The artist’s wife, former British ambassador Vicky Bowman, was also detained amid a crackdown on pro-democracy activists.
human rights
Posted inArt
Thinking About the Intersection Between Human Rights and the Arts
“We want to look at a community level that’s rarely taken seriously in academia or in the art world.”
Posted inIn Brief
Russian Artist Faces Six Years in Jail for Pro-LGBTQ Social Media Posts
After sharing feminist and LGBTQ-friendly art on social media, 26-year-old theater director Yulia Tsvetkova has been placed under house arrest, fined, and accused of distributing “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations among minors.”
Posted inIn Brief
Turkish President Erdoğan Plans Museum Devoted to Failed 2016 Coup
The Museum of the 15 July: Martyrs and Democracy is expected to open in late 2018 on the outskirts of Ankara.
Posted inIn Brief
Two Imprisoned Iranian Artists Pen Letter of Protest
“We urge all artists from around the world to show their protest and criticism against all of this,” artists and brothers Hossein Rajabian and Mehdi Rajabian wrote in a letter from Iran’s notorious Evin Prison.
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Iran Forces Jailed Artist to Undergo Virginity and Pregnancy Tests [UPDATED]
The Iranian artist sentenced to 12 years and nine months in prison for her satirical cartoons critical of the Iranian government was forced to repeatedly undergo virginity and pregnancy tests last year.
Posted inNews
Cartoonist Pronounced Dead, Believed Murdered by Syrian Regime
According to Souriatnapress, Akram Raslan died in the spring of 2013 while in the custody of the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
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New Fund Aims to Help Persecuted Artists
On Tuesday, the Institute of International Education announced a three-year pilot program that will provide artists “who face persecution in their home countries” with fellowships at universities and art centers “in countries where they can safely continue their work.”
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A Virtual Quilt of Remembrance for Mexico’s Murdered Students
Last November, news from Mexico about the 43 missing students from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers’ College in Guerrero captured international attention.
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Human Rights Watch Releases Damning Report on Labor Conditions in Abu Dhabi [UPDATED]
Today Human Rights Watch (HRW) released its third report on violations of the rights of migrant workers on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, where the Guggenheim and Louvre museums are planning outposts and New York University is planning a campus.
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Close-up on Magnum’s New Crop of Emerging Human Rights Photographers
The Magnum Foundation announced its 2015 Human Rights Fellows last month. The goal is to provide a development platform for “young and emerging photographers, journalists, students and/or activists” who “are deeply committed to advancing human rights in their home countries.”
Posted inNews
Art Collective Sues German Politician for Libel: “It Is About Freedom of Art”
The German art collective known as the Center for Political Beauty (CPB) doesn’t mess around.