists and violations of their rights have been registered. The cases include 8 artists being killed, 16 imprisoned, 1 abducted, 5 attacked, 15 threatened, 37 prosecuted and 37 detained, as well as 67 cases of censorship.

The Brown Department of Literary Arts and Thomas J. Watson Institute for International Studies are seeking applications and nominations for the 2013 - 2014 International Writers Project Fellowship. The fellowship provides institutional, intellectual, artistic and social support to writers who face personal danger, oppression, and/or threats to their livelihood in nations throughout the world. Deadline: February 15.

On 18. April 2013 at the Radialsystem V in Berlin the website www.touring-artists.info will be starting up – a portal for issues dealing with international exchange and collaboration worldwide. International experts will discuss the advantages and challenges for this new system of information. New visa regulations and their realization will be addressed. Different founding models will be presented. Experts will be available to answer questions on insurance and other issues regarding the impediments to mobility.

The cultural mobility information network On the Move has published its report based on the training workshop in November, 15th- 16th in Brussels devoted to Schengen visas. This report is a concise document presenting problems, explanations and concrete actions to undertake in order to help improve the conditions for mobile artists traveling across the Schengen borders. The full report (43 pages, English, PDF) can be downloaded here at on the move's website 

The video material from the first world conference on artistic freedom of expression, ‘All that is banned is desired’, held in Oslo, Norway, in October 2012, is now available online – whole sessions as well as interviews with some of the artists and speakers. See the artsfreedom.org website.

The Special Rapporteur’s annual report to the Human Rights Council, to be presented in June 2013, will be devoted to the issue of “The right to artistic freedom”. Fill in the questionnaire!
 

Our partner organisation, the International Association of Theatre Critics AICT/IATC has published a petition to free arrested members of Kabir Kala Manch (KKM). Members of the group were accused by the police of being Naxalites (Maoists). Two are in prison, others hiding. With public performances the group was fighting against caste separation, for workers rights and sustainable development.

ACAR ask you to support the release of the arrested artists by signing the petition.  Additional information about the group and its background are in two online articles in English from Indian newspaper Tehelka and at India Theatre Forum.

Human rights lawyers are now fighting to overturn the ban of “No Voice No Choice” by the Board of Censors of Zimbabwe who last week “prohibited and banned” the play, alleging that its contents were “inciteful and against the spirit of national healing and reconciliation”.

WE ARE ALL PUSSY RIOT - A statement by the Women Playwrights International Conference

During the conference in Oslo, Norway, 25-26 October 2012, obvious cases of censorship will be examined, as well as more hidden mechanisms such as market censorship and political agendas. The conference website, artsfreedom.org is the first of its kind and aims at setting a new standard for the documentation of censorship of artistic freedom of expression. As the conference programme evolves, it will feature presentations of artists and speakers coming to Oslo as well as updates about the conference programme.
Contact: Ole Reitov, Programme Manager, Freemuse; tel.:+45 2323 2765 (mobile), +45 3332 1027 (office); e-mail: ole.reitov@freemuse.org; www.freemuse.org, or
Bente Roalsvig, Project Director, Fritt Ord Foundation; tel.:+47 91613340 (mobile), +47 23014643 (office); e-mail: bente.roalsvig@fritt-ord.no; www.fritt-ord.no

The Guardian (UK), La Stampa (Italy), Gazeta Wyborcza (Poland) and Sueddeutsche Zeitung (Germany) have launched a survey on how the financial crisis is squeezing funding for arts institutions throughout Europe. An online form to be filled out by the readers is feeding an interactive map which shows the extend of culture cuts.

After decades of repression, the Algerian government is again threatening and intimidating artists and intellectuals. Artists in Algeria have made a petition which have been signed by 50 artists.

The Casoria Contemporary Art Museum (CAM) in Naples/Italy is burning artworks from its collection (with the permission of the artists) to protest against budget cuts. Read the CAM art war manifesto below and watch the videos

Hundreds of artists, beating drums, marched through main city streets of Istanbul for protest against recent governmental attempts to take over decision-making at Istanbul City Theaters. These days the Turkish culture policy tries to satisfy the demands from islamistic parties to push back the freedom of artistic expression and use theatre as tool to create a more conservative society. Prime Minister Erdogan suggested that state support for theater should be contingent on stagings that meet state approval.

We received a letter from Turkey, describing the situation. Read more for press articles with additional information and comments. See also a comment by Refik Erduran, theatre director and president of the Turkish ITI centre.

World Theatre Day recognizes the uniqueness of theatre and its universal role for people in all parts of the world, although it often operates under difficult conditions.

This year, Teaterunionen - Swedish ITI focus on the situation in Hungary.

The Guardian published on 26 January an open letter from British actors, directors, playwrights, artistic directors and presidents/general secretaries of several arts organisations calling on the foreign secretary and the international community to put pressure on the Hungarian government to reverse the decision on Új Színház before 1 February:

The Hungarian ITI centre forwarded today a memorandum on creating a European Day of Tolerance.

On the 1. February 2012 the "New Theatre" in Budapest will be transferred to two new directors, both very famous hungarian right wing leaders. This is the reason why many theatre artists and critics started an European initative to protest against the rising intolerance in Europe.

At the Copenhagen Summit on Artistic Freedom of Expression, the undersigned organizations resolved that: There is an urgent necessity to launch an international initiative to protect and promote freedom of artistic and creative expression (in the visual arts, music, dance, film, writers, theatre etc.) with the goal of increasing awarenes...

Recently the ITI General Secretariat circulated a petition regarding pending US legislation regarding anti-piracy. Our staff researched the proposed legislation and developed the statement below in response to our findings. TCG/ITI-US strongly supports artists’ rights and freedom of speech, and we share the following to give you more information about what the US Congress is considering...

Valerie Solanas´ SCUM manifesto is playing at the independent theatre Turteatern just outside Stockholm. The performance, which premiered on November 7, has attracted a lot of attention due to its radical feministic content. In the last couple of weeks, the theatre has received threats and from different directions been urged to stop playing the performance.
 
As a support for Turteatern and the artistic rights of expression, several of Swedish theatres, including the Royal Dramatic Theatre, has organized readings of the play.

Human Rights Watch administers the Hellman/Hammett grant program for writers all around the world who have been victims of political persecution and are in financial need...

Here comes a letter from our friends at the Hungarian ITI about the situation at the Theater Új Színhász  in Budapest, that shocked the theatre world. All theatre professionals in the country are protesting against the appointment of an extremist right wing politician as the new director.

More information about new director and his ideas can be found  in the article The new face of Új Színház in hungarianwatch where you can sign a petition for the freedom of speech in Hungary.

We think that this is a violation of the whole idea of the Diversity of cultures and the spirit of the ITI.  
We feel alarmed at this news and will follow the situation. Please help to spread the news around in your media.

In einem offenen Brief hat sich der Vorstand des ungarischen ITI-Zentrums an die Mitglieder der Weltorganisation gewandt und seine Besorgnis ausgedrückt, dass Führungspositionen in staatlichen Strukturen mit Personen besetzt werden, die für ihre offen rechtsradikalen Überzeugungen bekannt sind.

Again, we see attacks on the artistic freedom by political rights-wing fundamentalists. Here follows a press release from the Théâtre de la Ville in Paris, followed by an e-mail address for support...

Am 15. Juli, als eine der letzten Vorstellungen von Theater der Welt hatte on the concept of the face, regarding the son of god, vol I (Wollen versus Glauben) von Romeo Castelucci in Halle 15 auf Zeche Zollverein in Essen Weltpremiere. „Die Aufführung ist ein Schock“ schrieb die Süddeutsche Zeitung und kam zu dem Schluss: „Die Wucht der Darstellung legitimiert die Aussage.“ Den Rest kann man nachlesen. Ein gutes Jahr und zahlreiche Tourneestationen später sorgt diese Produktion in Paris für tätliche Angriffe auf das Theater durch selbsternannte militante Bekämpfer der „Christianophobie“. Das gastgebende Théâtre de la Ville hat ein Komitee für die Verteidigung der künstlerischen Freiheit gegründet und eine Erklärung veröffentlicht, der sich weltweit Unterstützer angeschlossen haben.