“Under Pressure”: Report on the Situation of Threatened Press Cartoonists Worldwide (2023–2025)

From Cartooning for Peace.

Niels Bo Bojesen (Denmark)

The new report on the situation of threatened press cartoonists around the world will be released on March 2, 2026. 

It is the result of a joint effort by Cartooning for Peace, Cartoonists Rights and their partners: Freedom Cartoonists Foundation, FORHUM, Columbia Global Freedom of Expression – Columbia University, and Reporters Without Borders.

Cartoonists Rights Pledge Drive 2025

From Cartoonists Rights.

Every holiday season Cartoonists Rights asks for your direct support in aid of our mission to defend cartoonists whose freedom of expression is threatened simply because of what they draw, leading to their criminalization, displacement, judicial harassment, physical or verbal abuse, or worse.

Coming to the end of a very hard year in our sector and looking ahead to the next, we face two challenges common to all American non-profits with an international remit:

Cartoonists’ & free speech orgs in support of LeMan magazine

From Cartoonists Rights International.

The undersigned are appalled by the victimization of staff at LeMan humor magazine, Istanbul in recent days, following the publication June 26th of a cartoon strip by Doğan Pehlevan, the content, meaning, and intent of which has been distorted by government officials in Turkey, leading to inaccurate media coverage and misguided public outrage and, ultimately, four jailed on multiple charges, two more colleagues wanted by police, and the entire entity under investigation for accepting foreign influence.

• Association of Canadian Cartoonists / L’Association de caricaturistes Canadien
• Daryl Cagle – Cagle Cartoons, Inc. (Newspaper Syndicate)
• Cartoon Movement
• Cartooning for Peace
• Cartoonists Rights
• Columbia Global Freedom of Expression
• European Cartoon Award
• Forum for Humour and the Law (ForHum)
• Freedom Cartoonists Foundation
• Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC Strategy
• Professional Cartoonists’ Organisation (PCO)
• ToonsMag

Cartooning Would-Be Kings

From Google Event.

To mark World Press Freedom Day on May 5th, the Institute of Democracy, Journalism, and Citizenship (IDJC), Syracuse University, Washington, DC will host a special event exploring cartoonists' contribution in the the age of "strong man" leaders and media oligarchs.

Speakers: cartoonists Barry Blitt, Kevin Kallaugher, Joel Pett, and Signe Wilkinson and experts Katherine Jacobsen and Roslyn Mazer will discuss findings from the latest report by the Committee to Protect Journalists.

The event will also include the announcement of this year's Robert Russell Courage in Cartooning Award.

Ann Telnaes Quits The Washington Post

From Open Windows.

(rough of cartoon killed)

I’ve worked for the Washington Post since 2008 as an editorial cartoonist. 

I have had editorial feedback and productive conversations—and some differences—about cartoons I have submitted for publication, but in all that time I’ve never had a cartoon killed because of who or what I chose to aim my pen at. 

Until now.

Cartoonists Rights Pledge Drive

From Cartoonists Rights. 

Another December is upon us, and with it Giving Tuesday and our annual Pledge Drive. We hope to count on your support us as our organization prepares to mark 25 years defending the freedom of expression of cartoonists.

Nonprofit organizations under threat in US

Bill H.R. 9495  will hand the President powers to instruct the Secretary of the Treasury to revoke the 501(c)(3) nonprofit status of any organization found to "support terrorism", absent of any substantive investigation or evidence, and without oversight. 

Despite a narrow defeat last week, the bill will return before the House of Representatives this week, with a vote expected on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Congresspeople need to hear from voters in their districts today, telling them to reject the bill. 

Atena Farghadani awaits verdict from Iranian court

From Cartoonists Rights.

Atena Farghadani – a painter, cartoonist, and former political prisoner – faces the prospect of criminalisation for the second time in the Islamic Republic of Iran, having stood trial in recent days on charges of insulting the Supreme Leader, Intelligence Ministry officials, and the Minister of Intelligence with a cartoon.

Readers will recall that Atena Farghadani has long criticised the totalitarian regime in Iran through protest art and as a result was arrested, tried, and convicted in 2014. 

For this she received our Courage in Cartooning Award in 2015.

Cartoonists Rights 2023 pledge drive.

From Cartoonists Rights.

If you support freedom of speech and would like to help out cartoonists around the world, please consider donating to support the work of Cartoonists Rights Network. 

Donate button here.

Abecor wins the 2023 Robert Russell Courage in Cartooning Award

From Cartoonists Rights.

Abel Bellido Cordova (Abecor), of the Página Siete news service in Bolivia is the 2023 winner of the Robert Russell Courage in Cartooning Award. 

A Russian child's drawing sparked a police investigation

From the BBC.

Masha's school contacted the police after the 12-year-old drew this picture

In the centre of the Russian town of Yefremov is a wall covered in pictures of war. Giant photographs of masked Russian soldiers with guns and supersized letters Z and V - symbols of the country's so-called special military operation in Ukraine.

There's a poem, too:

Good should have fists.
Good needs an iron hand
To tear the skin from those
Who threaten it.

This is the official, patriotic picture of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

But in this town, 320km (200 miles) south of Moscow, you'll find another image of the Ukraine war. A very different one.

The Robert Russell Courage in Cartooning Award 2023 (Nominations)

From Cartoonists Rights.

Nominations are now open for the Robert Russell Courage in Cartooning Award 2023, and will close at noon on March 17th.

"Defending Satire" panel at the MLRC London Conference

From Media Law Resource Center.

Cartoonists Terry Anderson, Patrick Chappatte and Zunar will be joining other panelists at the 2022 Media Law Resource Center Conference in London on Monday, September 19.

Defending Satire in an Increasingly Humorless World

World-wide threats to satirists and cartoonists. Why is satire such a threat to autocratic regimes? How can political satire be defended? 

With Patrick Chappatte (Lebanese-Swiss cartoonist); Zunar(Malaysian cartoonist); Terry Anderson (Cartoonists Rights Network International); Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC (Doughty Street); and Roslyn Mazer (Counsel of Record, Association of American Editorial Cartoonists as amicus curiae in Hustler Magazine v. Falwell)

The Kofi Annan Courage in Cartooning Award

From Cartoonists Rights.

Freedom Cartoonists Foundation & Cartoonists Rights Network International announce their new international cartoon award partnership: “The Kofi Annan Courage in Cartooning Award” given by FCF to alternate with CRNI’s “Robert Russell Courage in Cartooning Award”.

The Kofi Annan  Courage in Cartooning Award will be inaugurated at noon, May 3 2022, World Press Freedom Day, at the Geneva Graduate Institute in the presence of 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureates, journalists Maria Ressa (Philippines) and Dmitry Muratov (Russia).

Badiucao Collection Denounces Beijing Winter Olympics

From Cartooning for Peace. 

On 1 February 2022, Chinese cartoonist Badiucao launched the “Beijing 2022 Olympics” collection calling for a boycott of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics due to the Chinese government’s human rights violations.

A European House of Editorial Cartooning will be created in Paris

From Patrick Chappatte's Facebook page.

Wonderful news: the European House of Editorial Cartooning will be created in Paris, as recommended by our working group. It will network energies in France (including the St-Just show) and in Europe (including the Morges Maison de la presse). Maryse Wolinski's wish is granted! 

Cartoonists’ Legal Advisory Network

 

Cartoonists Rights is pleased to announce the launch of it’s new Cartoonists’ Legal Advisory Network.

The 2021 Robert Russell Courage in Cartooning Award

From Cartoonists Rights.

The 2021 Robert Russell Courage in Cartooning Award goes to Lagoon Eain and Waiyan Taunggyi, two exiled cartoonists who fled Myanmar after February’s military coup and who have recently found safe haven in the USA.

150th Day in Jail for Egyptian Cartoonist Ashraf Hamdi

 From Cartooning for Peace.

On January 25th 2021 Ashraf Hamdi, celebrated creator of Egyptoon, a brand of animated satirical social media content, was arrested at his home in Giza, Egypt. 

He posted a brief comment – “They are coming.” – to his Facebook page shortly after re-posting a link to an old animated cartoon that made a humorous observation about the 2011 revolutionary movement, Jan. 25th being the tenth anniversary of that event. 

The comment has since been deleted and the cartoon in question removed from YouTube.

PEN America Calls for the Release of Cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore

 From PEN America.

In the wake of the death in custody of Bangladeshi writer Mushtaq Ahmed last week, PEN America is deeply concerned about the health and well-being of codefendant cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore, who has reportedly undergone torture in detention at the Kashimpur High Security Prison and whose health is reportedly failing.