Artists at Risk Connection

 
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Artists at Risk Connection
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Artists at Risk Connection
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    A SAFETY GUIDE FOR ARTISTS

    January 26, 2021
    © 2021 Artists at Risk Connection (ARC).
    All rights reserved.

    Artists at Risk Connection (ARC), a
    project of PEN America, manages a
    coordination and information-sharing
    hub that supports, unites, and advances
    the work of organizations that assist
    artists at risk globally. ARC’s mission
    is to improve access to resources for
    artists at risk, enhance connections

                                                A SAFETY GUIDE
    among supporters of artistic freedom,
    and raise awareness of challenges to
    artistic freedom.
    For more information, go to
    artistsatriskconnection.org.

    Authors: Gabriel Fine and Julie Trébault
    Editor: Susan Chumsky
                                                   FOR ARTISTS
    Design by Studio La Maria

    ARC is a project of PEN America.

    This guide is made possible thanks to
    the generous support of the Andrew W.
    Mellon Foundation; the Andy Warhol
    Foundation for the Visual Arts; the
    Elizabeth R. Koch Foundation; the Silicon
    Valley Community Foundation; and the
    Taiwan Foundation for Democracy.
Artists at Risk Connection
CONTENTS
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    FOREWORD                                                         06    Documenting Online Harassment                            61
                                                                           Documenting Verbal Harassment and Threats                62
    INTRODUCTION                                                     08    Documenting Physical Harassment, Threats, and Attacks    63
                                                                     12    Documenting Arrest, Detention, or Imprisonment           64
    METHODOLOGY
    PATTERNS OF PERSECUTION                                          17    SECTION 5: FINDING ASSISTANCE                           67
                                                                     23    When to Seek Assistance                                  68
    SECTION 1: DEFINING RISK
                                                                           Using ARC’s Database                                     70
    What Kinds of Threats Do Artists Face?                           24    Who Can Provide Support?                                  71
    Who Is Most Vulnerable to Threats?                               27         Human Rights Organizations                           71
    Where Are Threats Most Likely to Come From                       30         Arts or Artistic Freedom Organizations              72
    Knowing Your Country’s Laws                                      32         Governments and Governmental Organizations          73
                                                                                International Mechanisms                            73
    SECTION 2: PREPARING FOR RISK                                    39    Types of Support Available                               74
    Avoid Making Yourself a Target                                   40
    Setting Up a Support Network                                      41
                                                                           SECTION 6: RECOVERING FROM RISK                          81
    Making a Plan                                                    42    Seeking Redress for Torture                              83
    Preparing with Your Lawyer                                       43    Refugee Assistance                                       84
    Financial Security                                               43
    Escape Plan                                                      44    CONCLUSION                                              86
    You Can Never Be Too Prepared                                    46
                                                                           ARTISTS’ VOICES                                         89
    SECTION 3: DIGITAL SAFETY                                        49    APPENDIX                                                142
    SECTION 4: DOCUMENTING THREATS                                   59
                                                                           ACKNOWLEDGMENTS                                         154
    Threat Analysis: What Is the Nature of the Threat Against You?   60
Artists at Risk Connection
FOREWORD
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                                                                                              A great deal of my work as Special
                                                                                              Rapporteur has been devoted to
                                                                                              understanding the needs of cultural
                                                                                              rights defenders and advocating for the
                                                                                              steps that should be taken to ensure
    One night in October 2019, as a curfew       Rights Council in support of the cultural    their safety. In offering a comprehensive
    blanketed the city of Santiago, Chile        rights mandate. All these activities have    toolkit of practical strategies to counter
    during nationwide demonstrations for         made a significant contribution to work      the risks, I am certain that this guide will
    social justice, opera singer Ayleen Jovita   on cultural rights in the United Nations     be crucial in advancing artists’ safety
    Romero peacefully protested by singing       system. Through stakeholder meetings         around the world. I also hope it will
    “El derecho de vivir en paz” (“The right     that ARC has helped facilitate, they have    help bring much-needed attention from
    to live in peace”) from her window, a        also played an important role in working     governments, international mechanisms,
    song made famous by singer Victor Jara       to build a coalition of civil society        human rights organizations and civil
    before he was murdered following the         organizations to defend the cultural         society generally to the threats that
    1973 military coup.                          rights of different constituencies,          artists face, therefore helping to ensure
                                                 including women, persons with                that the next Victor Jara or Ayleen
    As UN Special Rapporteur in the Field        disabilities, indigenous peoples,            Jovita Romero in any country is able to
    of Cultural Rights, I shared this example    minorities, and LGBTQIA+ people.             make their work in peace.
    in my March 2020 report on cultural          With their wide-ranging understanding
    rights defenders (CRDs)—human                of both the human rights and cultural        –Karima Bennoune, United Nations
    rights defenders who defend cultural         spheres and their intersections, ARC         Special Rapporteur in the Field of
    rights in accordance with international      has excellent capacity to be a catalyst      Cultural Rights
    standards—because this story shows           for collaboration and to help raise
    the ways that artists can both challenge     awareness of cultural rights like artistic
    injustice and bring hope to others in        freedom at the international level.
    difficult times. Artists and their work
    promote access to culture and creative       It is therefore my pleasure to introduce
    responses in the face of human rights        A Safety Guide for Artists, a vital tool
    violations and strife. Yet, artists and      to help artists access needed support
    other CRDs have not been adequately          in the face of threats to their human
    recognized as human rights defenders,        rights. Similar to analogous guides for
    and therefore receive insufficient           journalists and other human rights
    protection when their work puts them at      defenders, this guide affords a critical
    risk around the world.                       tool for those working to defend
                                                 their own right to freedom of artistic
    Over the past few years, I have had the      expression and that of others.
    opportunity to collaborate frequently
    with the Artists at Risk Connection          The field of artist support is constantly
    (ARC) on just such issues, jointly hosting   evolving, as new programs emerge and
    expert meetings and public programs          as artists continue to be mainstreamed
    and working together along with other        into discussions of defending human
    partners on advocacy concerning              rights. This critically important guide
    persecuted artists. ARC has also             offers a window into that field, helping
    coordinated joint statements with a          artists develop strategies to overcome
    range of other civil society organizations   persecution.
    engaged on these issues at the Human

FOREWORD                                                                                                                                     FOREWORD
Artists at Risk Connection
INTRODUCTION
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                                                                                                700 incidents in at least 93 countries in    Rights’ 2020 report, artists are cultural
                                                                                                which artists’ rights were violated18—       rights defenders—those human
                                                                                                numbers that do not include hundreds         rights defenders who act in defense of
                                                                                                of cases that go unreported. While many      culture—and therefore deserve the
                                                                                                artists defy these attacks and continue      same recognition and protection as
                                                                                                their work, others live in constant fear     traditional human rights defenders.22
     The year 2020 has exploded with               And yet, at the same time, to a degree       for their safety and the safety of their     Artists take risks, but they should not
     global crises. Even before the COVID-19       not seen in decades, opposition              families, and some have been intimidated     have to risk their lives.
     pandemic began, the rise of nationalist,      movements are ascending, from                into self-censorship or silence. Though
     authoritarian, and extremist regimes          protests of police brutality in the United   many threats come from state actors          What Is ARC?
     and conflicts around the world led to         States12 to massive demonstrations           such as governments, politicians,            The Artists at Risk Connection (ARC),
     disturbing increases in violations of         rejecting the rigged 2020 presidential       police, and the military, they can also      a project of PEN America, aims to
     fundamental human rights. In response         election in Belarus.13 Throughout this       come from non-state parties, including       safeguard the right to artistic freedom
     to these threats, massive social              outpouring of dissent, artists have          extremist groups, fundamentalist             of expression and ensure that artists
     movements, from pro-democracy                 stood at the forefront,14 bearing witness    or conservative communities, and             everywhere can live and work without
     protests in Hong Kong1 to calls for a new     to inhumanity and catalyzing solidarity      even one’s own neighbors and family          fear. ARC works to achieve this goal
     constitution in Chile,2 arose, generating     through songs,15 slogans,16 and              members. These attacks rob artists of        primarily by connecting persecuted
     hope for more equitable societies.            murals17 that call for change. When          the opportunity for creative expression      artists to our growing global network
     But these movements also led to ever          artists are able to express themselves       and impoverish democratic discourse          of resources, facilitating cooperation
     greater dangers for activists, frontline      freely, they can be forceful and             by excluding challenging ideas and           among human rights and arts
     workers, and outspoken voices.                influential voices that document             perspectives and depriving the public        organizations, and amplifying the stories
                                                   oppression, articulate cultural critiques,   of valuable contributions, insights, and     and work of at-risk artists. ARC plays
     The health crisis has only intensified        and accelerate social progress. Art can      inspiration.                                 the role of connector and coordinator,
     these realities. Beyond placing               offer an essential outlet for nurturing                                                   matching need and response to equip
     restrictions on everyday life, from           free thought and exercising free will.       Artists are vital to the health and          artists with the means to withstand
     the shuttering of venues and public           It can help independent viewpoints           longevity of free and open societies,        pressure and continue creating.
     spaces3 to the shutdown of borders,4          survive, challenge orthodoxies in ways       and their importance is enshrined in
     authoritarian regimes and declining           both subtle and overt, and create            international law. “Artistic expression,”    Since its inception in 2017, ARC has
     democracies alike have exploited the          openings that allow citizens to imagine      as former UN Special Rapporteur              assisted more than 280 individual
     pandemic to crack down on dissent.            a different future.                          in the Field of Cultural Rights Farida       artists and cultural professionals from
     They have curbed protests through                                                          Shaheed has stated, “is not a luxury,        over 63 countries by connecting them
     enforced curfews,5 criminalized activism      But this power can also put artists at       it is a necessity.”19 As a fundamental       to a wide range of services, most
     under the guise of vague laws meant to        the forefront of backlash, exposing          human right, it is addressed in varying      frequently including emergency funds,
     curtail “spreading disinformation” about      them to violence, intimidation, and          ways in a number of documents                legal assistance, temporary relocation
     the virus,6 and more. The pandemic            other forms of persecution by both           within the international human rights        programs, and fellowships. Thanks to a
     helped quell the protests in Iran7 and Iraq   governments and non-state actors. It is      framework, including article 27 of           core network of over 70 partners, over
     to Argentina and Venezuela8 to Hong           no accident that artists are among the       the Universal Declaration of Human           50 percent of artists who seek our help
     Kong,9 where the Chinese legislature          first targets for suppression during the     Rights;20 article 15 of the International    have already received direct support.
     slammed through a disturbing national         rise of authoritarian regimes, the spread    Covenant on Economic, Social and             Our network is the heart of ARC: Since
     security law10 that many believe signals      of armed conflicts, and the collapse of      Cultural Rights;21 and related provisions    we are not a direct service provider
     the end of Hong Kong’s autonomy and           democracies.                                 of the International Covenant on Civil       but a hub that brings together the vast
     which has already been used to arrest                                                      and Political Rights. It is also addressed   constellation of organizations that
     countless outspoken voices.11                 In 2019, the Artists at Risk Connection      by UN Special Rapporteurs in the             support artists, our work would not be
                                                   (ARC) received more requests for             field of cultural rights and freedom of      possible without the diverse partners we
                                                   assistance than in any previous year,        expression; as outlined in the Special       refer artists to.
                                                   and global watchdogs documented over         Rapporteur in the Field of Cultural

INTRODUCTION                                                                                                                                                                      INTRODUCTION
Artists at Risk Connection
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     You can contact ARC through our              In such cases, we recommend getting          Special Thanks                                           “Nearly 3 months after vote, Belarus protests still
                                                                                                                                                       13

                                                                                                                                                       go strong,” Associated Press, October 31, 2020.
     website, via email at arc@pen.org,           in touch with ARC or with one of             This guide would not exist without
     or via our encrypted intake form. For        the vast array of organizations that         the continued, crucial support of the                   14
                                                                                                                                                          Carly Mallenbaum, “Art activism: Stories behind
                                                                                                                                                       murals, street paintings and portraits created in
     more information about using ARC’s           might be able to meet your specific          Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, ARC’s                      protest,” USA Today, July 6, 2020.
     resources, please refer to the “Finding      needs with specific assistance, many         primary funder; the Andy Warhol
                                                                                                                                                        Marta Balaga, “Las Tesis, Collective Behind Anti-
                                                                                                                                                       15
     Assistance” section.                         of which are listed in the appendix.         Foundation for the Visual Arts; the                     Rape Protest Song, on Campaign Against Violence,”
                                                  Because the world changes quickly,           Elizabeth R. Koch Foundation; the Silicon               Variety, October 31, 2020.
     Why Does This Guide Exist?                   we will give frequent updates to keep        Valley Community Foundation; and                        16
                                                                                                                                                          Aliaksandr Bystryk and Karolina Koziura, “Strategies
     In the four years since ARC was created,     this information relevant. In particular,    the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy.                    of Protests from Belarus,” Public Seminar,
                                                                                                                                                       November 9, 2020.
     we have been fortunate to collaborate        the COVID-19 pandemic has caused             We are immensely grateful to them for
     with a vast array of partners working on     massive disruptions in the field of          helping ARC make the world a safer                       Raisa Bruner, “ ‘Art Can Touch Our Emotional Core.’
                                                                                                                                                       17

                                                                                                                                                       Meet the Artists Behind Some of the Most
     the ground to support artists at risk. We    artistic freedom. Some of the resources      place for artists.                                      Widespread Images Amid George Floyd Protests,”
     have engaged an even larger number           recommended in this guide may                                                                        TIME, June 3, 2020.

                                                                                               NOTES
     of organizations that might not              currently be on hiatus or be offering                                                                18
                                                                                                                                                          “The State of Artistic Freedom 2020”, Freemuse,
     traditionally have supported artists         altered services. We always recommend                                                                April 15, 2020.
     but are now beginning to serve them,         checking organizations’ websites                                                                     19
                                                                                                                                                          Farida Shaheed, “The right to freedom of artistic
     such as Freedom House, Front Line            directly to get the most up-to-date                                                                  expression and creativity,” UNESCO , March 14, 2013.
     Defenders, and ProtectDefenders.eu.          information regarding their support.                                                                 20
                                                                                                                                                         “Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” OHCHR,
     However, while a number of robust                                                                                                                 1948.
     guides exist for vulnerable journalists,23   This guide has been inspired by the          1
                                                                                                 “Hong Kong kicks off 2020 with fresh protests,”
                                                                                               BBC, January 1, 2020.                                    “International Covenant on Economic, Social and
                                                                                                                                                       21

     cartoonists,24 and human rights              practical experience of ARC and                                                                      Cultural Rights,” OHCHR, 1966.
     defenders,25 and other vulnerable            our partners. In compiling it, we have       2
                                                                                                Philip Reeves, “Protests in Chile,” NPR, January 11,
                                                                                               2020.
                                                                                                                                                       22
                                                                                                                                                         Karima Bennoune, “Cultural rights defenders.
     groups,26 no such tool exists expressly      listened to artists themselves—                                                                      Report of the Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural
                                                                                                                                                       rights,” pp. 3-4, OHCHR, 2020 and OHCHR, “Who is a
     for at-risk artists.                         their direct requests for assistance,        3
                                                                                                 Valentina Di Liscia, “As the Art World Shuts Down
                                                                                               Over COVID-19, Uncertainty Plagues Hourly               defender?”
                                                  their responses to a survey that we          Workers,” Hyperallergic, March 19, 2020.
                                                                                                                                                        “Safety Guide for Journalists,” Reporters Without
                                                                                                                                                       23
     In creating this manual, ARC aspires to      conducted in 2018, and their thoughts        4
                                                                                                “Coronavirus: Travel restrictions, border shutdowns    Borders and UNESCO , 2015.
     offer concrete recommendations and           expressed in in-depth interviews that we     by country,” Al Jazeera, June 3, 2020.                  24
                                                                                                                                                          “Practical Guide for the Protection-of Editorial
     provide a comprehensive tool kit to help     conducted in 2020. We have also drawn        5
                                                                                                Anthony Faiola, Lindzi Wessel, and Shibani Mahtani,    Cartoonists,” Cartooning for Peace, 2019.
     artists navigate, counter, and overcome      on research and manuals published by         “Coronavirus chills protests from Chile to Hong         25
                                                                                                                                                         See “New Protection Guide for Human Rights
     threats and persecution. This guide will     organizations that specialize in assisting   Kong to Iraq, forcing activists to innovate,” The
                                                                                               Washington Post, April 4, 2020.                         Defenders,” Protection International, 2009 and
     cover topics including cybersecurity         artists, journalists, and human rights                                                               “Protection Guide for Human Rights Defenders,”
                                                                                                                                                       Front Line Defenders, 2005.
     threats and best practices; tactics used     defenders. Certain sections might act        6
                                                                                                 “Thai Artist Arrested for Posting About Country’s
                                                                                               Coronavirus Screening,” PEN America, March 25,
     by governmental and non-governmental         as a gateway to other organizations’         2020.
                                                                                                                                                       26
                                                                                                                                                         Gary McLelland and Emma Wadsworth-Jones,
                                                                                                                                                       “Humanists at Risk: Action Report 2020,” Humanists
     actors to attack artists; resources          resources, to which we have provided         7
                                                                                                Max de Haldevang, “Coronavirus has crippled global     International, 2020.
     available to artists under threat and        useful links or footnotes.                   protest movements,” Quartz, April 1, 2020.
     ways for organizations to provide                                                         8
                                                                                                   Faiola, Wessel, and Mahtani.
     support; methods of identifying risks        This guide will be continually updated as
     to yourself; strategies for developing       trends and recommendations change.           9
                                                                                                Austin Ramzy and Elaine Yu, “Under Cover of
                                                                                               Coronavirus, Hong Kong Cracks Down on Protest
     a safety net and plan; actions to take                                                    Movement,” The New York Times, April 21, 2020.
     against perpetrators; and an appendix        We hope that by presenting the voices of      “Hong Kong security law: What is it and is it
                                                                                               10

     of further resources.                        artists who have faced similar challenges    worrying?” BBC, June 30, 2020.
                                                  and the strategies they used to overcome     11
                                                                                                  Austin Ramzy, Tiffany May, and Elaine Yu, “China
     Although ARC has tried to make this          them, this guide can help at-risk artists    Targets Hong Kong’s Lawmakers as It Squelches
     manual exhaustive, every experience          feel less alone, more prepared, and          Dissent,” The New York Times, November 11, 2020.
     of risk is unique, and this guide may not    better able to make their art in peace.      12
                                                                                                  Eliott C. McLaughlin, “How George Floyd’s death
     provide every tool for every scenario.                                                    ignited a racial reckoning that shows no signs of
                                                                                               slowing down,” CNN, August 9, 2020.

INTRODUCTION                                                                                                                                                                                             INTRODUCTION
Artists at Risk Connection
METHODOLOGY
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                                                                                                  partners. Partners regularly conduct          often they have experienced them. It
                                                                                                  research and publish reports, many of         also asked artists about their views of
                                                                                                  which have been cited throughout this         the assistance process, perceived gaps
                                                                                                  manual. In addition to collaborating on       in available support, regions where risk
                                                                                                  assisting at-risk artists, ARC regularly      is most acute, and more. The survey
     WITH OUR BIRD’S-EYE VIEW OF THE FIELD OF                                                     works in concert with our partners when       provided crucial data that has helped
                                                                                                  attending international forums and hosting    ARC better understand the worldwide
     AVAILABLE RESOURCES, ARC DEVELOPED THIS GUIDE                                                public and private programs—giving            landscape of threats and support.
                                                                                                  us insights into how service-providing
     BY DRAWING UPON THE WEALTH OF EXPERTISE OF                                                   organizations operate, which trends and       In addition to general biographical
                                                                                                  challenges are most salient, and which        questions, the main questions of the
     OUR GLOBAL PARTNERS AND PEN CHAPTERS AND                                                     organizations are best equipped to            survey included:
                                                                                                  provide support to artists in need. This
     UPON INFORMATION GLEANED FROM THE 280 ARTISTS                                                guide, and ARC’s work, would not be           • What do you feel is the biggest threat
                                                                                                  possible without their knowledge.             to freedom of artistic expression?
     ARC HAS HELPED CONNECT TO DIRECT SUPPORT, 197
                                                                                                  Requests for Assistance from                  • Have you experienced persecution
     RESPONSES TO A SURVEY OF PERSECUTED ARTISTS                                                  Artists at Risk                               as a direct result of your work
                                                                                                  Since its inception, ARC has received         as an artist?
     CONDUCTED IN 2018, AND 13 INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED                                               280 requests for assistance from                › To the best of your knowledge, who
                                                                                                  artists in 63 countries, and we work            are/were the perpetrators of the
     IN 2020 WITH PROMINENT ARTISTS WHO HAVE                                                      daily to refer these artists to our partner     persecution?
                                                                                                  organizations. By analyzing trends              › To the best of your knowledge,
     EXPERIENCED PERSECUTION.                                                                     in these requests, ARC has gained a             what is/was the reason for the
                                                                                                  deeper understanding of the state of            persecution?
                                                                                                  artistic freedom and has been able to
                                                                                                  make inferences that helped inform the        • What action(s) did you take
                                                                                                  contents of this guide. But the requests      or are you currently taking to
     Global Network                                 these organizations, about 70 constitute      that ARC receives by no means capture         protect yourself?
     ARC strives to act as a clearinghouse,         ARC’s core network—partners                   the full scope of persecution faced by
     bringing together the vast constellation       that ARC consistently turns to and            artists. Though ARC receives about            • What kind of support, if any, did you
     of global resources for artists at risk into   collaborates with when aiding artists         87 requests a year, research from our         receive, or are you receiving?
     one accessible hub. Before its existence,      at risk. In addition to its global network,   partners and other watchdogs suggests
     artists in need and their allies would have    ARC has an Advisory Committee                 that hundreds, if not thousands, more         • When persecuted, what was/is the
     to peruse hundreds of individual               made up of prominent artists and              artists face substantial threats.             best way for you to access information
     websites to search the scope of existing       representatives of core partners. This                                                      about support?
     resources. With ARC’s database, all of         wide range of partners gives ARC a            2018 Survey of Artists at Risk
     these resources are compiled in one            unique opportunity to study the               To complement and deepen the                  2020 Interviews Conducted
     portal. When ARC was launched in               field of artist support as a whole and        information that ARC has gleaned from         with Artists at Risk
     2017, its network included 709 partner         understand what services exist, which         the artists who contact us, in 2018 we        Each of ARC’s in-depth interviews with
     organizations—579 in its public,               are most helpful, and how artists can         surveyed 197 individual artists at risk       13 prominent artists who have previously
     searchable database and 130 in a               most effectively navigate them.               globally to better understand their           been or are currently at risk lasted
     private database offering resources to                                                       needs, conditions, and challenges.            approximately one and a half to two
     persecuted artists. As of October 2020,        Much of this manual draws upon the            This survey explored questions about          hours and explored the artist’s career,
     the network has grown to 881 partners,         insights, expertise, research, and            what types of risk artists perceive, what     activism, and experiences coping with
     including 673 in the public database. Of       resources of this diverse group of            risks they have experienced, and how          persecution and finding assistance.

METHODOLOGY                                                                                                                                                                        METHODOLOGY
Artists at Risk Connection
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                                                                                                                                Conducting firsthand interviews             • When threats began, please walk
                                                                                                                                enabled ARC to ascertain what the lived     me through what you did to find
                                                                                                                                experience of risk is like, what tactics    assistance. Did you reach out to
                                                                                                                                artists use 13 to counter threats, what     other members of the art or activist
                                                                                                                                forms of support help most, and what        community, or elsewhere, such as
                                                              Amérique du Nord - 38.89%                                         forms of support remain lacking. ARC        human rights groups?
                                                              Europe - 22.22%                                                   interviewed the following artists:
                                                              Moyen-Orient et Afrique du Nord (MOAN) - 22.22%
                                                              Afrique - 5.56%
                                                                                                                                                                            • If you did receive assistance from a
                                                              Asie - 11.11%
                                                                                                                                • Aslı Erdoğan, Turkish writer              human rights organization, can you
                                                                                                                                • Betty Tompkins, American painter          discuss what it was like to navigate the
                                                                                                                                • Dread Scott, American visual artist       world of human rights support as an
       Geographic repartition of artists surveyed in 2018.
                                                                                                                                • Hamed Sinno, Lebanese singer              artist?
                                                                                                                                • Kubra Khademi, Afghan performance
                                                                                                                                artist                                      • What was your experience in
                                                  0      10       20      30     40     50     60      70     80      90        • Masha Alekhina, Russian member of         turning to the art community for help?
                                                                                                                                art collective Pussy Riot                   What advice would you offer to other
                                  Film / Vidéo                                                                             81   • Nanfu Wang, Chinese documentary           artists who are put at risk because
                         Écriture / Littérature                                                                            64   filmmaker                                   of their artwork/activism for the first
                       Théâtre / Perfomance                                                                                53
                                                                                                                                • Oleg Sentsov, Ukrainian filmmaker         time?
                                                                                                                                • Shahidul Alam, Bangladeshi
                      Arts plastiques / visuels                                                                            49
                                                                                                                                photographer                                For more about each artist, see the
                                Photographie                                                                               36   • Tania Bruguera, Cuban performance         “Artists’ Voices” section of this manual.
        Technique mixte / Interdisciplinaire                                                                               34   artist                                      Interview excerpts have been edited for
                                        Musique                                                                            18
                                                                                                                                • Valsero, Cameroonian rapper               brevity and clarity.
                      Autre (veuillez préciser)
                                                                                                                                • Wanuri Kahiu, Kenyan filmmaker
                                                                                                                           9
                                                                                                                                • Yulia Tsvetkova, Russian visual artist.
                                         Dance                                                                             7

                                                                       North America - 38.89%
                               Design / Mode
                                                                       Europe - 22.22%
                                                                                                                           5    The main interview questions included:
                                                                       Middle East and North Africa (MENA) - 22.22%
                                                                       Africa - 5.56%                                           • Can you tell me about your
                                                                       Asia - 11.11%
                                            Disciplinary composition of the artists surveyed in 2018.
                                                                                                                                development and career as an artist?
                                                                                                                                As an activist? At what point did you
                                                                                                                                realize these two were connected?
        40            38.89%

        35                                                                                                                      • When did you first experience risks,
        30                               27.78%
                                                                                                                                threats, harassment, persecution, etc.,
        25
                                                                                                                                as a result of your creative approach?
                               22.22%
                                                                                                                                How have the threats intensified over
        20
                                                                                                                                your career as you continued to make
                                                                       Moins de 18 ans - 5.56%
        15                                                                                                                      artwork?
                                                                       18-34 - 38.89%
        10
              5.56%                                   5.56%            35-44 - 22.22%
        5                                                              45-54 - 27.78%                                           • How did threats/persecution affect
        0                                                              55+ - 5.56%                                              your creative practice? How were your
              Moins 18–34      35–44 45-54             55+                                                                      life and career affected?
             de 18 ans

       Age of the artists surveyed in 2018 at time of first persecution.

METHODOLOGY                                                                                                                                                                                                     METHODOLOGY
Artists at Risk Connection
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      PATTERNS
         OF
     PERSECUTION

               PATTERNS OF PERSECUTION
Artists at Risk Connection
PATTERNS OF
18                                                                                                                                                                                          19
                                                                                                (13 percent), and other cultural              by relocating to a safer area, either

     PERSECUTION
                                                                                                professionals such as curators, theater       temporarily within their country or
                                                                                                directors, art scholars, and researchers      region or long-term, often to countries
                                                                                                (10 percent).                                 in the Global North. Requests for
                                                                                                                                              relocation tend to come alongside
                                                                                                Requests for assistance overwhelmingly        those for emergency grants, often to
                                                                                                come from artists who identify as             pay travel costs, or living costs after
                                                                                                male—only 28 percent of ARC’s cases           relocation. Although some urgent funds
     THROUGHOUT ARC’S EXISTENCE, THE NUMBER OF                                                  have been imperiled women. Yet while          are earmarked specifically for artists,
                                                                                                female and non-gender conforming              many tend to be restricted to extremely
     REQUESTS FOR ASSISTANCE FROM AT-RISK ARTISTS                                               artists make up only a small percentage       prominent artists seeking to carry out
                                                                                                of ARC’s cases, the risks they experience     specific creative projects and are only
     HAS CONTINUOUSLY GROWN. WHILE THIS GROWTH                                                  tend to be greater in severity and related    rarely reserved for those in dire need.
                                                                                                to their gender in some capacity, which is    Instead, ARC must often connect at-risk
     IS PARTLY DUE TO INCREASED AWARENESS OF ARC’S                                              not typical for male artists’ persecution.    artists to emergency grants for human
                                                                                                Furthermore, threats tend to more             rights defenders, offered by a wide
     RESOURCES, WE BELIEVE IT IS ALSO ROOTED IN THE                                             significantly affect artists who identify     range of human rights organizations
                                                                                                with minority groups, whether due to their    around the world.
     GLOBAL RISE OF AUTHORITARIAN, NATIONALIST, AND                                             gender, sexuality, language, ethnicity,
                                                                                                religion, race, or class.                     Requests for relocation and emergency
     EXTREMIST REGIMES AND GROUPS THAT ARE EXERTING                                                                                           grants are followed in frequency by
                                                                                                Thirty-two percent of artists who contact     requests for legal assistance (such
     PRESSURE ON ARTISTIC FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION.                                                ARC for assistance do so because they         as representation in a criminal case,
                                                                                                are experiencing threats of violence,         immigration advice, and trial monitoring)
     THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC HAS ONLY EXACERBATED                                                 death, verbal or physical harassment, or      and for advocacy (help with raising
                                                                                                arrest, followed in frequency by artists      awareness about their situation and
     SUCH THREATS.                                                                              who have already been arrested or             putting pressure on governments,
                                                                                                detained and are looking for assistance       institutions, or other perpetrators). More
                                                                                                either to avoid imprisonment or to be         often than not, however, artists request
                                                                                                released from prison (22 percent).            a mix of services: They may need
                                                                                                Artists seeking asylum assistance and/or      relocation assistance as well as funds to
     Although artists from all over the          many countries have only one to two            looking for support in exile also make up a   support them abroad, or they may need
     world contact ARC for assistance, the       artists a year who reach out for support,      substantial portion (13 percent) of ARC’s     public advocacy in addition to publishing
     majority come from the Global South,        ARC has received 36 requests for               requests.                                     opportunities to boost visibility of their
     and from a few regions in particular.       assistance from Iranian artists, nearly 14                                                   case.
     Year after year, since ARC’s inception,     percent of the total number of requests.       When ARC receives such requests, we
     the most requests—42 percent—have           Other high numbers come from Turkey            assess the situation and level of risk
     come from the Middle East and North         (19), Egypt (17), Cuba (15), and Yemen (11).   and connect artists to the support they
     Africa (MENA) region, followed by artists                                                  need. ARC does not provide direct
     from Africa (19 percent), Latin America     In terms of artist disciplines, ARC            services but rather refers artists to our
     (14 percent), and Asia (11 percent), with   receives the most requests from visual         global network of partner organizations,
     other regions constituting the remaining    artists (a category that encompasses           each of which has its own parameters
     14 percent of requests. Within these        anyone working in a visual medium,             for what it can provide and how many
     regions, certain countries tend to have     including painters, filmmakers, and            cases it can take on. Twenty-nine
     higher rates of violations of artistic      photographers), at 38 percent, followed        percent of ARC’s requests have come
     freedom than others. For example, while     by writers (28 percent), musicians             from artists seeking to flee threats

PATTERNS OF PERSECUTION                                                                                                                                                 PATTERNS OF PERSECUTION
20                                                                                                                      21

     Types of assistance requested by region from 2018-2020, according to ARC data.

     After artists receive support, ARC                 Beyond direct persecution, artists
     stays in touch with them to ensure the             often endure continuing difficulties
     long-term sustainability of their safety,          related to psychological and emotional
     as they often find themselves bouncing             trauma. So lasting security often
     from one resource to another, their                requires long-term cooperation with
     threats persistent and ongoing rather              organizations or a combination of
     than singular, one-off experiences.                short-term opportunities in succession.

                                                       Once - 15%
                                                       2-5 times - 40%
                                                       More than 5 times - 39%

     Data from a 2018 survey of 197 artists who had experienced or were experiencing persecution.

PATTERNS OF PERSECUTION                                                                             PATTERNS OF PERSECUTION
22                                                                                23

                                      1

                    DEFINING
                      RISK
     Art is inherently political. Through creative work, artists use
     image, representation, metaphor, motif, and more to challenge
     the status quo, oppressive religious beliefs, reigning political
     ideologies, social and cultural norms, and moral or economic
     injustices. Artists don’t always make an active choice to be political;
     often they do so unintentionally when their work unexpectedly
     touches on sensitive topics. Yet engaging politics, deliberately or
     not, can be one of the most dangerous acts of their career. Because
     art has the power to move people and envision alternative, more
     equitable societies, artists often face significant threats from
     those seeking to silence them. These threats include censorship,
     verbal or physical harassment, assault, arrest, legal prosecution,
     imprisonment, torture, and even death.

     Whether or not you affirmatively decide to be politically engaged
     and make overtly political art, it is important to understand the
     kinds of risks faced by artists around the world. Such awareness is
     crucial to knowing how and why your own work might put you at
     risk and will leave you better equipped to anticipate, withstand, and
     ultimately overcome pressure.

                                                                        DEFINING RISK
WHAT KINDS
24                                                                                                                                                                                          25
                                                                                               refused to censor her film, so it            violated.39 On May 2, 2020, after

      OF THREATS DO
                                                                                               was banned. Besides a one-week               spending 793 days in pretrial
                                                                                               release period after Kahiu                   detention for filming a music
                                                                                               appealed, and in the face of                 video that was critical of el-

      ARTISTS FACE?
                                                                                               international acclaim, Rafiki has            Sisi, 24-year-old filmmaker
                                                                                               not been available in Kenya.36               Shady Habash died in jail.40 Not
                                                                                               Read more about Kahiu’s case                 long after, a friend, film editor
                                                                                               in the “Artists’ Voices” section.            Sanaa Seif, was also placed in
                                                                                                                                            pretrial detention. Her brother,
                                                                                                                                            prominent activist Alaa Abd El
                                                                                             Detention, Legal Prosecution,                  Fattah, was already behind bars
      ARTISTS CAN FACE A WIDE RANGE OF RISKS                                                 and Imprisonment                               in pretrial detention at the time.41
                                                                                             Detention, prosecution, and
      AROUND THE WORLD.                                                                      imprisonment are the second-most-
                                                                                             frequent violations of artistic freedom.37   Harassment, Violence,
      THE FOLLOWING ARE THE MOST COMMON:                                                     Detention occurs when an artist is           and Assault
                                                                                             arrested and taken to jail but has not       Artists around the world can face
                                                                                             yet been charged with a crime. As            generalized harassment, including
                                                                                             soon as an artist is indicted for a crime,   physical violence and assault; online
      Censorship                                                                             prosecution begins. Artists who are          abuse; verbal hate speech or threats
      The enforced silencing of artists—by        concern, as authoritarian regimes          successfully prosecuted and convicted        carried out in person, by phone, or on
      preventing them from displaying or          control what content is allowed online33   may be sentenced to prison or face           digital platforms; physical assault such
      promoting their work, forcing them          and social media companies use             some other punishment. Artists can be        as beatings, police raids, or damage to
      to alter its content, or damaging or        arbitrary algorithms to remove content     arrested, prosecuted, and imprisoned         facilities and equipment; state violence,
      destroying it—is far and away the           deemed inappropriate.34 Furthermore,       for a wide variety of reasons. Often         including torture; and even killings or
      most common threat worldwide.27             censorship begets censorship, and          such actions are politically motivated,      death sentences.
      Censorship can be carried out by both       many countries have cultures of            but sometimes they are legitimized
      state and non-state agents, through         self-censorship, a toxic situation in      under existing statutes and laws. To         Sanctions and Fines
      laws and regulations, corporate and         which fear of censorship or retaliation    understand what kind of laws you could       Artists are frequently subject to fines
      commercial pressures, or force and          leads artists to muzzle themselves.35      be prosecuted under, see “Knowing            and sanctions, which act as a sort of
      intimidation. Many countries require                                                   Your Country’s Laws.”                        extension of censorship. Governments
      artists to get licenses from a censorship                                                                                           try to force artists to be silent by levying
      board to make art. State-sponsored            In Kenya, filmmakers are                                                              heavy fees against them for a wide
      censorship is often carried out on            required to get approval from              Egypt is one of the world’s                range of reasons, from violating minor
      such grounds as protecting national           a censorship board before they             most frequent jailers of artists           laws and committing petty infractions to
      security,28 controlling obscenity,29          can make and distribute their              and writers.38 One of the most             imposing sentences related to
      regulating hate speech,30 promoting           films. When Wanuri Kahiu, a                common tactics used by                     criminal or civil prosecution.42
      or restricting political or religious         world-renowned filmmaker,                  President Abdel Fattah
      opinions,31 and preventing libel.32           brought her film Rafiki to the             el-Sisi’s government to silence            Travel Bans
      But censorship may or may not be legal,       Kenya Film Classification Board,           artists and other dissidents               State persecution often goes hand in
      and many countries have laws that             she was asked to make a few                is pretrial detention, which               hand with travel bans. When a state
      protect against it.                           changes. The film, about two               allows detainees who have been             seeks to criminalize an artist, it will often
                                                    young girls who fall in love, was          arrested, but have not been                place them under travel ban or even
      In the internet age, censorship on            viewed as too pro-LGBTQIA+ in              formally charged or undergone              house arrest for the duration of their
      digital platforms by both private and         a country where homosexuality              trial, to remain in custody for up         court case—and longer still if they are
      public groups is another growing              is still criminalized. But Kahiu           to two years—a limit that is often         handed a conviction. These tactics are

DEFINING RISK                                                                                                                                                                     DEFINING RISK
WHO IS MOST
26                                                                                                                                    27
      meant to constrain an artist’s ability to

                                                  VULNERABLE
      spread their work across borders and
      cultures, seek safety in a third country,
      and meaningfully advance their career

                                                  TO THREATS?
      through international opportunities.

        In Russia, travel bans are
        frequently used against artists
        currently on trial or under
        investigation. In 2017 Kirill
        Serebrennikov, a prolific                 WHILE ANY ARTIST CAN BE PUT AT RISK FOR THEIR
        Russian playwright and theater
        director, was detained and                WORK, CERTAIN FACTORS INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD
        charged with embezzling 68
        million rubles, a politically             THAT THIS WILL OCCUR. WOMEN, LGBTQIA+ PEOPLE,
        motivated and spurious
        allegation meant to silence               THOSE WITH DISABILITIES, SENIORS, MIGRANTS OR
        a prominent critic of Putin’s
        regime. He was placed under               REFUGEES, AND MEMBERS OF RELIGIOUS, ETHNIC, OR
        house arrest from August 2017
        to April 2019, when he was                LINGUISTIC MINORITIES OFTEN FIND THEMSELVES AT
        released on bail. On June 26,
        2020, he was convicted and                HEIGHTENED RISK OF REPRESSION, AS DO ARTISTS IN
        received a suspended sentence,
        and although the case has now             THE WORLD’S MOST RESTRICTIVE REGIONS.
        concluded, he remains unable
        to leave Russia, causing lasting
        damage to his ability to engage
        foreign arts institutions and             Women and LGBTQIA+ People                     Russian feminist artist and
        communities.43                            Though male artists tend to make up           activist Yulia Tsvetkova
                                                  more documented cases of risk, women          is currently on trial for
                                                  and non-gender-conforming artists face        disseminating pornography, a
                                                  a greater range of threats related to their   charge that could land her in
                                                  gender than their male colleagues.44          prison for up to six years.
                                                  This occurs for a variety of reasons,         Her only crime was making
                                                  including orthodoxies and regulations         pro-LGBTQIA+ and
                                                  about gender and sexuality, regressive        body-positive artwork.
                                                  social attitudes toward women, and            After creating two social media
                                                  heightened risks of sexual violence.          webpages that displayed work
                                                  The same holds true for members of            by feminist artists, some of
                                                  the LGBTQIA+ community. Even if their         which included frank depictions
                                                  work is not explicitly related to their       of female genitalia, Tsvetkova
                                                  sexuality or gender, hostile attitudes and    was arrested in November
                                                  biases toward these groups place them         2019 and charged in January
                                                  at inherently higher risk.                    2020. In a society in which

DEFINING RISK                                                                                                               DEFINING RISK
28                                                                                                                                            29
        “gay propaganda” is outlawed                Even more shocking, Uyghurs                 Belarus is often labeled the
        and in which homophobia                     and others are sent to the camps            “last dictatorship in Europe.”
        and misogyny are rampant,                   for everyday expressions of                 Its government exerts
        Tsvetkova’s case was largely                their culture or faith. Artists             widespread control over the
        seen as punishment for raising              who in any way express Uygher               cultural sphere, supporting
        taboo subjects.45 For more                  cultural identity—or artists who            official programs that serve its
        on Tsvetkova’s case, see the                simply are Uygher—are often                 ideological needs and cutting off
        “Artists’ Voices” section.                  detained. Rashida Dawut, a                  funding for those that don’t. In
                                                    celebrated Uygher singer, was               early 2020, numerous activists
                                                    sentenced to 15 years in prison             and writers were tried for
      Minorities or                                 for alleged “separatism” in a               participating in demonstrations
      Underrepresented Groups                       secret trial in late 2019,54 and            calling for independence from
      Sometimes merely being a member of a          countless Uygher artists, poets,            Russia’s influence.58 Following
      minority or underrepresented group can        and activists have been                     massive protests in the wake
      lead to persecution. Kurds in Turkey and      similarly persecuted.                       of President Aleksandr G.
      Iran,46 Tamils in Sri Lanka,47 Rohingya                                                   Lukashenko’s reelection in
      in Myanmar,48 Palestinians in Israel or                                                   August 2020–– an election widely
      occupied Palestine,49 and Uyghurs,50        Artists from Certain Regions                  viewed as rigged—writers,
      Tibetans,51 and Hui 52 in China are among   Artists around the world face risks, but      members of PEN Belarus,59
      the ethnic and religious minorities,        some regions violate artistic freedom         members of the art collective
      stateless groups, unrecognized people,      more regularly and brutally than others.      Belarus Free Theater,60 and
      or otherwise minoritized groups that        While some of this variation can be           countless other dissident
      face persecution.                           attributed to discrepancies like a lack of    artists have felt the brunt of the
                                                  reporting or lack of civil society support,   government crackdown, facing
                                                  it is nevertheless important to recognize     arrest and detention.61
        In the name of combating                  that certain threats tend to occur at
        “Islamist extremism,” the                 higher rates in certain regions. The
        Chinese Communist Party                   Middle East and North Africa region
        (CCP) has turned Xinjiang,                consistently ranks as one of the highest
        an autonomous region in                   violators of artistic freedom across a
        western China, into a police              number of metrics, followed by Asia and
        state, where those who publicly           Europe as the second- and third-most-
        express their ethnic identity are         risky places for artists.55
        marked as potential enemies
        of the state. Uygher people,              But regional differences shift depending
        a Turkic, Muslim-majority                 on the specifics. For instance,
        group that makes up about                 Europe is one of the most common
        half of the region’s population,          places for threats based on minority
        are especially vulnerable.                backgrounds.56 And in 2019, the
        According to estimates, more              majority of imprisoned writers—141
        than a million Uyghers are                out of 238 cases—were in just three
        believed to have been detained            countries: China, Saudi Arabia,
        in “reeducation camps” for                and Turkey.57
        “deradicalization.”53 Detainees
        are not given a trial, a lawyer, or
        any semblance of due process.

DEFINING RISK                                                                                                                        DEFINING RISK
WHERE ARE
30                                                                                                                                                                                 31
                                                                                         2019, he was arrested on the                 November 2012, after an

      THREATS MOST
                                                                                         outskirts of a demonstration                 interview on BBC Tamil in
                                                                                         protesting the previous year’s               which she said that legalizing
                                                                                         presidential election, which                 sex work would better protect

      LIKELY TO
                                                                                         many Cameroonians saw as                     workers, Seyyid rapidly became
                                                                                         rigged to favor Biya. He spent               a target of vitriolic criticism,
                                                                                         nine months in jail, awaiting                harassment, and death threats

      COME FROM?
                                                                                         trial for charges that carried               from religious fundamentalists.
                                                                                         punishment as severe as the                  Since then, she and her family
                                                                                         death penalty, until he was                  have faced incessant attacks,
                                                                                         eventually released. 64 For more             including threats of acid assaults
                                                                                         information on Valsero’s case,               and rape. Not long after the BBC
                                                                                         see the “Artists’ Voices” section            interview, the English academy
                                                                                         of this guide.                               that she ran with her sister was
      THREATS CAN COME FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES.                                                                                     vandalized. In 2019, authorities
                                                                                                                                      notified Seyyid that she was a
      THE MOST COMMON ARE STATES AND STATE ENTITIES,62                                 Non-State Groups                               target of National Thowheeth
                                                                                       Non-state agents such as terrorist             Jama’ath (NDJ), a militant
      WHILE NON-STATE GROUPS, CORPORATE OR                                             and extremist groups, paramilitaries,          Islamist group responsible for
                                                                                       organized crime, religious                     bombings that took place on
      COMMERCIALENTITIES, AND OTHER SOURCES                                            fundamentalists, and online trolls and         Easter Sunday in 2019, forcing
                                                                                       hackers have also persecuted artists.          her to go into exile.65
      ALSO PRESENT RISKS.                                                              Those whose work pushes against
                                                                                       orthodoxies may be more likely to
                                                                                       experience the wrath of non-state            Corporate or
                                                                                       agents if they live in especially            Commercial Entities
      State Groups                                  Valsero, one of the most popular   conservative or traditional societies.       Corporate or commercial entities often
      State groups, including governments,          musicians in Cameroon, is          Similarly, artists in conflict zones         censor broadcasters, publishers,
      heads of state, politicians, police, and      known for politically tinged       may face backlash from armed or              communications companies, and
      the military, are by far the most likely      rap songs that call for greater    extremist groups, and in such cases the      other media that have political or social
      entities to persecute artists, who are        accountability and transparency    availability of traditional legal recourse   agendas.66 They may also target or
      frequently imprisoned for criticizing         from President Paul Biya’s         can be slim. Trolls and hackers may seek     harass artists. Broadcasters and media
      government policies and practices.63          administration and that strive     to harass artists online or compromise       companies that are de facto mouthpieces
      Artists whose work directly engages           to spread awareness of civil       their digital security. Artists can also     for the governmentsometimes use their
      political or social issues should prepare     and political rights. Biya, who    face attacks from family members,            megaphones to spread disinformation or
      for possible retaliation. Those who           has ruled since 1982, has          neighbors, and other artists within          launch smear campaigns against artists.
      criticize heads of state are frequently       maintained power through           their own communities.
      prosecuted for criminal defamation            decades of intimidation and
      and sued for libel, even if the criticism     force, and his regime has taken                                                   Social media platforms present
      is valid or warranted. But “apolitical” art   countless measures to curtail        Sharmila Seyyid, an                          both opportunities and risks for
      can also pose a threat to the status quo,     freedom of expression. Over          internationally acclaimed                    artists, enabling them to amplify
      and artists should always be prepared         the years, Valsero has been          novelist and activist from Sri               their messages while also leaving
      for the possibility of state persecution,     detained a number of times           Lanka, has dedicated her life                them vulnerable to persecution.
      including by familiarizing themselves         by Cameroonian police forces,        to advancing gender equality                 These platforms are among
      with laws used against artists, as            and many of his concerts have        and fighting extremism within                the most common forums for
      outlined below.                               been banned. On January 26,          her Muslim community. In                     harassment, as trolls and other

DEFINING RISK                                                                                                                                                            DEFINING RISK
32                                                                                                                                                                                              33
        hostile groups can easily single out         open to interpretation, especially             be especially wary of airing opinions on      Workers Party (PKK), a militant
        artists with vitriolic or threatening        regarding hot-button subjects like             social media and in other digital spaces.     separatist group, branding them
        speech.67 Artists also face internal         terrorism and nudity.68 Women,                                                               as terrorists even if their art
        censorship, as vague content                 queer, and transgender artists                                                               in no way advocates violence
        regulation mechanisms based                  in particular have fallen prey to                In Bangladesh, the draconian                or even addresses the political
        on “standards of behavior” are               such content controls.69                         Digital Security Act (DSA)—                 status of Kurds. Zehra Doğan,
                                                                                                      formerly the Information and                an influential journalist and
                                                                                                      Communication Technology                    artist, was sentenced to prison for
                                                                                                      Act (ICT)—is frequently used                terrorism after painting a scene
                                                                                                      to criminalize online dissent.              based on a photograph of Turkish

     KNOWING YOUR
                                                                                                      With its vague definitions                  troops leveling a Kurdish town.79
                                                                                                      and heavily punishable, non-                Likewise, members of Grup
                                                                                                      bailable offenses, the act                  Yorum, a musical collective that

     COUNTRY’S
                                                                                                      gives Bangladeshi authorities               often advocates for Kurdish
                                                                                                      unprecedentedly wide purview                rights and uses the Kurdish
                                                                                                      to crack down on freedom                    language in its songs, have

     LAWS
                                                                                                      of expression and launch                    been perennially arrested and
                                                                                                      investigations into anyone whose            convicted under trumped-up
                                                                                                      activities and/or online speech is          terrorism charges.80
                                                                                                      deemed harmful or threatening.
                                                                                                      Under the DSA and former ICT,
                                                                                                      thousands of Bangladeshi artists,         Entertainment Control
     ARTISTS IN ANY SITUATION, REGARDLESS OF                                                          journalists, and activists have           Another form of legislation that’s
                                                                                                      been arrested.75                          commonly used to target artists is
     WHETHER THEY ANTICIPATE RISK, CAN BENEFIT FROM                                                                                             entertainment control acts. In
                                                                                                                                                their most drastic form, these laws
     A COMPREHENSIVE UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR                                                         Anti-Terrorism                              exist in countries with state censorship
                                                                                                    Along with legislation that regulates       apparatuses, such as China81 and Iran.82
     COUNTRY’S SPEECH LAWS OR OTHER LEGISLATION                                                     speech and expression, governments          In these countries, anyone who hopes to
                                                                                                    increasingly turn to anti-terrorism laws    create something that could qualify as
     THAT IS USED AGAINST ARTISTS.                                                                  to crack down on artists. At least eight    entertainment—pretty much anything
                                                                                                    countries have used anti-terrorism          in the cultural sphere, including films, TV,
                                                                                                    and/or anti-extremism legislation           songs, and books—must first submit
                                                                                                    against artists.76 In over half of such     it to a censorship board, which grants
      Logically, laws that regulate speech or      Laws Regulating Speech                           prosecutions, the artists belonged to       licenses to release the work. If the
      expression are most likely to be used        Many countries have laws that                    a minority group.77                         board deems the content inappropriate
      against artists thought to have crossed      regulate varying forms of speech                                                             or not in line with state narratives, it
      a line, so staying informed about the        and expression. These laws usually                                                           will withhold the licenses, and if artists
      general climate and current status of        center on defamation and libel,70                  In Turkey, almost any action              circumvent such licenses and make
      free speech and expression is crucial        disinformation,71 cybercrime,72 online             related to Kurdish identity               their art anyway, they may face severe
      to practicing your art safely. But artists   speech,73 and broadcasting and                     or language runs the risk of              threats like imprisonment.
      can also be prosecuted under laws with       telecommunications.74 Speech-related               being criminalized under
      seemingly no connection to art and           laws are frequently used to criminalize            counterterrorism regulations.78
      expression. Laws to pay attention to, if     artists for both the content of their work and     When artists represent Kurdish              Decree 349 in Cuba, enacted
      they exist in your country, include, but     the views they express. Artists working in         life in their work, the government          in 2018, institutionalizes and
      are not limited to:                          countries that deploy such tactics should          often invokes the Kurdistan                 expands limits on creative

DEFINING RISK                                                                                                                                                                          DEFINING RISK
NOTES
34       expression. The decree                    against Beijing and severely                                                                                                                            35
         criminalizes unregistered artistic        weakens guarantees of freedom                of expression. To keep track of laws
         labor, granting authorities wide          of expression within the city                that might pose a threat to your artistic
         remit to censor and constrain             on vaguely defined “national                 practice, you should familiarize yourself
         artists’ activities. Under Decree         security” grounds, has ignited               with organizations that maintain
         349, there has been an immense            widespread fears that Hong                   detailed, annual country reports, such      27
                                                                                                                                               “The State of Artistic Freedom 2020”,
         uptick in the censorship,                 Kongers’ civic freedoms are                  as Freedom House, Freemuse, and             Freemuse, April 15, 2020.
         harassment, and arrest of                 being erased. 87 In the weeks                Human Rights Watch.                         28
                                                                                                                                               “Censorship and Secrecy, Social
         independent artists in Cuba.83            after it was passed, prominent                                                           and Legal Perspectives,” MIT, 2001.
         Since 2017 Luis Manuel Otero              artists, writers, publishers, and            Whether or not you actively criticize the   29
                                                                                                                                                 “Definitions of Censorship,” PBS.
         Alcántara, an esteemed                    activists have been arrested                 government or call for social change in
         performance and street artist,            or forced into exile,88 as their             a hostile environment, there is a wide      30
                                                                                                                                               “Free Speech and Regulation of Social Media
                                                                                                                                            Content,” Federation of American Scientists,
         has been arrested at least 21             pro-democracy work is now                    range of scenarios that could endanger      March 27, 2019.
         times, frequently as a direct             considered a threat to China’s               your well-being. To prepare for them, it    31
                                                                                                                                               “Censorship and Secrecy, Social and Legal
         result of his outspoken criticism         national security.                           is essential to understand and assess       Perspectives, ” MIT, 2001.
         of the decree.84                                                                       the types of threats that you might         32
                                                                                                                                               “First Amendment and Censorship,”
                                                                                                encounter.                                  American Library Association, October 2020.
                                                 Criminal Codes
      National Security                                                                                                                        “About Democracy in the Digital Age,” Pew Research
                                                                                                                                            33
                                                 Performance artists and musicians,             Hopefully those threats never               Center, February 21, 2020.
      As outlandish as it may seem, in some      whose work often incorporates or               materialize, but knowing what they look     34
                                                                                                                                                 See “Internet,” National Coalition Against Censorship.
      countries artists may find themselves      occupies public spaces, can be                 like is crucial to effectively and
      accused of violating national security     especially vulnerable to charges               safely navigating them if they do.          35
                                                                                                                                               David Kaye, “Disease pandemics and the freedom of
                                                                                                                                            opinion and expression,” OHCHR, July 24, 2020, p. 11.
      laws merely for making art.85 In           of hooliganism89 or vandalism.90
      countries with hard-line governments,      Obscenity91 and blasphemy92 laws                                                           36
                                                                                                                                               Cobie-Ray Johnson, “Wanuri Kahiu,”
                                                                                                                                            Artists at Risk Connection, 2020
      artists who are seen as promoting          are also frequently used to criminalize
      agendas that pose a threat to a ruling     artists. Similarly, when a government                                                      37
                                                                                                                                              “The State of Artistic Freedom 2020,”
                                                                                                                                            Freemuse, April 15, 2020.
      regime or endorsing the cultural mores     truly wants to silence artists or activists,
      of a country deemed an enemy of            a common tactic is to accuse them of                                                       38
                                                                                                                                                 “Freedom to Write Index 2019,” PEN America.
      the state may be prosecuted under          economic crimes, such as spurious tax-                                                     39
                                                                                                                                               “60+ Organizations Call for Release of All Artists,
      draconian national security laws.86 In     or embezzlement-related charges.93 To                                                      Writers, and Journalists in Pre-Trial Detention in
                                                                                                                                            Egypt,” Artists at Risk Connection, 2020.
      the latter case, artists may be accused    guard against such treatment, it is crucial
      of using foreign cultures to dismantle     for artists to maintain financial security                                                 40
                                                                                                                                              Declan Walsh, “Filmmaker Who Mocked Egypt’s
                                                                                                                                            President Dies in Prison,” The New York Times,
      the state, posing a danger to society.     and legitimacy. When trouble arises,                                                       May 2, 2020.
      Convictions under national security laws   an error in your finances might be the
                                                                                                                                             “World renowned actors, filmmakers, and writers call
                                                                                                                                            41
      can carry some of the most hefty prison    reason a government that dislikes you                                                      on Egypt to release Sanaa Seif,” Artists at Risk
      terms of any on this list.                 is able to put you behind bars. For more                                                   Connection, August 4, 2020.
                                                 on financial security, see “Preparing for                                                   Polina Sadovskaya, “Kirill Serebrennikov,”
                                                                                                                                            42

                                                 Risk.”                                                                                     Artists at Risk Connection, e.g.
         In Hong Kong, after months                                                                                                         43
                                                                                                                                                 Sadovskaya, Artists at Risk Connection.
         of historic pro-democracy                                    ***                                                                   44
                                                                                                                                               ARC Case Data. Also see “Safety Guide for
         protests against China’s                                                                                                           Journalists,” Reporters Without Borders, 2015, p. 14.
         encroaching influence on                Ultimately, laws are ever-changing, as
                                                                                                                                             Annie Kiyonaga, “Yulia Tsvetkova,”
                                                                                                                                            45
         the semi-autonomous island,             are those in power, so it’s impossible to                                                  Artists at Risk Connection, June 2020.
         Chinese officials rushed a              give comprehensive recommendations                                                         46
                                                                                                                                               “Cultural policy effects on freedom of the arts in
         national security law through           that apply across the globe. Instead,                                                      Turkey, ” Index on Censorship, February 13, 2014.
         the legislature. The law, which         we suggest staying up to date on your                                                      47
                                                                                                                                                 See “Tamils,” Minority Rights Group International.
         criminalizes acts of protest            country’s attitudes toward freedom

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