A sentence handed to an Iranian cartoonist may be quashed after the MP who brought the case withdrew his complaint. Mahmoud Shokraye faced 25 lashes after local conservative MP Ahmad Lotfi Ashtiani took offence at a caricature the artist had drawn. Shokraye was found guilty of insulting Ashtiani at a media law court in Arak last week. The sentence caused outcry internationally and within Iran, forcing the MP to withdraw his complaint.
An Iranian cartoonist has been sentenced to 25 lashes after drawing a caricature of a MP. Cartoonist Mahmoud Shokraye depicted local conservative MP Ahmad Lotfi Ashtiani dressed as a footballer. Iranian politicians were recently criticised for interfering in sports in the country. The politician took offence at the cartoon and sued the artist for insulting him, resulting in a Markazi province court sentencing Shokraye to lashing. Many have taken to social media to express their outrage at the sentence.
Recognising artists, filmmakers and writers whose work asserts artistic freedom and battles against repression and injustice
Accepting the award Ali Ferzat said:
Artists are an integral part of any popular revolt. Their work encourages people to participate and take part in the revolution. Artists come from among the people and express their hopes, dreams and struggles.
When an artist becomes the living conscience of his people, he assumes an immense responsibility: everyone looks up to him. The artist needs to keep a compass in his heart and mind to be faithful to his people’s needs. That compass is the affection people have for the artist and the fact they trust him to deliver their human and national message to the world.
For any artist, his compass should be the degree to which people accept and identify with his work, the extent to which he is considered their living conscience; a lamplighter who shines a light on love, humanity and freedom when times are dark and difficult.
Artists know they are following the correct track when the international community and organisations honour their work and acknowledge it, they know they are on the right path towards love, peace and freedom.
Click here to see the full shortlist for the Arts Award
A cartoonist is facing trial for a caricature in which he renounces God. Turkish cartoonist Bahadır Baruter created an image showing an imam and believers praying in a mosque, with one believer on his mobile phone, asking God to excuse him from the last part of the prayer to run errands. The Istanbul chief public prosecutor’s office charged Baruter with “insulting the religious values adopted by a part of the population” and requested that he be imprisoned for one year. The cartoon, which was published in the weekly Penguen magazine, included the words ”There is no Allah, religion is a lie”, hidden in the image.
The chief executive officer and managing director of Business Summit Review was detained on January 11 after the magazine ran a cover cartoon depicting Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni slicing up a cake in celebration of 48 years of Uganda’s independence. Mustapha Mugisa was released a few hours after his arrest but faces charges of political offence.
South African president, Jacob Zuma has filed a $440,000 defamation lawsuit over a cartoon depicting him as a rapist of the justice system. The cartoon, published in 2008 by South Africa’s Sunday Times, depicts Zuma pulling his trousers down and about to rape a woman symbolising the justice system, aided by allies. One of Zuma’s allies depicted in the cartoon, filed a complaint about the cartoon before South Africa’s Human Rights Commission in 2008, however the commission concluded that the cartoon did not violate Zuma’s constitutional right to dignity or constitute hate speech.
Prominent Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki has placed the cartoonist responsible for the Everybody Draw Mohammed Day campaign on an hit list. Writing in English language Al Qaeda magazine Inspire, New Mexico born al-Awlaki branded Molly Norris a blasphemer and declared that she “does not deserve life, does not deserve to breathe the air”. In April 2010, Norris started a Facebook group encouraging people to draw Mohammed, in retaliation to Comedy Central’s decision to edit South Park’s depiction of the Islamic prophet, which resulted in Pakistan blocking the social networking site. The FBI has warned Norris of what they consider to be “a very serious threat”.
The Dutch public prosecutor will challenge an April court ruling which acquitted a Muslim group of insulting Jews by publishing a cartoon denying the holocaust. The public prosecutor said yesterday the appeal was necessary to establish whether the cartoon added to public discussion or was “exceptionally offensive”. The Arab European League claims it was highlighting free speech double standards following the row over publication of cartoons featuring the prophet Mohammed.
