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2012 FREE MUSE LATEST NEWS
Turkey: Grup Yorum members allegedly tortured in custody
A singer and a violinist with the band Grup Yorum claim they were tortured in police custody after they were detained during an unauthorized demonstration in İstanbul
27 September 2012
Cameroon: Singer Lapiro de Mbanga gets asylum in the US
Lapiro de Mbanga, who was imprisoned in Cameroon for three years for a song criticizing President Biya, has been granted asylum in the USA. 13 September 2012
Music & Islam – what’s the big fuss?
In Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Taliban continues to attack musicians and music shops, but what is the position oF music in Islam? 04 September 2012
The case of Pussy Riot – behind the scenes
Summing up: A talk with Freemuse’s Campaign Officer about how Freemuse has worked on the case of Pussy Riot since three members of the band were detained in March 2012. 30 August 2012
Russia: Pussy Riot on everyone’s lips
Pussy Riot’s court case in Moscow placed musical freedom of expression high on the agenda of the Western media during July and August 2012. 23 August 2012
Afghanistan: Religious leaders stopped ‘immoral’ eid celebration concert An eid celebration concert by Shafiq Mureed was cancelled after local mullahs had labelled his music ‘immoral’
22 August 2012
Cuba: Banned exiled singers allegedly stricken from censorship list
The BBC reported on 8 August 2012 that several Cuban radio stations confirm they no longer face restrictions on playing music by exiles
22 August 2012
Iran: Banned Israeli Persian-language album gains popularity
The music of Rita Jahan-Foruz – an Iranian-born, Israel-based singer – is becoming increasingly popular in both Iran and Israel, as tensions grow between the two countries 21 August 2012
Mali: Rose Skelton reports from Bamako: Can musical Mali play on?
Islamism is on the march and threatening to wipe out the country’s cultural heritage, wrote freelance journalist Rose Skelton in British newspaper The Independent. 21 August 2012
After Pussy Riot, artists must stand for each other, everywhere
Commentary by Mark LeVine inspired by the high profile court case of Pussy Riot: The music industry professionals together need to adopt a universal code of conduct. 17 August 2012
Russia: Pussy Riot found guilty and sentenced to two years in prison
On 17 August a judge announced that the members of Pussy Riot are guilty, and that they “deeply insulted the faith of believers with their disrespectful criminal act” 17 August 2012
Iraq: Black Metal’s anti-religious message meets Islam
28-year-old Anahita is the voice behind the black metal solo project Janaza. She is probably Iraq’s first female black metal singer – and possibly the only one. 13 August 2012
Morocco: Popular musicians silent about imprisoned rapper
In Morocco the rapper El Haked is in prison since May 2012 for his highly political lyrics – but so far very few popular musicians are speaking out about this. 08 August 2012
Russia: Prosecutor seeks three years sentence for members of Pussy Riot. On the seventh day of the legal proceedings, the prosecutor called for a three year prison sentence for the three members of the Pussy Riot punk collective. 07 August 2012
China: Danish singer banned by censorship authorities
The Danish singer and rapper Linkoban performed twice in Beijing in July 2012, despite the fact that she had been banned by the Chinese censorship authorities. 02 August 2012
Morocco: Rapper El Haked’s sentence upheld in Casablanca’s court of appeal. On 27 July 2012, the Casablanca court of appeal upheld the one year prison sentence given to the rapper El Haked in May for a song which is ‘detrimental to public servants’. 01 August 2012
Freemuse: Grounds pass to the United Nations The United Nations has granted a ‘Special consultative status’ to Freemuse. 30 July 2012
Russia: Freemuse calls for free and fair trial for Pussy Riot
Freemuse sends appeals to President Vladimir Putin calling for a fair and free trial for the three band members of Pussy Riot who are to remain in detention until January 2013. 30 July 2012
Kyrgyzstan: Court bans rap song for ‘hate speech’. A court in the city of Osh, where violent ethnic clashes claimed hundreds of lives in 2010, has banned an Uzbek-language rap song for inciting hatred
27 July 2012
Angola: Rapper arrested for drug smuggling: ‘I was framed’
On 11 June 2012, Luaty Beirão, a popular Angolan rapper known by the artist name Ikonoklasta, was alledgedly framed by authorites for drug smuggling. 16 July 2012
China: Increased control on music publishing in Tibet. New measures by Chinese authorities involve significantly increased controls in the Tibetan music publishing, reported Human Rights Watch on 13 July 2012. 14 July 2012
Turkey: Dancing to Kurdish music labelled as propaganda for terrorism
Bedrettin Akyüz, 20, is claimed to have spread propaganda for PKK by dancing the halay [a traditional dance] accompanied by Kurdish songs
13 July 2012.
Iran: Cancellation of several pop concerts. A new wave of concert cancellations started from Tehran and has spread throughout the country, reported Small Media from London. 05 July 2012
Lavon Volski. Video interview with Lavon Volski, blacklisted guitarist and vocalist of the band Krambambula from Belarus. 04 July 2012
Afghanistan: Music is making a comeback. Central Asia Online reports: After decades of civil war and the Taliban’s ban on music, Afghanistan is trying to resuscitate music. 04 July 2012
Kenya: Three musicians accused of propagating hate speech
Three popular musicians in Kenya have been accused of propagating hate speech against the prime minister. The National Cohesion and Integration Commission is investigating. 02 July 2012
Turkey: Ferhat Tunç sentenced to two years in prison. A court in the eastern province of Malatya sentenced the Kurdish singer on terrorism related charges due to his invocation during a speech he held in 2011. 27 June 2012
Russia: Detention of Pussy Riot members extended again
On 20 June 2012, a court ruled to keep three detained band members of Pussy Riot in prison until 24 July while the police probe continues. 25 June 2012
Pakistan: Popular singer gunned down in music market. A young popular singer, Ghazala Javed, was shot dead on 18 June 2012 along with her father by two unknown armed men. The motive is still unknown. 19 June 2012
Press release: World Conference on Artistic Freedom of Expression in Oslo. Artists who have been censored because of their artistic work will enter the stage when the first ever World Conference on Artistic Freedom of Expression is held in Norway. 18 June 2012
Turkey: Acclaimed pianist charged for blasphemy. Composer and pianist Fazil Say faces trial on 18 October 2012 on charges of insulting religious values, with a possible 18-month prison sentence
13 June 2012
Morocco: Call for solidarity with Mouad Belghouat, known as El Haked
This letter was sent by Freemuse as a call for solidarity from artists performing at the Fez Festival of World Sacred Music 2012 in Morocco. 09 June 2012
Mali: Music banned from the radio in Timbuktu. Rebels in northern Mali are now aggressively promoting their hard-edged brand of Islamic law, Shariah, which means music has been banned from the radio. 06 June 2012
Pakistan: Death sentences for dancing at a wedding party. Pakistani media is bringing confusing reports from northern Pakistan about a tribal court which allegedly handed down death penalties for dancing at a wedding party. 04 June 2012
Denmark: Support from Roskilde Festival Charity Society for artists at risk. Freemuse received a grant of 66,000 euro from Roskilde Festival Charity Society to sustain and develop networks in West Africa, MENA, Pakistan and Afghanistan. 01 June 2012
Freemuse: The invisible work behind the scenes. It started as another day in the Freemuse office. Then, within hours, we received terrifying pictures of rappers in Angola and Sierra Leone, who had been seriously beaten. 01 June 2012
Press release: Eurovision: A pretty face cannot hide the ugly reality. As Europe is celebrating the annual Eurovision Song Contest in Azerbaijan, several musicians from the country have gone into exile. 24 May 2012
Angola: Rap artists attacked again by Angolan pro-government militias
On 22 May 2012, 15 men armed with pistols, machetes and iron rods attacked a group of 10 young people, among them the two rap artists Casimiro Carbono and Explosivo Mental. 24 May 2012
Turkey: 17-year-old charged for exchanging Kurdish songs on Facebook
Turkish prosecution wanted to imprison 17-year-old Kurdish boy for 40 years after he was accused of eight charges, including the exchange of Kurdish songs on Facebook. 23 May 2012
Algeria: Call for the respect of freedom of artistic expression
“Algerian intellectuals, journalists, cultural activists, artists and writers ring the alarm and request from the Ministry of Culture in Algeria to lift its control over the cultural sector…”
21 May 2012
Azerbaijan: Rock musician flees to Germany over concerns for his safety. Rapper and guitarist Jamal Ali fled his home country on 16 May 2012, he told the British newspaper The Guardian via Skype from Berlin. 21 May 2012
Malaysia / Philippines: Religious groups unite in bid to silence pop singer Christian and Muslim groups attempt to ban American superstar Lady Gaga’s shows during her Asia tour, calling her music the ‘work of Satan’. 21 May 2012
Turkey: Students charged for singing Grup Yorum song. Three students are accused of singing an old song and chanting slogans which allegedly are “making propaganda for a terrorist organisation”
18 May 2012
Belarus: Longing for change. Due to blacklisting in their homeland, the Belarusian folk-rock band Krambambulya held three exile concerts in Lithuania to celebrate the release of their new album
16 May 2012
Turkey: Another legal action against singer Pınar Aydınlar
A lawsuit was filed against folk singer Pınar Aydınlar (Sağ) and the Group Munzur members Özlem Gerçek and Erkan Duman demanding up to five years imprisonment. 16 May 2012
China: Tibetan singer arrested and taken to unknown location
Fear for the safety of Tibetan singer Lo Lo who was arrested on 19 April 2012 and whose whereabouts and fate since then are unclear
14 May 2012
Morocco: One year prison sentence for rapper who criticized police
The sentencing of rapper El Haked on 11 May 2012 to one year in prison for “insulting the police” shows continuing intolerance for those who criticize state institutions. 12 May 2012
Iran: Death sentence against Iranian rapper in Germany. A cleric issued a death sentence against Iranian rapper and rock guitarist Shahin Najafi for having produced a song which is believed to be offensive to Imam Naqi. 10 May 2012
Belarus: Trial of pro-opposition singer-songwriter. Pro-opposition singers Ihar Simbirow and Dzmitryy Bartosik were arrested during an open-air performance near Minsk on 6 May 2012. 08 May 2012
Call for establishing Scandinavian safe havens for persecuted musicians SKAP, Freemuse and the Swedish Arts Council urges the Swedish government to allow the Swedish cities to receive threatened composers and musicians. 23 April 2012
Iran: Singer Arya Aramnejad prosecuted for his songs 28-year-old Iranian singer Arya Aramnejad, who was recently released after his second term in prison, has been informed he has been given a one-year prison sentence. 23 April 2012
Russia: Detention of Pussy Riot members extended to three months
The detention of members of Pussy Riot has been extended until 24 June. The three women have been in custody for over a month
20 April 2012
Morocco: Drop charges against detained rapper. Repressive speech laws enforced despite rights-friendly constitution. Statement and report by Human Rights Watch concerning the imprisoned rapper El Haked. 18 April 2012
Morocco: Rapper El Haked arrested again 24-year-old rapper Mouad Belghouat, the Moroccan rapper known as Lhaked or El Haked, was arrested again because of one of his songs. 13 April 2012
Myanmar/Burma: ‘Will censorship of music end?’ asks BBC reporter in Rangoon BBC News’ Jonah Fisher has interviewed Ye Ngwe Soe, lead-singer of the punk band No U Turn, one of the best-known acts on the Rangoon punk scene. 13 April 2012
Sweden: Concerts with Jamaican reggae singer Sizzla cancelled
In March 2012, Jamaican reggae singer Sizzla was stopped from performing in Sweden, second time around in the same month, because of his infamous homophobic lyrics. 12 April 2012
India: Petitioner seeks ban on song that allegedly incites to violence. A South Indian super-hit song should be banned for its violent lyrics that “incite aggression”, stated a public interest litigation petition filed before Kerala High Court. 11 April 2012
Mali: Islamists have banned music in northern region. In Kidal, heartland of the Islamist Ansar Dine group, music has been replaced by prayer readings on the local radio. The group wants to impose strict sharia law across Mali. 11 April 2012
Belarus: Blacklisted band holds three ‘exile concerts’ in Lithuania
A blacklisted rock band from Belarus was refused permission to perform in Minsk and decided instead to move their concert location to neighbouring Lithuania. 10 April 2012
Mexico: Musician kidnapped and tortured. Julio Cesar Leyva Beltran, a singer with the Mexican band Los Ciclones del Arroyo, was kidnapped and tortured after refusing to perform a song requested by a group of people. 10 April 2012
Turkey: Grup Yorum member still in detention. Musician Seçkin Aydoğan, member of Group Yorum, was not discharged at the first hearing of the lawsuit against him and four others in İstanbul 15th High Criminal Court. 10 April 2012
Somalia: Bomb blast at concert in newly opened national theatre
“The blast happened as musicians were singing and spectators were clapping for them,” told Salah Jimale to The Guardian. Ten people are reported to have been killed. 04 April 2012
Brazil: Ban on songs that encourage violence against women and gays
The Brazilian state Bahia has approved a law banning the use of public funds to pay for events where songs that offend women and gays are played. 02 April 2012
Malaysia: Committee to evaluate whether song should be banned
The song ‘Bawaku Pergi’ is suggested to be banned because it contains lyrics which could encourage young people to run away from home. 02 April 2012
South Korea: Teenagers prohibited from attending American pop concert
American pop singer Lady Gaga’s upcoming Seoul concert has been restricted to over-18s because one of her songs is condidered “inappropriate” for minors. 02 April 2012
Turkey: Attack on Grup Yorum member in prison. Grup Yorum made a written statement announcing that a member of their band, Seçkin Aydoğan, was attacked in the prison where he is being detained
02 April 2012
Indonesia: Dangdut songs banned for ‘corrupting society’. 10 popular Dangdut songs were banned in a province of Indonesia for being ‘pornographic’. 29 March 2012
Kuwait: BBC reports how musicians in Kuwait struggle with censorship
BBC News reports in a three-minutes video from Kuwait how government censors are proving a big barrier to commercial success for some artists. 29 March 2012
Pakistan: Artists camp reflect on aspects of intolerance and terrorism. In Peshawar, Pakistan, on 7-27 May 2012, a two week camp for international artists aims to discuss and understand the phenomenon of terror. 28 March 2012
Angola: Rappers beaten up before manifestation. Six musicians and activists who were in a meeting to prepare for a public protest demonstration were violently attacked by unidentified aggressors on 9 March 2012. 26 March 2012
Lebanon: Protest against increased censorship. In light of a notable increase in censorship in Lebanon, a number of musicians and other artists decided to put on a show in Beirut entitled ‘I am Free’.
26 March 2012
Azerbaijan: Three young musicians and activists detained. A rapper, a guitarist and a blogger were detained after protests in Baku on 17 March 2012 and are held in Sabael District Police Office, allegedly after having been tortured. 22 March 2012
Tunisia: Culture minister defends artistic freedom. “There will be no restrictions on creative freedom,” said Tunisia’s culture minister after he had been under fire for saying he would exclude sexy pop stars from a festival. 22 March 2012
Iraq: Operations targeting ‘Emo’ teenagers hit heavy metal fans
Brutal persecution and killing of ‘Emo’ teenagers has put musicians and fans of heavy metal music under critical danger in Iraq
20 March 2012
Somalia: New stage for music and threatre in Mogadishu
On 19 March 2012, live music sounded in Mogashu, Somalia’s capital, when the country’s national theatre was reopened
20 March 2012
Pakistan: We want to defeat terrorism through music, says culture minister. Interview with Mian Iftikhar Hussain, Khyber Pakthunkhwa’s culture minister, who wants to reverse the policies of the former MMA government which banned musical concerts. 19 March 2012
Mexico: Popular music group banned in Chihuahua. Authorities in Chihuahua has banned the popular group Los Tigres del Norte from performing in the state capital after the band sang ballads glorifying drug traffickers. 15 March 2012
Zimbabwe: Platform for free artistic expression awarded
When the Book Café in Harare reopened on 8 March 2012, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai gave an insightful speech centering on censorship of music and arts. 14 March 2012
Senegal: Musicians at the forefront of protests. In Senegal’s controversial presidential elections, musicians have suffered threats, attacks and arrests, while an increasing number of songs are being shared. 13 March 2012
Turkey: Prisoners punished again for singing Kurdish songs
17 inmates of Kocaeli T Type Prison have received disciplinary charge by the warden of three more months in prison for having been “singing and dancing illegally”. 13 March 2012
Pakistan: Four CD shops destroyed in explosion. Four music CD shops were completely destroyed after an explosion in a market in Pakistan’s Khyber-Pakhtunkhuwa province. 12 March 2012
Russia: Punk band arrested after protesting against Putin
Shortly before the presidential elections in Russia, authorities put an end to punk band Pussy Riot’s anti-Putin protest concerts by arresting six members of the band. 07 March 2012
Somalia – Music Freedom Report: Music too powerful to ban
Video from Somalia – part of the series of Music Freedom Reports which was published in March 2012 on the occassion of Music Freedom Day 2012. 07 March 2012
The Liberty For Arts Award 2012 goes to Freemuse Director Marie Korpe
“With this price we express our deepest gratefulness to Mrs Marie Korpe for her philanthropic dedication to the threatened musicians,” wrote Fairplay Foundation. 07 March 2012
Music Freedom Day 2012 marked in 22 countries world-wide. Reports and documentation of Music Freedom Day 2012 which was marked on 3 March 2012 with events, concerts and radio programmes in 22 countries around the world. 06 March 2012
Turkey: Şanar Yurdatapan: ‘There is a lot of work to do for all of us’. In 2012, there were no acticities marking Music Freedom Day in Turkey. “This means the work is not over yet,” wrote Sanar Yurdatapan in his chronicle on the day. 03 March 2012
West Papua: Violence and oppression against musicians in forgotten conflict. Video from West Papua – a supplement to Clara Moksha’s Music Freedom Report which was published on 3 March 2012.
02 March 2012
Mexico: Conductor kidnapped by drug cartel. In July 2011, a successful Mexican musician residing in Germany was abducted by gunmen while on holiday in northern Mexico. 01 March 2012
Venezulea: Reggae singer Onechot shot in the head. On 27 February 2012 the reggae singer Onechot (real name: Juan David Chacón) was attacked by a group of criminals who shot him, wounding him in the head. 01 March 2012
Azer Cirttan. Video interview with exiled singer and composer Azer Cirttan from Azerbaijan. 29 February 2012
Iraq: Documentary film about a musician’s struggle to keep music alive. Produced in Iraq in 2011, the 15-minutes documentary ‘Sing your song’ details the obstacles a musician and his band face because of pressure from extremist Islamist groups. 29 February 2012
Jason Carter: Music censorship in North Korea – a personal video reflection. British guitarist Jason Carter has produced a personal video documentary about a trip he made in North Korea in 2007, which reflects on music censorship. 28 February 2012
South Africa in 1989: CD album banned for offending Christians
Because of its title, the album ‘Bigger than Jesus’ by Kalahari Surfers was banned in 1989 for blasphemy and for the offending of Christians. The music was later re-released. 27 February 2012
Freemuse campaign: Release the Iranian singer Arya Aramnejad
Freemuse calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Arya Aramnejad, a famous singer who has been imprisoned since 8 November 2011. 25 February 2012
Kuwait: Music distributor pulls out of Kuwait because of censorship
Music Master, a leading Dubai-based music distributor, has stopped its Kuwait operations because state censorship of albums and artwork makes it impossible to operate. 20 February 2012
Press release: UN expert group: “Cameroon should compensate Lapiro”
The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has issued a legal opinion declaring that the detention of Lapiro de Mbanga was a violation of international law. 16 February 2012
Turkey: Musician of Grup Yorum detained. Seckin Aydogan, a member of the band Grup Yorum, has been in detention for six weeks. Band members pledge to hold solidarity concerts. 14 February 2012
Bahrain: Campaign for woman convicted for listening to ‘revolutionary’ music. Fadhila Mubarak’s 18-month prison sentence for protesting and listening to ‘revolutionary’ music was upheld by the Court of Cassation in Bahrain’s capital Manama. 03 February 2012
Tunisia: The rapper Volcanis arrested on drug charges. On 25 January 2012, security agents handcuffed and arrested the young rapper Volcanis in his home, allegedly “in a matter of law” and not for the content of his rap songs. 30 January 2012
Egypt: Stopped performing “in a kind of limbo”. The Egyptian band Sandouk Eldonia stopped playing their political songs after the revolution broke out. “Mubarak is now gone, but the same is our vision,” they say. 25 January 2012
Pakistan: Punjab Assembly bans concerts in educational institutions
On 24 January 2012 Punjab Assembly passed a resolution that bans holding of ‘objectionable’ musical concerts in educational institutions. 25 January 2012
Somalia: Religious extremists storm music radio station
The militant extremist group Al-Shabaab carried out an illegal takeover of Radio Afgoye, the only radio station in the lower Shabelle region, because it broadcasted music. 21 January 2012
Pakistan: Music returns to some of Pakistan’s tribal areas
In parts of Pakistan’s tribal areas, music is starting to return, reported Free Speech Radio News in a well-produced radio report on 16 January 2012. 18 January 2012
Related post: “Globally, there are hundreds of artists under far greater threat to their freedom and lives who deserve the same attention.”
Read More: Free Muse
Read more: Freemuse statistical report: Violations on freedom of musical expression in 2011
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