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UNDER PRESSURE: new report on threatened cartoonists around the world
CARTOONISTS RIGHTS is pleased to announce the latest collaborative piece of reporting on the global situation for cartoonists.

UNDER PRESSURE, the new report on the situation of threatened cartoonists around the world, is published by Cartooning for Peace, co-authored by CARTOONISTS RIGHTS in partnership with the Freedom Cartoonists Foundation, the Forum for Humor and the Law (ForHum), Global Freedom of Expression at Columbia University, and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The document will be made available from March 2nd, 2026.

The report is supported by UNESCO’s Global Media Defence Fund (GMDF) and the Centre Français d’exploitation du droit de Copie (CFC).

It features findings from a special survey on abuse, censorship, content restrictions, and other problems encountered online by cartoonists, with independent analysis from Alberto Godioli, Associate Professor at the University of Groningen (Netherlands) and Ana Pedrazzini, researcher in communication and semiotic studies at the Patagonian Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences (IPEHCS), CONICET, National University of Comahue (Argentina).

UNDER PRESSURE report front cover (cartoon by Zehra Ömeroğlu)

Amid the context of rising authoritarianism, the cases featured give a stark impression of the state of freedom of expression for cartoonists everywhere, including multiple warnings about the deterioration of conditions in the United States.

“ […] we cannot help but be alarmed and saddened as the USA emerges among those countries figuring most prominently in the data on incidents of censorship and threats to cartoonists.”

Terry Anderson – Executive Director, Cartoonists Rights

“It’s a serious warning for Europe: will the Old Continent, the cradle of satirical cartoons in the 18th century, go down the same path or, on the contrary, will it take up the torch as the global beacon of cartoons, critical thinking, and freedom of speech? The question is historic, serious, and urgent: cartoons have always been a barometer of democracy.”

Patrick Lamassoure (Kak) – President, Cartooning for Peace

Other contributors include:
Vincent Berthier and Jonathan Dagher (RSF)

Patrick Chappatte (Freedom Cartoonists Foundation, Censure en Amérique with Ann Telnaes)

Emanuele del Rosso (European Cartoon Award)

Cherian George (Hong Kong Baptist University)
Patrick Gathara (New Humanitarian)

Riss (Charlie Hebdo)

Julie Trébault (Artists at Risk Connection – ARC)

Sophie Walter (Appeals Centre Europe)

Omar Zevallos (cartoonist & journalist)
Covering a period from 2023 to 2025, Under Pressure follows Cartoonists on the Line (2020-2022). The report will be discussed at a special round-table event as part of the Festival International du Dessin de Presse et des Médias Ça Presse, Lyon on March 5th, with participation from Cartooning for Peace, Cartoonists Rights, and RSF.

DOWNLOAD: ENGLISH

The report will be made available in both English and French, and exclusively via Cartooning for Peace from 03/02/26

DOWNLOAD: FRENCH
February 24, 2026
Statement: we will not use A.I.
CARTOONISTS RIGHTS will not use generative A.I. and nor shall we engage the services of those who do.

CARTOONISTS RIGHTS is an organization focused upon advocacy and assistance for cartoonists suffering human rights violations as a result of what they draw, and in particular defense of their freedom of expression. At the time of writing it cannot be asserted with certainty that generative A.I. has been the root cause of any such violation. That said, we do not believe A.I. is benign. Indeed, we share many of the grave concerns expressed by colleagues in our own and in other related sectors.

The technology is predicated upon and cannot develop further without the massive misappropriation of creative work. What has been released so far has already had a serious deleterious effect on opportunities across the visual and applied arts. Not very long ago many cartoonists were rightly outraged by A.I. facsimiles of their work circulated by plagiarists. Any who persist in using it risk forfeiting their grounds to complain about how hard it is to make a living and demonstrate a fundamental disregard for the theft suffered by their peers, as well as counterparts in other disciplines.

A.I. hastens the “dead internet” i.e. a space filled with content created and consumed by no-one, and with it reduces the viability and visibility of cartoons on the last remaining outlet(s) for the majority of practitioners.

And most importantly, A.I. hurts people. It is synonymous with dis- and misinformation, a deluge of “revenge porn” and child sexual abuse images, fascist memes, and there is mounting evidence of its catastrophic damage on mental health and critical thinking among users. It is anti-journalism, resulting in an environment where no evidence can be trusted, which is an obvious boon to authoritarians and extremists.

In addition there is the matter of professionalism. When they hear from us, our clients, donors, and supporters rightly expect to receive a level of courtesy and respect which should include an effort made to be accurate, with any conclusions based upon both lived experience and careful thought. Generative A.I.’s “slop” fails on all these counts.

Bearing the foregoing in mind, CARTOONISTS RIGHTS shall undertake the following as policy effective from January 2026:
1. While we advise in the strongest possible terms against its use, we will extend to anyone who has suffered a verifiable human rights violation after disseminating a cartoon made with generative A.I. in whole or in part, the same attention and consideration as any other potential client. Cartoonists’ safety and their human rights take primacy over methodologies.
2. However as a corporate entity we will be “A.I. free”, meaning:
  - our staff shall never make use of generative A.I. internally nor commission any external supplier who does so, and this applies across any and all forms of content and media;
  - nor may any individual making use of generative A.I. in their professional output be designated a Regional Representative of this organization – the two are incompatible.
January 5, 2026
BREAKING: Zehra Ömeroğlu’s legal troubles are not over yet

June’s celebrations were premature; Turkish prosecutors are determined to pursue cartoonist Zehra Ömeroğlu and overturn her acquittal.

As confirmed in conversation during today’s panel on the fate of satire in Türkiye convened by Media Freedom Rapid Response, Zehra Ömeroğlu was informed July 24th of the state prosecutor’s intent to file a petition with the court of appeal in Istanbul and thereby seek to overturn the June 26th ruling that saw the cartoonist acquitted of criminal charges of “obscenity”.

Said prosecution arose from a cartoon published in LeMan humor magazine in 2020. Following more than four years of judicial harassment, Ms Ömeroğlu was chosen to receive our Robert Russell Courage in Cartooning Award. In the context of the recent arrests and criminal charges leveled at various staffers from LeMan, this latest is a worrying, but perhaps not surprising development.

“After a slow and lengthy process of deliberation and the receipt of expert opinions from both sides of the argument, a judge came to the wholly correct decision last month that Zehra’s cartoon did not represent a criminally obscene, nor dangerously irresponsible piece of commentary. The local censors and prosecutors’ dogged determination to punish her is troubling; we remain convinced their case is based upon misogyny. While saddened that her troubles are not yet over, we’ll continue to stand in solidarity with our Courage in Cartooning Awardee for as long as it takes.”

Terry Anderson – Executive Director

July 28, 2025
Statement: international free expression orgs call for Ashraf Omar’s release, one year on from his arrest
Today marks a sad day for freedom of expression. It is the one-year anniversary of the unlawful arrest and “pre-trial detention” of Egyptian cartoonist Ashraf Omar.

On July 22^nd, 2024, a Cairo activist, cartoonist, and translator named Ashraf Omar was taken from his home by plainclothes officers. Forty-eight hours elapsed before there was any official acknowledgment of his arrest or confirmation of his well-being or location.

Mr. Omar was subjected to physical violence and verbal abuse, as well as a six-hour interrogation during which he was questioned concerning cartoons that had been published in the independent news outlet, Al Manassa. He was asked why he had drawn them, and whether his intent was to incite dissent in the general population. Ultimately, he was charged with “joining a terrorist group while being aware of its purposes, disseminating and publishing rumours and false news and information, and abuse of social media.”

Placed in “pre-trial detention”, Mr. Omar has spent the intervening year in a cycle of frustrating, cruel, and unjust procedural limbo. Relying on COVID-19 measures that have never been rescinded, his “hearings” take place exclusively over video conference-call with no opportunity for defence attorney and client to confer. Initially every fifteen, then every forty-five days, these brief convenings always have the same purpose: to rubber-stamp another extension without presentation or consideration of any argument or evidence.

In addition, on January 16^th, 2025, his wife Nada Mougheeth was arrested and charged with “spreading false rumours” about his arrest and, like him, “supporting terrorism”. She was later released on bail. Her arrest was a clear attempt to intimidate her into silence concerning her husband, who may remain a detainee until the end of 2025, with no sign of a trial date.

Presently a total of seventeen journalists are detained in the Egyptian penal system. Charges of “membership of a terrorist organisation” and “spreading false news” are regularly brought against them. Egyptian authorities exercise censorship over independent media outlets, thereby stifling efforts to achieve pluralism. The government uses prolonged and indefinite pre-trial detention against individuals perceived to be political opponents, activists or human rights defenders.

The last twelve months have seen a proliferation of this characterisation of anti-establishment expression as amounting to crimes against the state, as well as the license that gives to abandon the rights of the accused. We might mention:
- Mohammed Al Hazza, handed a twenty-three-year prison sentence in Riyadh, charged with “insulting” the state with cartoons published in Qatar;
- Kibet Bull, among the many young protestors disappeared from the streets of Nairobi;
- Fahmi Reza, summoned for questioning under the sedition act in Kuala Lumpur and since subjected to a travel ban;
- and lastly those staffers from LeMan magazine in Istanbul, currently held, as well as one still wanted by Turkish authorities, accused of “inciting hatred” and under investigation for accepting foreign funds to act as a fifth column.
It may therefore be asserted that the variety of authoritarianism that entails arbitrary detentions and denial of due legal process is the ultimate destination of any government that seeks to conflate non-violent dissent and protest with the enacting and support of terrorism. This is most obviously and keenly felt in the context of Gaza, a topic that is becoming increasingly hard to comment upon, earnestly or satirically without risking demonisation, censure, or criminalisation.

Freedom of expression is suffering an assault on a mass scale, all over the world. Ashraf Omar personifies the struggle. He is an honest man and was engaged in an ordinary and reasonable activity before a brutal regime chose to recast him as a “terrorist”.

Cartoonists – beacons of free expression around the world – are showing their support for Ashraf Omar, reminding all of the special power in their work. Cartoons prompt people to think, reflect, criticize… and laugh. They are by no means a threat, as many wish to present them.

The undersigned organisations declare their commitment that Ashraf Omar will not be forgotten and take this sad occasion to mark a year of his life wasted, and once again call for an immediate end to his detention and a swift conclusion to the baseless prosecution of both Ashraf Omar and Nada Mougheeth.

SIGNATORIES
Al Manassa

Artists at Risk Connection (ARC)

Association of Canadian Cartoonists / Association des caricaturistes Canadiens (ACC)

Australian Cartoonists Association

Caglecartoons.com

Cartoon Movement

Cartooning for Peace

Cartoonists Co-operative

Cartoonists Rights

Columbia Global Freedom of Expression

Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
European Cartoon Award

France-Cartoons

Forum for Humour and the Law (ForHum)

Freedom Cartoonists

Freemuse

Index on Censorship

Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights

Kyiv Club of Cartoonists

Pakistan Union of Cartoonists

Reporters Without Borders (RSF)

Reviewed & Cleared

Toons Mag

United Sketches
Download full press release (ENGLISH)
July 22, 2025
UPDATED: cartoonists’ & free speech orgs in support of LeMan magazine
UPDATE, 11/18/25: Doğan Pehlevan has been released from jail after more than four months in pre-trial detention, the last of the five co-accused to be processed so far. A warrant still stands for the arrest of a sixth LeMan staffer – founder Tuncay Akgün. A trial date has been set for May 5th 2026 with a travel ban in effect until then. We understand that additional charges of “insulting the President” have been brought against the cartoonist Pehlevan, seemingly pertaining to old social media posts.

UPDATE, 07/11/25: Turkish news media carried reports of the arrest of Aslan Özdemir, removed from an airplane inbound from Marseille immediately after its arrival at Istanbul International.

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

The week of June 30^th was marked by a wave of arrests of oppositional figures redolent of the crackdown that ensued after the attempted coup of 2016. The former mayor of Izmir, Tunç Soyer and more than 150 Republican Party officials and members now join former Istanbul mayor and presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu in custody, besides scores of others detained in 2025.

What is happening at LeMan is just one piece of a wider pattern, but it should not be dismissed as a minor incident. It is apparent that what started as an overblown and disingenuous line of prosecution has now provided the pretext for a concerted effort to eliminate the magazine entirely.

We wish to make the following clear:
- The June 26^th cartoon categorically does not portray the Prophet Muhammad and this should be obvious to anyone who cares to examine it dispassionately. In the context of indiscriminate civilian deaths due to military action in the Middle East, the artwork depicts the angelic spirits of two deceased men, a Muslim named “Muhammad” (as millions are) and a Jew named “Musa” i.e. Moses. The two greet each other as they ascend to heaven, and bombs continue to fall in the background. It is a humane, bittersweet, and even-handed exhortation for peace.
- The interventions of the governor of Istanbul, the ministers for Justice and the Interior, and the President of the Turkish Republic variously describing the cartoon as a “vile provocation”, a “disrespect toward beliefs” or similar, amounting to a crime against religious sensibilities are therefore incorrect.
- It follows that the arrest warrants issued for six individuals associated with LeMan magazine were baseless and should be rescinded.
- The four men held – Pehlevan, as well as editor-in-chief Zafer Aknar, graphic designer Cebrail Okçu, and editorial director Ali Yavuz – must be released immediately, and the charges of “inciting hatred” against them dropped.
- The video footage of their arrests made June 30^th , disseminated via official channels on social media, represented a disgusting display of authoritarianism, betraying the true intent of this line of prosecution; to intimidate and repress voices within Türkiye at odds with the establishment.
- Any further pursuit of founder Tuncay Akgün and editor Aslan Özdemir must end.
- The new accusations leveled July 2^nd, that LeMan is taking foreign funds to foster discontent in Türkiye, are absurd on their face. There was no disturbances to speak of in Istanbul for four days after the publication of the supposedly offensive cartoon, not until ministers and prosecutors made unsubstantiated claims about its content. On the contrary, it is the Turkish government that provoke mass protests and civil unrest by the jailing their political opponents.
- Those on the streets of Istanbul seeking retribution in the past weeks have been manipulated by political opportunists. They should return to their home peaceably, confident that no comment was made about any religious figure, and so there is no reasonable cause for offense.
- Lastly, with regard to the matter of defamation of the president, Mr Erdoğan has a long and storied history of taking cartoonists and satirists to court and has been told before that such portrayals come with the office. If he is too thin-skinned to endure caricature, he is more than welcome to change career and leave public life.
This affair is only the latest sorry chapter in the degradation of Türkiye’s rich and once cherished tradition of cartooning. We demand that those who continue are left to go about their work untroubled.

SIGNATORIES:
Association of Canadian Cartoonists / L’Association de caricaturistes Canadien

Daryl Cagle – Cagle Cartoons, Inc. (Newspaper Syndicate)

Cartoon Movement

Cartooning for Peace

Cartoonists Co-operative

Cartoonists Rights

Columbia Global Freedom of Expression
European Cartoon Award

Forum for Humour and the Law (ForHum)

Freedom Cartoonists Foundation

Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC Strategy

Professional Cartoonists’ Organisation (PCO)

ToonsMag
July 10, 2025
UPDATED: statement following arrests of LeMan magazine staff

UPDATE, 07/02/25: since the publication of this statement the four members of LeMan‘s staff arrested 06/30 – Akner, Okcu, Pehlivan, and Yavuz – have been jailed, accused of “inciting hatred”. The warrants for the arrest of their two colleagues – Akgün and Ozdemi – remain outstanding. In addition, Pehlivan is charged with “insulting” the president. Also Turkish news media have reported a newly-announced investigation into the magazine’s finances.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Cartooning for Peace, and CARTOONISTS RIGHTS condemn the violence and arrests targeting the opposition satirical magazine LeMan in Istanbul. The editorial offices were attacked by a dozen individuals following the publication of a caricature allegedly representing the Prophet Muhammad. Four members of the magazine’s staff, including the cartoonist who drew the cartoon, were arrested out of six for whom arrest warrants were issued. The organisations call on the authorities to release the journalists and the cartoonist, and to ensure the safety of the entire editorial team under threat.

This is a new attack on press freedom in Türkiye. While the country ranks 159th in the World Press Freedom Index, and journalists are regularly obstructed, it is now the editorial staff of the satirical magazine LeMan that is being targeted.

Following the publication of a cartoon, the Istanbul prosecutor’s office opened a judicial investigation on June 30th against several members of the team for “denigrating religious values.” Cartoonist Doğan Pehlivan, who drew the incriminated cartoon, identified by the initials D.P., editor-in-chief Zafer Aknar, graphic designer Cebrail Okcu, and editorial director Ali Yavuz, were brutally arrested the same day. Tuncay Akgün, co-founder and former editor-in-chief of LeMan, and Aslan Ozdemi, editor-in-chief, both currently abroad, are also targeted by an arrest warrant.

A few hours later, around ten individuals attacked the media outlet’s offices in the Beyoglu district of Istanbul.

“We strongly condemn this attack on press freedom. Nothing justifies such violence. We also find it difficult to understand the delay in responding to the police, even though they have been deployed in large numbers in recent days to suppress the Pride celebrations. We urge the country’s authorities to release the magazine’s contributors. The safety of cartoonists must now be their primary concern.” – Erol Önderoglu, RSF Correspondent in Türkiye

“The last bastion of caricature, LeMan, is more than ever confronted with an unacceptable escalation of repression. Cartooning for Peace denounces the systematic political exploitation of press cartoons in Türkiye, is alarmed by this legal offensive against a satirical magazine emblematic of the country and offers its unconditional support to its cartoonist and the members of its editorial staff, who must be released immediately.” – Kak, President, Cartooning for Peace

“The true meaning and intent of the cartoonist’s work is clear. The events in Istanbul over the past 48 hours, including the appalling display of police brutality on official social media and the rallies near the LeMan offices, are based on a lie and are being exploited by political opportunists for intimidation and repression. We demand the release of those detained and an immediate end to these baseless prosecutions.” – Terry Anderson, Executive Director, Cartoonists Rights

In its June 26th issue, LeMan published a cartoon in which one character, standing amidst rubble and bombs, says, “Salam aleykum, I am Mohammed,” to another who replies, “Aleykum salam, I am Musa (Moses).” The prosecutor’s office has decided to seize copies of the issue containing the incriminating cartoon. LeMan‘s website, meanwhile, is no longer accessible. Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc, and President Tayyip Erdoğan himself have each successively denounced the cartoon.

For LeMan‘s Tuncay Akgün, who is currently abroad, “[…] this is an extremely shocking act of annihilation.” The LeMan team refuted the accusations: “The cartoonist wanted to show the righteousness of the oppressed Muslim people by depicting a Muslim killed by Israel; he never intended to demean religious values.”

After this first attack on LeMan‘s offices, clashes broke out between individuals and staff at a bar known to be frequented by the magazine’s staff. Police then used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the 200 to 300 people gathered in the alley, some of whom threatened the staff and their offices.

July 2, 2025
Statement following the President’s proclamation “restricting the entry of foreign nationals”
A statement from CARTOONISTS RIGHTS as President Trump’s latest travel ban takes effect in the week of June 9th, 2025.

While the last several months of policy changes in the US have offered multiple causes for dismay, our organization is particularly aggrieved by the newly announced “travel ban” that came into effect June 9^th. Among the those named on the list of affected countries, six are nationalities of threatened cartoonists to whom we have offered direct assistance in the past. Furthermore, three are past recipients of our Courage in Cartooning Award and two sit on our board.

Bluntly, the message sent to a sizeable portion of our network by our own government is that they are too dangerous to allow into our country. This is galling in the extreme, since these individuals are invariably opponents and critics of the regimes that (we must assume) pose the risks that have prompted the change in policy.

This comes at the same time as our entire sector is reeling from the cuts to spending on foreign aid, the Executive Orders that have suspended assistance to refugees, and the overreach of ICE that has – among a great many other outrages and scandals – resulted in the three-week detention of a British cartoonist, Rebecca Burke at a “processing center” in Tacoma, WA.

The immediate operational consequence is this: until further notice, we advise international cartoonists against travel to the United States, regardless of the purpose and point of origin. Your safety cannot be guaranteed.

The broader consequences for free expression are alarming. Cartoonists already face censorship and persecution in their home countries. With the USA shutting its doors, they may lose vital lifelines, including legal refuge, speaking engagements, and international recognition.

The questions that organizations like ours must now consider are threefold:
1. If the US government is determined to render the entire population of certain countries persona non grata, what are the consequences for US-based entities that continue to engage with individuals in those countries?
2. How does all of the above intersect with added pressure on non-profits? Will assisting people from restricted countries invite scrutiny, obstruction, or reprisals? Will our free expression become grounds for interrogation, surveillance, or deportation? In championing alleged “terrorists” – foreign or domestic – do we incriminate ourselves?
3. With what moral authority can US-based human rights defenders campaign for freedom of expression when our government engages in precisely the same methods of so many other repressive regimes deploy: indefinite and arbitrary detention; punitive deportation; use of military personnel to quell peaceful protest?
Throughout history, cartoonists have been at the forefront of challenging tyranny and exposing corruption. Political cartoons have shaped American democracy, and satire has always been a voice demanding accountability of those in power. By shutting out cartoonists who challenge repression, the US weakens its own democratic tradition and credibility as a haven of free speech.

CARTOONISTS RIGHTS urges policymakers to reverse course, and for the judiciary and congressional branches to exercise their power and challenge the executive. America’s abandonment of those who risk everything to challenge tyranny sends a clear message to repressive regimes worldwide: persecution works.
June 12, 2025
UPDATED: ROBERT RUSSELL COURAGE IN CARTOONING AWARD 2025 – ZEHRA ÖMEROĞLU

UPDATE: at a scheduled court hearing in Istanbul, June 26th 2025, Zehra Ömeroğlu was fully acquitted of the criminal charge of “obscenity”. However prosecutors moved swiftly to appeal, and seek to overturn this decision.

At a special event in Washington, DC marking World Press Freedom Day, human rights NGO CARTOONISTS RIGHTS today announced the recipient of their Robert Russell Courage in Cartooning Award 2025: ZEHRA ÖMEROĞLU (Türkiye).

UPDATE: a video from our World Press Freedom Day event where the Robert Russell Courage in Cartooning Award was announced, 05/05/25; reproduced here with thanks to staff at the Institute for Democracy, Journalism & Citizenship.

NB – closed captioning is unavailable at this time.

UPDATE: Zehra received her award at the opening ceremony of the Lakes International Comic Arts Festival, Bowness-on-Windermere, 09/26/25. We thank director Julie Tait and all her team for their hospitality.

Following the publication of a cartoon in LeMan humor magazine in November 2020, Zehra Ömeroğlu has been the subject of an ongoing criminal prosecution on the grounds of “obscenity”; the maximum penalty is three years in prison.

Proceedings began against her in 2022 while Türkiye was still contending with the COVID-19 pandemic. Summoned to a police station, she initially thought that they wanted to speak to her about a cartoon that had been attracting many negative comments, including threats to her safety, and portraying hijabi women in Iran. Failing this, there was a possibility that the matter was one of her cartoons about President Erdoğan, a notorious persecutor of cartoonists (most notably, our 2005 awardee Musa Kart).

Instead, she was surprised to learn that the cartoon to be discussed was her “taste and smell” gag panel (pictured, and translated to English), a piece that according to her own account has caused amusement and even gales of laughter in every setting, from police interviews to court rooms.

In the years that followed a protracted process has failed to reach a definitive conclusion – thirteen court dates and counting, with the next to take place June 26^th – however the effects have been deleterious on Ms Ömeroğlu’s physical and mental health as well as her prospects. She considers her career in Türkiye destroyed, as even a suspended sentence handed down would curtail her freedom of expression, carrying with it the possibility of even harsher penalties were she to commit another alleged crime.

Extract from the documentary film Taste and Smell by Şenol Çöm – used with permission.

Even within the context of the pandemic and the judicial backlog that resulted all over the world, the prosecution of Zehra Ömeroğlu has been extraordinarily sluggish and marked by tenuous if not ridiculous delays. On one occasion, the judge simply failed to attend. On another, the court sought an “expert opinion” on the cartoon with less then 24 hours’ notice.

When finally and officially designated as “obscene” in a report issued March 2024 by the Türkish Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services, Directorate of Child Services’ Board for the Protection of Minors from Obscene Publications we said: “We take great exception to the way in which Ömeroğlu’s work is characterised, with a definition that is indistinguishable from that of pornography.” Journalist Barış Pehlivan noted “either my eyesight has deteriorated, or the board members can detect the invisible with their special powers.”

Zehra Ömeroğlu’s cartoon may be many things – bawdy, raunchy, rude – but it was published in a well-established adult humor title alongside and in sequence with many other such cartoons. To suggest it imperils children in any way is outrageous.

Türkiye has a long and storied history of cartooning as rich and vibrant as the most celebrated European traditions, a scene that has deteriorated under Recep Erdoğan and the mounting authoritarianism and patriarchal, nationalist, and sectarian attitudes that have been the hallmarks of his presidency. Cartoonists Rights has highlighted multiple instances of cartoonists targeted, from the three prosecutions and ultimate imprisonment of Musa Kart to the pressures on such magazines as Gırgır, LeMan and Penguen, and the brutal harassment of Dogan Güzel.

Cartoonists Rights’ Executive Director, Terry Anderson said:

“I’m delighted our Board of Directors chose to honor Zehra this year, especially as we witness the change that is unfolding in Türkiye. In our view, her prosecution is based wholly on her gender; the same cartoon, in the same space and at the same time with a male byline simply would not have attracted the same (over)reaction from state censors. Like many outspoken women in Türkiye, Zehra has been deliberately persecuted but this attempt to silence her has wholly backfired. As a direct result of her prosecution, Zehra’s cartoons are now seen in international media on a regular basis and her story will soon be told in a new graphic novel project that she’s working on right now. We commend her bravery and resilience, and above all her undaunted sense of humor.”

Zehra Ömeroğlu said:

“My heartfelt thanks to Cartoonists Rights and all its partners. Thank you for encouraging me to keep drawing despite all the difficulties. I’m so happy to receive this award. It’s really important to me.”

NB – Ms Ömeroğlu did not attend tonight’s event in person; she will receive her award at a later date.

Two partner organizations on either side of the Atlantic combine forces with a unified program of international awards, recognizing the world’s bravest cartoonists facing threats to their freedom of expression: the Robert Russell Courage in Cartooning Award (in odd years, awarded by CARTOONISTS RIGHTS, Washington, DC); and the Kofi Annan Courage in Cartooning Award (in even years, awarded by FREEDOM CARTOONISTS, Geneva).

May 5, 2025
A celebration of cartoonists on World Press Freedom Day

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Presented by CARTOONISTS RIGHTS in odd-numbered years and named after the founder and former Executive Director of the organization, Dr Robert “Bro” Russell, our next Courage in Cartooning Award will be announced May 5^th at a special event to mark World Press Freedom Day and taking place at the Institute for Democracy, Journalism & Citizenship (IDJC) at Syracuse University (Washington, DC).

Join some of the country’s best cartoonists for a spirited discussion of the importane of satire and free expression in an increasingly huor-intolerant world run by thin-skinned, would-be “kings”! Marking UNESCO World Press Freedom Day 2025.

Entry is free, but registration is essential.

Light refreshments will be served.

Host: Margaret Talev (director, IDJC)

Moderator: Roslyn Mazer (legal expert and former federal official)

Keynote: Katherine Jacobsen (U.S.A, Canada, and Caribbean program coordinator, Committee to Protect Journalists) – findings from a new report on the first 100 days of the second Trump administration

Panelists: Barry Blitt (The New Yorker); Kevin “KAL” Kallaugher (Baltimore Sun, The Economist); Joel Pett (Tribune Content Agency); Signe Wilkinson (The Philadelphia Daily News & Inquirer)

The event will include the announcement of the Robert Russell Courage in Cartooning Ward, presented by Cartoonists Rights.

With thanks to partners and sponsors: Freedom Cartoonists Foundation; Committee to Protect Journalists; Clin d’Oeil films; the Herblock Foundation.

Two partner organizations on either side of the Atlantic combine forces with a unified program of international awards, recognizing the world’s bravest cartoonists facing threats to their freedom of expression: the Robert Russell Courage in Cartooning Award (in odd years, awarded by CARTOONISTS RIGHTS, Washington, DC); and the Kofi Annan Courage in Cartooning Award (in even years, awarded by FREEDOM CARTOONISTS, Geneva).

Founded in 1999, Cartoonists Rights was the first global human rights organization to focus on protection of politically engaged cartoonists working under threat. Our work has helped cartoonists all over the world with legal, financial, emotional and moral assistance so that they can do what they do best; speak truth to power and advocate against the injustices of this world. A key component of our program is the presentation of awards in recognition of cartoonists’ courage.

Since 2022 Cartoonists Rights has worked with its partner organization in Geneva, the Freedom Cartoonists Foundation, on an alternating pattern of bi-annual awards presentations, held on or as near as possible to World Press Freedom Day and recognizing the contribution made by cartoonists exemplifying the spirit of free expression and continuing to work despite difficult circumstances or direct threats to their human rights. In order to cement the partnership, the President of each organization holds an honorary position on the other’s Board of Directors.

These awards are conceived as a means of advocating for the safety and freedom of cartoonists under extreme duress and are ultimately intended as a contribution toward the solution of those problems, and in furtherance of the cartoonists’ careers. Hence, neither is awarded posthumously.

On each occasion at least one cartoonist is honored, however it is not unusual for multiple awards to be given (such are the numbers of potentially worthy recipients). While some of the most talented and well-known cartoonists on Earth have been counted among the winners, the awards are not given in recognition of artistic excellence or lifetime achievements. Rather, they are an acknowledgment of bravery, resilience, and dedication to democratic ideals.

Between the two the International Courage in Cartooning Awards have recognized more than forty cartoonists around the world, hailing from Algeria, Bolivia, Cameroon, China, Denmark, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Hungary, India, Iran, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Mexico, Palestine, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tanzania, Türkiye, Ukraine, Zimbabwe, and elsewhere. Alternating from one side of the Atlantic to the other each year, they represent a truly global initiative to support and defend cartoonists’ freedom of expression.

Learn about Rachita Taneja and Zunzi, last year’s awardees in Geneva.

Learn about Abecor, the previous recipient of our award.

Discover more about the 2025 World Press Freedom Day program.

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April 23, 2025
Robert Russell Courage in Cartooning Award 2025: Nominations Open
CARTOONISTS RIGHTS opens award nominations as we prepare to once again recognize the exemplary bravery of a cartoonist facing threats to their human rights.

Since 2022 CARTOONISTS RIGHTS has worked with its partner organization in Geneva, the FREEDOM CARTOONISTS FOUNDATION on an alternating pattern of bi-annual award presentations recognizing the contribution made by cartoonists exemplifying the spirit of free expression and continuing to work despite difficult circumstances or direct threats to their human rights.

Last year, the Freedom Cartoonists Foundation gave the Kofi Annan Courage in Cartooning Award to Rachita Taneja (India) and Zunzi (Hong Kong). The year prior, we gave the Robert Russell Courage in Cartooning Award to Abecor (Bolivia). In 2025 award duties fall to us once more, so we seek your nomination of a cartoonist or cartoonists who have shown remarkable courage while suffering a violation of their human rights, especially their freedom of expression as defined by Article 19 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights.

You may suggest cartoonists who have encountered one or more of the following problems during the last twelve months:
- physical violence, or the threat of violence, to self or family
- criminalization e.g. charges of sedition, obscenity, support of terrorism etcetera
- arrest, detention or imprisonment by police, military personnel or other agencies of state
- forced displacement from home
- censorship
- vexatious litigation (“SLAPP” suits)
- online harassment e.g. hacking, DDoS attacks, mass trolling etcetera
- verbal or physical abuse or intimidation based on age, gender, race or sexual orientation
Please remember that this award cannot be given on matters of professional or creative rights, for example misappropriation of intellectual property or dispute over terms of employment.

EMAIL US YOUR AWARD NOMINATION BEFORE 02/10

Your email should contain a brief description of the problems faced by the cartoonist. And if possible please include contact information for them, a family member or other representative. Please be aware that self-nominations are not accepted! The cut-off date for nominations is Monday, February 10th at 00.00 EST

Our Board of Directors will consider the nominees and select a recipient. The award’s announcement and presentation will take place at a date and time to be confirmed later this year.

Disclaimer: This not a competition about freedom of expression; send us no cartoons on this topic. Our organization concerns itself solely with cartoonists’ human rights., therefore we make no judgement upon an award nominee’s professional status nor the aesthetic merit of their work. However we will not consider cartoonists whose output advocates violence and/or evidences hate speech. Also this award is not given posthumously, so please do not nominate a deceased person.
January 15, 2025