Action-Alerts on freeDimensional

Statement by Palestinian performing arts organizations

Sun, 20 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0000

17 July, 2014

We, cultural workers representing the majority of Palestinian performing art organizations, condemn the current Israeli attack and aggression on Gaza, and the indiscriminate killing and maiming of mainly civilians, among them many children and women.

As artists, the most powerful weapon we have is our ability to play, dream and imagine. The oppressive forces fear this weapon because as long as we are able to imagine another kind of reality, we have the power to pursue it – a free and just Palestine.

Letter to Moroccan Minister of Justice re: musician Mouad Belghouate

Mon, 07 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Open Letter to the Moroccan Minister of Justice and Liberties El Mustapha Ramid on the Four-month Sentence Against Musician Mouad Belghouate (aka El Haqed)

7 July 2014
Mr El Mustapha Ramid
Minister of Justice and Liberties
Ministère de la Justice et des libertés Place El Mamounia – BP 1015
Rabat
Morocco
Fax:+212 537 73 47 25
We the undersigned organisations committed to the defence of the rights to freedom of expression, culture and the arts, condemn the four-month sentence served against musician Mouad Belghouate (aka El Haqed) following a trial that fell short of international standards. We are concerned that the sentence has been given in retribution for his involvement in Morocco’s pro-democracy movement, and specifically his condemnation of corruption and police violence through his music.

To send letters of support for Moroccan musician Mouad (El Haqed)

Mon, 07 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0000

If you would like to send support letters to the Moroccan musician, Mouad Belghouate (aka El Haqed), please note:

- keep messages short with simple message wishing El Haqed well and that he will soon be free.
- no political or religious comment or images ( tourist cards are appreciated….)
- Give return address/email.

Send to:

Mouad Belghouate

Prison local Oukacha

Quartier Oukacha

20 580 Casablanca, Morocco

Salvadorian performance artist faces prison for eating his ballot card : petition launched in his defence

Fri, 28 Mar 2014 00:00:00 +0000

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/El_Salvador_Legal_Authorities_Keep_Victor_Rodriguez_out_of_jail/?fbss

Víctor “Crack” Rodríguez is facing up to six years in prison for a performance piece. After the general election in El Salvador that split the winning left party from the right by a margin of less than 1% percent, tensions in the country are high, especially amongst the nation’s community of artists, who are rallying to defend Rodríguez, one of San Salvador’s celebrated contemporary artists.

On March 9th, 2014 Rodriguez walked in to a ballot station and announced, “this is an artist action,” then proceeded to eat half of his ballot in front of polling station onlookers before casting the remaining half. A video of the artist’s performance went viral. But the situation quickly turned ugly as the Salvadoran legal system reacted, accusing the artist of electoral fraud — a criminal offence punishable by up to six years in prison.

Zunar vs. the police and Malaysian government

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Statement from Malaysia political cartoonist, Zunar. Zunar vs the police and the Malaysian government (Unlawful Detention under The Sedition Act): An appeal at the Appellate Court on the 18th June 2013

The Appellate Court has set 18th of June to hear my appeal on the decision of the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s ruling regarding detention of me under the Sedition Act three years ago.

In his ruling on July last year, the Kuala Lumpur High Court Judge Justice Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera rules that the detention was lawful, even though in the other part of the judgment the court had instructed the police to return all my books and drawing and pay the damages.

Attention! Turkish democracy needs you!

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0000

After a series of peaceful demonstrations for preserving a recreational area in Istanbul city centre, which is planned to be demolished for the construction of a shopping mall, Turkish police attacked the protesters at 05:00am on Friday morning violently with tear gas and water cannon, directly targeting their faces and bodies. Dozens of protesters are wounded and are being treated by doctors outside hospitals as they are not welcome there or are not able to reach the Emergency Rooms. Some are even reported dead.

A political refugee returns to his small village in West Africa to build a community radio station that educates and inspires

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Radio Taboo is a development project and documentary film about Issa Nyaphaga, a political journalist in exile returning to his small village in West Africa to build a community radio station to educate his community about subjects that are often too taboo to talk about. Issa was a journalist in Cameroon in the 1990s where he was jailed and tortured for his political cartoons. He is now heading back to his village in Cameroon to build a community radio station to educate villagers about Public health, environmental issues, women’s issues and rights of gay and HIV infected people. Nditam, his village, has no running water, no electricity, no schools or hospitals and no public news service. The film follows his struggle to raise funds, get the materials, gather manpower, build the station, train citizen journalists and make the station work for the betterment of his community. It will be an adventure to travel with Issa as he fights against all odds to create this amazing project. The radio station will run on renewable energy and will feature citizen journalists reporting on local issues to 1 million people in the remote rainforest of Cameroon.

Host an Occupier Now !

Sun, 16 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +0000

fD Board members Martin Rosengaard and Todd Lester have partnered with the S17 Support Group to set up a hosting system in New York city for Occupy Wall Street’s one-year anniversary weekend: Host an Occupier.

The Anniversary of Occupy Wall Street is upon us. Organizing work is nearly complete as cities across the country and the world prepare to celebrate the progress of our first year in the fight for economic justice. A “Festival des Indignées” is being planned in Paris. An “Open Knowledge Festival” kicks off in Helsinki, Finland.

Urgent Call to Action: Free Zakaria Zubeidi !

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +0000

On the 9th of September Zakaria Zubeidi announced that he will embark on a death fast, a complete food and fluid strike, in response to the continuous postponement of his release from Palestinian Authority prison. This effectively means that unless the Palestinian Authority releases Zakaria he will most probably not make it through the week.

Zubeidi, co-founder of The Freedom Theatre and former leader of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, has been imprisoned by the Palestinian Authority for close to four months. No charges have been made against him, no evidence presented and throughout his imprisonment his rights have been severely violated, as described by among others Human Rights Watch (http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/07/27/israelpalestinian-authority-theater-group-hit-both-sides).

Call for the release of filmmaker Orwa Nyrabia by the Syrian authorities

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Syrian filmmaker and producer Orwa Nyrabia was arrested in Damascus International Airport while traveling to Cairo at noon on Thursday, August 23rd, 2012. Nyrabia’s family still have no information about the reasons for his detention and his whereabouts are still unknown. freeDimensional joins the Nyrabia family and the international community calling for the immediate release of our friend and colleague Orwa Nyrabia.

Nyrabia graduated from the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in Damascus in 1999. He participated at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004 for his lead-role in the film “The Gate of the Sun” by Yousry Nasrallah which was based on the Lebanese Elias Khoury’s novel.

Statement by Malaysian Political Cartoonist, Zunar: "MALAYSIA BANS CARTOONS DURING THE ELECTION, BUT I WILL DEFY THE RULING!"

Sun, 10 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0000

STATEMENT:

I would like to refer to the ruling made by the Election Commission of Malaysia which bans the use of cartoons in the campaigns for the up-coming General Election. (General election’s date in Malaysia can only be decided by the Prime Minister, but must be called before the current term ends in March 2013).

The banning of cartoons during the election is comical and ludicrous. This is because cartooning is a legally-practiced medium in Malaysia and therefore the Commission does not have the right to forbid its use. Moreover, this is contradicting to the freedom of expression as provided to all citizens in Malaysian Constitution.

Artistic Director of the Jenin Freedom Theatre taken by Israeli Army

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Press Release by The Freedom Theatre, June 6, 2012

At approximately 03:15 am this morning the Israeli army entered the home of Nabil Al-Raee, Artistic Director of The Freedom Theatre, and took him to an unknown location.

Nabil’s wife, Micaela Miranda explains what happened: “The dog started barking so I went outside and saw soldiers jumping over the gate and come into the yard of the house. They asked for my husband and I asked what for, that it’s my right to know and it’s my house. The soldiers replied that they were not going to tell me. They then took Nabil, brought him to an army jeep and drove off. We are very worried because we don’t know where they took him and why.”

Burmese artists detained in Mandalay

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Seven Burmese performance artists will face charges in a Mandalay court on Thursday after they allegedly broke an obscure law last week by performing in public with five foreigners who were subsequently deported.

Officials from Mandalay’s Police Station No. 2 charged the seven artists on Tuesday with violating Section 11 of the 1964 Library, Museum and Exhibition Monitoring Act for performing near the north side of Mandalay’s moat on May 24.

Press alert: Music Freedom Day - Saturday 3 March

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Press alert: Music Freedom Day - a global manifestation for freedom of expression for musicians on Saturday 3 March

In 48 hours, on this Saturday, the annual Music Freedom Day is marked with events, seminars, exhibitions, film shows, radio programmes and news paper articles on freedom of expression for musicians and composers all over the world.

List and programmes of events Events are currently being prepared in 19 countries: Activities on Music Freedom Day 2012

Urgent Petition: Justice for Victor Leiva !

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Dear friends,

On the 2nd February 2011 our friend Víctor Leiva, known as “el Mono”, left the cultural center where he was taking dance classes. Moments later a firearm cut his life short.

Víctor was 24 years old when he was murdered. He was an http://www.gooakley.com/ artist and human rights defender, focusing particularly on the rights of young people, with whom he also worked.

This deplorable act of violence was condemned by civil society and national and international human rights organizations. A letter sent to Guatemala’s Public Prosecutor on the 2nd August 2011, marking six months since his death and requesting the prompt investigation of his murder, was signed by 44 organizations and over 400 individuals from 26 countries.

Malaysia: Political satirist takes government to court over ‘Cartoon-O-Phobia’

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

****Kuala Lumpur 18.01.12: Celebrated Malaysian political cartoonist Zunar (née Zulkifli Anwar Ulhaque) appeared at the Kuala Lumpur High Court today for the first hearing of a civil suit brought by himself against the government and the police, in which he challenges them for his wrongful arrest and detention in September 2010.

Represented by the group Lawyers for Liberty, Zunar is seeking the return of confiscated property as well as aggravated losses and damages incurred in the incident which took place on 24 September 2010. That night, hours before the launch of http://www.troakley.com/ Zunar’s latest compilation of political cartoons titled ‘Cartoon-O-Phobia’, the police raided the artist’s office in Kuala Lumpur, seized all copies of the book and arrested him for sedition.

Jenin Freedom Theatre Director Zakaria Zubeidi back on Israel's wanted list

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Zakaria Zbeidi, the former commander of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in Jenin who was pardoned by Israel two years ago, has been added to Israel’s wanted list again.

In recent days, Palestinian security services informed Zbeidi that upon Israel’s request, he must remain in the Palestinian Authority’s detention facilities during all hours of the day and night, otherwise Israel will arrest him.

Zbeidi confirmed the report to Haaretz, yet cheap oakley said he did not know why the pardon was rescinded. Last week, Palestinian security forces arrested one of Zbeidi’s brothers, along with one of the workers at Jenin’s Freedom Theater, which Zbeidi directs.

Stop the persecution of Bahraini artists and intellectuals!

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

fD joins Trans Europe Halles, Freemuse and the International Coalition of Arts, Human Rights and Social Justice in denouncing the continued persecution of Bahraini artists and intellectuals. Since the popular uprisings began this past spring, several hundred culture workers have faced threats, harassment, loss of job, torture and imprisonment.

Several weeks ago we submitted a letter in support of Bahraini culture workers to the Ministry of Culture, to which we have received no response. In our letter, we expressed concern “that some artists and intellectuals in Bahrain may be in danger of losing their capacity to foster healthy and http://www.usofacomputers.com productive international exchange between Bahrain and other countries, due to recent infringement of human and cultural rights in Bahrain.” We further admonished that in light of Manama being named 2012 Arab Capital of Culture, continued persecution of artists and intellectuals would garner significant, negative international attention.

Iranian actress, Marzieh Vafamehr, sentenced to 90 lashes and one year in jail

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

According to an opposition website [www.kalameh.com] and as reported on 10 October 2011 by the Associated Press, Iranian actress Marzieh Vafamehr, wife of film director and screenwriter Nasser Taghvai, has been sentenced to one year in jail and 90 lashes for Ray Ban outlet appearing in a movie critical of the Islamic republic’s hard-line policies.

Vafamehr was arrested the first week of July 2011 in Tehran and was held in detention until 25 July 2011 when she was released on bail.

Hadi al-Medhi, Iraqi journalist and theater director, killed on September 8

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Hadi al-Medhi, one of the main organizers of a mass demonstration on September 9, was found assassinated in his home one day prior. Hadi, an outspoken critic of government corruption and the denial of basic rights, had experienced threats, kidnapping and torture earlier this year. On February 25, after participating in the ‘Day of Rage’ protests in Tahrir Square in Baghdad, Hadi along with three of his friends were beaten and kidnapped by nearly 15 soldiers. He told Amnesty International that he was taken to a detention center located in a former building of the defense cheap oakley ministry, where he was beaten, electrocuted and threatened with rape. He was released in the early morning hours of February 26.

Israeli Special Forces Raid on Jenin Freedom Theater

Sat, 30 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Special Forces of the Israeli Army attacked the Freedom Theater in Jenin Refugee Camp at approximately 3:30 Wednesday morning. Ahmad Nasser Matahen, a night guard and technician student at the theater woke up by heavy blocks of stone being hurled at the entrance of the theater. As he opened the door he found masked and heavily armed Israeli Special Forces around the theater. Matahen said that the army threw heavy blocks of stone at the theater.

Argentinian musician, Facundo Cabral, assassinated in Guatemala

Sat, 09 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

El músico argentino murió en un ataque perpetrado por un grupo armado mientras se trasladaba a bordo de una camioneta por el bulevar Liberación, de la capital del país. 25 impactos de bala recibió su vehículo cuando se dirigía al Aeropuerto La Aurora, luego de una semana de presentaciones El cantante argentino Facundo Cabral fue asesinado http://www.gooakley.com/ en la capital guatemalteca la madrugada de hoy por un grupo armado, en el momento que se trasladaba al Aeropuerto La Aurora a bordo de una camioneta. 25 impactos de bala recibió su vehículo, que terminó dentro del cuartel de bomberos de la ciudad, donde el piloto trató de refugiarse. El periodista Erwin Dávila, director de prensa de TGW Radio Nacional de Guatemala, sostuvo en Radio 10 que se trató de un “atentado” y aclaró que “no fue un robo más”. Los hechos ocurrieron sobre las 5:20 horas (local, 11:20 GMT). El vocero del gobierno, Ronaldo Robles, condenó y lamentó el hecho, y afirmó que las fuerzas de seguridad, por instrucciones del presidente Álvaro Colom, ya iniciaron las investigaciones para esclarecer “lo más inmediatamente posible” lo cheap oakley ocurrido. Cabral había salido de un hotel donde se hospedaba y se dirigía al aeropuerto para abandonar la ciudad. Estaba acompañado por otra persona que también fue herida de bala, aunque se desconoce su estado de salud.

Artists speak out on conditions in Belarus & Iran

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Chronicler of Iran’s Green Movement, cartoonist Kianoush Ramezani speaks out on the hunger strike by political prisoners in Iran (see video), and Nikolai Khalezin, co-founder of Belarus Free Theater writes The Last Letter to Sasha, an open letter to President Aleksandr Lukashenko.

Ai Weiwei released; colleagues still detained

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000

BEIJING — China said Thursday that dissident artist Ai Weiwei, who was released from jail a day earlier, remained under investigation and would be prohibited from leaving Beijing for at least the next year as a condition of his bail. “Ai Weiwei is still under investigation,” Hong Lei, the foreign ministry spokesman, told a regularly scheduled news briefing. “He is not allowed to leave his area of residence.” Lei said the “area of residence” referred to Beijing, and that Ai was not being placed under house arrest.

A training for supporting culture workers in distress

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000

From July 15-20, freeDimensional is training 12 knowledge workers from around the world on our resource mapping methodology for supporting artists whose activist work puts them in danger. If you know someone well-suited for this role, please share our Case Consultant Terms of Reference. We will be hosted by the Breuninger Stiftung on their Wasan Island conference facility in the Muskoka Lakes of Ontario, Canada. The event is made possible through the expertise and financial support of partners such as Latin American Network of Art for Social Transformation and Arts Network Asia.

Arts educator & eco-activist assassinated in Brazil

Sat, 04 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Maria do Espírito Santo and her husband, José Cláudio Ribeiro da Silva fought against illegal loggers and had received death threats but were refused police protection. They were killed in an ambush near their home in Nova Ipixuna, in Pará state on May 23, 2011. In a speech at a TEDx event in Manaus, in November, Da Silva spoke of his fears that loggers would try to silence them. “I could be here today talking to you and in one month you will get the news that I disappeared. I will protect the forest at all costs. That is why I could get a bullet in my head at any moment … because I denounce the loggers and charcoal Ray Ban outlet producers, and that is why they think I cannot exist. [People] ask me, ‘are you afraid?’ Yes, I’m a human being, of course I am afraid. But my fear does not silence me. As long as I have the strength to walk I will denounce all of those who damage the forest.”

MEMORIAM: Juliano Mer-Khamis, inspiration and co-founder of The Freedom Theatre in Jenin Refugee Camp, murdered

Fri, 08 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The following account is taken from the website of The Freedom Theatre – On the 4th of April 2011, at 16:00 outside the entrance to The Freedom Theatre in Jenin Refugee Camp, a traitor’s hand shot and killed the Palestinian thinker Juliano Mer-Khamis whilst he was driving home with his baby son and babysitter. Juliano was shot in his head and died in a few instants, the remains of the Ray Ban outlet bullet lodged in the babysitters arm. Juliano Mer-Khamis, actor, director, filmmaker and cultural activist, son of Arna Mer and Saliba Khamis, was one of the founders of The Freedom Theatre in Jenin Refugee Camp in 2006. All his life Juliano longed to fight against occupation using the arts as a model of social change. The people in the camp condemn what happened and have called it “a coward’s act”.

CHINA - Ai Weiwei imprisoned

Wed, 06 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Some weeks ago, we broadcast news of well-known artist and activist, Ai Weiwei’s studio being demolished. Fearing an uprising like those sweeping the Middle East and North Africa, the Chinese government Ray Ban outlet recently detained Ai Weiwei and now the government has virtually deleted him from the Chinese internet. AccessNow is building up a petition on his behalf; click here to sign the petition and learn about other steps you can take to let the Chinese government know that we are watching their actions.

Sale of Emiko Kasahara's limited print to benefit Japanese organization, Children without Borders

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000

To gather support for children who lost their parents in the earthquake and tsunami, artist Emiko Kasahara is collaborating with Japanese NGO Kokkyo naki Kodomotachi (Children without border ) by offering a print of “Maria & Eve –loop-” as a gift to people making donationas of $150 or more to the organization. Kokkyo naki Kodomotachi (KnK) is a humanitarian educational association founded to support disadvantaged youth in Asia and raise international awareness, particularly in Japan, of the situation of those underprivileged children. KnK was established in 1997 to support educational activities throughout Asia.

March 2nd Conference Call on Democracy Movements in Egypt, the Middle East & North Africa

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The Arts & Democracy Project (with moderators Andrea Assaf and fD founder Todd Lester) invites you to join a nation-wide conference call discussing the role of arts and culture in the extraordinary people’s movements in Egypt and Libya and the protests for democracy sweeping across North Africa and the Middle East. Gain insights on Arab and Arab-American perspectives, and learn about how artists and cultural organizers in the Cheap NFL Jerseys region and in the U.S. are participating and responding. The call features Dalia Basiouny, writer & theatre artist (Egypt); Ahmed Issawi, Alwan for the Arts (NYC); and Khaled Mattawa, poet & professor (Michigan). Wednesday, March 2, 12:00pm EST/9:00am PST. RSVP for the call-in number at rsvp@artsanddemocracy.org

Condemning the assassination of our compañero, artist and social animator Victor Leiva

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Youth and Human Rights Organizations express their anguish at the murder of Victor Aroldo Leiva Borrayo on February 2, 2011:

The life and projects of Víctor Antonio Leiva “Mono” were brought to an abrupt end when on 2nd of February he was murdered in the Historical Centre of Guatemala City where in recent years he walked and shared so much of himself. Víctor, only 24 years of age, was a young artist who was a member of Colectivo Caja Lúdica for several years. As facilitator and activist dedicated to community arts, his work brought him the appreciation and love of his working partners. This killing adds to the 3000+ (over three thousand) crimes perpetrated during the year http://www.gooakley.com/ against youth including amongst the victims young artists, spiritual leaders, community leaders, human rights activists, free thinkers and free creators. The victims are those who due to their way of thinking, dressing and expressing themselves are stigmatized by the authorities and society. Their cases are forgotten by the authorities who make no attempt to solve the case or bring to justice those responsible. Even members of those institutions are part of the “organized crime” therefore a vast number of crimes are treated as revenge between delinquent groups; the investigations then, are disallowed. As a result cases are abandoned with total impunity. The characteristics of this case replicate the modus operandi used by the illegal and clandestine apparatus linked to the security system which, with total impunity, act against youth; extra-judiciary acts form part of the genocide directed at Guatemalan youth nowadays. Unidentified vehicles, large calibre weapons, more than one person involved, delayed action by the authorities who show at the crime scene are some of the elements that characterize this and many other events of this kind. Death walks its painful blow for the country that tragically suffers the loss of its youth with impotence facing silence, injustice and impunity.

February 18 Elections in Uganda // Honoring slain school teacher & LGBT activist David Kato

Sat, 05 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000

On February 18th there are both presidential and parliamentary elections in Uganda. If you know of someone who is running for a parliamentary seat, ask them to support the human rights of the LGBT community in Uganda! If you want to voice your support for Brenda Namigadde not being deported from the UK back to Uganda, get involved with the AllOut campaign on her behalf!!

On January 26th, David Kato, a school teacher and leading gay rights activist whose photo was printed on the front page of a Ugandan newspaper that called for homosexuals to be hanged was bludgeoned to death at his home near Kampala, reports Human Rights Watch and ARTICLE 19. His death came just three weeks after winning a court case against the Ugandan tabloid “Rolling Stone”. The Supreme http://www.raybani.com/ Court ruled that “Rolling Stone” violated Kato and others’ right to privacy. The victory prevented the paper from repeating stories similar to one in October that had a “Hang Them” headline, alongside pictures, names and residential addresses of members of the gay community. Read the full article on IFEX and David’s obituary on the BBC. In London, news of David’s death slowed the deportation of Brenda Namigadde, an out lesbian who was refused political asylum. Learn more about the UK’s Asylum & Immigration Tribunal here. Quoting Brian Whitaker’s article What in the World? in the April 2009 Gay Times:

Singer & Kurdish spokesperson Ferhat Tunç gets 25 day prison sentence just before Music Freedom Day '11

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Turkey continues to prosecute its intellectuals and artists. At a concert in 2006 Ferhat Tunç praised 17 people who died in a military operation against the illegal Ray Ban outlet Maoist Communist Party two years earlier in 2004. Some of those killed were friends of the singer, who frequently talks about the necessity of creating peace and granting Turkish minorities equal cultural and political rights. The Public Prosecutor claimed that the song entitled “17 lives” performed by the singer “praised crime and a criminal”. While Tunç did not attend the hearing on Thursday (27 January 2011), his lawyer Osman Süzen claimed that the speech and the song performed at the Nazımiye Düzgün Baba Festival did not constitute any criminal offence. Tunç commented, “It is rather thought-provoking that an artistis punished because of his speeches and that a folk song he performed is used as evidence against him in a country that is said to be democratic”. He added that he was going to apply to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) with this “document of shame”. To learn more about this case, visit FREEMUSE, the world’s leading organization advocating freedom of expression for musicians. Also, don’t forget Ferhat and other musicians taking a stand for marginalized communities on March 3, Music Freedom Day, a time to celebrate musical expression worldwide.

Egypt, the Distance between Populism & Revolt

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000

It is 2200 kilometers from Cairo to Budapest; 2090 kilometers from Cairo to Tunis; and only 1396 kilometers from Tunis to Budapest. Whereas the revolt in Tunis has inspired other North African uprisings, it is fair to ask why the the media played an Ray Ban outlet enabler for Tunisia while being collectively ambivalent on similar conditions in Egypt. A friend of freeDimensional and artist in Cairo wrote to say that ‘yesterday was the most significant day of my life’ referring to a street protest (pictured in at bottom right) he participated in on Tuesday, January 25. Twitter is down reports Laura Flanders and we’re all wondering why Obama didn’t add the word Egypt when he spoke of the fight for democracy in Tunisia in his State of the Union address. Is Tunisia - smaller, not as strategically-situated, and practically jutting across Europe’s frontier - a safer expenditure of newsprint and airwaves? Take Hungary for example - the current seat of the European Union presidency - where the “national public media is being concentrated, slimmed down and is now managed by government appointees.” The same BBC article reports that “Prime Minister Viktor Orban has sought to defuse the crisis by accepting that EU legal experts will now go through the new legislation with a fine-toothed comb.” Can the west’s support of Tunisia hold water if support is not also given to the protestors in Egypt. When the EU shows signs of tolerating rightwing populism (e.g. Hungary) – and with a new enough legal system that related populism across Europe can inform interpretation at the macro-level – can we also expect that Europe’s immigration concerns and their depiction in the http://www.raybanoutletit.com/ media will take primacy over aspirations for democracy just across the Mediterranean?

Theatre actors imprisoned in Zimbabwe

Sat, 08 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The cast of Rituals a sequel to the play Heal the Wound (2009) which dealt with the wounds of the political violence in Zimbabwe’s harmonized general elections of 2008, was arrested in the city of Mutare, Zimbabwe where they are currently touring. In an interview last night, Daves Ray Ban outlet Guzha the Producer of the play said that “it is unfortunate that the police arrested the cast when the play was cleared by the censorship board.” Guzha and the Lawyers for Human Rights group are working together to facilitate their release. Due to this incident and other repressive acts, the Zimbabwe Theatre Association (ZiTA), Bulawayo Arts Forum (BAF), Visual Art Association Bulawayo (VAAB), Savanna Arts Trust, Global Arts Trust, the Nhimbe Trust and Homegrown Arts have joined to create a new alliance called the Coalition against Censorship Zimbabwe (CACZ). CACZ seeks to: Educate and empower art creators, promoters and consumers to defend the freedom to create; Monitor, document and issue Alerts on current censorship issues and violations on free creative expression; Inform and influence judicial opinions, policy and legislation impacting on freedom of creative expression; and Provide educational resources, training and legal aid to individuals and http://www.jovencitosconcamara.com cultural organizations responding to incidencies of artistic censorship.

Human Rights Day 2010

Thu, 09 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Over this Human Rights Day weekend, freeDimensional will be participating in the International Institute of Humanitarian Law’s Workshop on the Protection of Cultural Property in Armed Conflict. The debate on how to protect cultural property was amplified after the pillaging of Baghdad’s museums following the attack on that city. freeDimensional enters the discussion with the point of view that some of the same conditions which allowed destruction of cultural property in Baghdad were those that adversely affected (or rendered invisible) the city’s artists and culture workers during Ray Ban outlet wartime. In the words of Mary Ann DeVlieg, Secretary General of the International Network for Contemporary Performing Arts, “The arts are about looking, critically reflecting and offering a fresh perspective on society. Everyone has the right to express his or her artistic observations, as well as to have access to the means of producing and disseminating them. Yet artists - who also often portray human motivations - can be particularly vulnerable to repressive groups or regimes afraid of this diversity of opinion. As we reaffirm our commitment to universal values and a democracy based on respect, we need to support the often silenced voices of artists.” On Human Rights Day 2010, freeDimensional seeks to highlight the role of the artist in protecting human rights, their communities, and the cultural institutions they have built, sustained, depended on and (at times) challenged.

Free Belarus - Literary & Human Rights organizations campaign together in weeks before election

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Founded in 2005 by a husband-wife team, the Belarus Free Theatre is the only unregistered - thus independent and therefore illegal - dramatic troupe in this post-communist country. Effectively banned at home, BFT’s performances have taken on an underground Magliette Calcio A Poco Prezzo existence, with audiences alerted via text message or e-mail. Its covert and uncensored performances have drawn international acclaim. In the buffer-state between the rest of Europe and Russia, ruled by President Alexandr Lukashenko since 1994, the BFT provides a rare voice of dissent in what is being called Europe’s last dictatorship. This November in a show of solidarity, theaters around the US will host readings of co-founder Nikolai Khalesin’s play, Thanksgiving Day organized by Mischief + Mayhem Books in cahoots with freeDimensional, Art & Democracy Bridge Conversations, and the World Policy Institute in order to raise awareness on the situation in Belarus in the weeks before its next election. Read DW Gibson’s ‘Free Belarus’: An Introduction in the Mischief + Mayhem’s online magazine, Wild Rag. See the press release for ‘Free Belarus’ Thanksgiving Day readings all over the US.

freeDimensional Evolving

Tue, 05 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0000

freeDimensional has been making some big changes - including this new website. Welcome!

Also, here’s an action alert where we could use your help: Georgian poets Shota Gagarin and Alex Chigvinadze were arrested for reading Walt Whitman poetry on George W. Bush street in Tbilisi. This was on August 14. Today they face the danger of being arrested again. As these guys figure out their next steps, you can help!

If you want to donate, please say ‘Alex and Shota’ in the topic line of your donation: