Award Winner Updates

Nsé Ramón Ebalé sends a message to his supporters from inside Black Beach Prison

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“Hello everyone: in my name and that of my family, I want to thank all those carrying on the fight, hoping I am freed from this situation in which I don’t belong.

I don’t belong anywhere except where an individual is free and responsible for their actions. However, those in power have decided not to admit reason, when reasoning, after all, would require the general progress of which they brag to unfold according to a better rhythm.

My hopes are still set on presenting #218Empire in Vienna, as planned, and on fulfilling the national dream of being at the level of other nations with the only thing I’m good at: DRAWING.

I will not give up. I wasn’t born with the world beneath my feet. I was born for my mother’s happiness. And today I live to represent my people with my drawing.

Thank you.

Nse.”

Zunar Gets His Day in Court

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A Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur has fixed March 19 to hear an application by Padang Serai MP N. Surendran, lawyer Eric Paulsen and cartoonist Zunar to refer constitutional questions to the court about the Sedition Act 1948.

Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/01/10/court-to-hear-application-over-constitutionality-of-sedition-act-on-march-19/#sw5wEpMy61YrLDSR.99

Update on Eaten Fish (Ali Dorani) Now Safely in Norway

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I’m just off an early-morning Skype call with Ali, who is now safely situated in his apartment, about a 10-minute walk from the ICORN offices in Norway. It was one of the most delightful conversations I’ve ever had. He seems healthy and happy though he does report he is still having difficulty sleeping at night. He is in the process of visiting various doctors to check on his health, and Elizabeth at ICORN is also setting up meetings for him with a wider range of local professionals and cartooning leaders.

He reports that people have been unbelievably kind to him, and that his world is changing quickly. He is just beginning to see all the open windows that are emerging around him. He also reported that as we were speaking, Janet Galbraith was finally leaving Norway on her way home in Australia. What a treat it would have been to be able to speak with of them together. She reported to me last night that she was almost home and is totally exhausted. Totally understandable.
He says he is starting to work on an animated cartoon about his life in the camp, so we continued to talk about what options might be open to him in the near future, and how important it is that his story become a permanent part of the literature of cartooning and human rights. His story deserves a good Hollywood screenwriter.

I remembered that in an email from Andrew Marlton, a.k.a. First Dog on the Moon, that he said it’s not that the Australian government has changed its policy or the UNHCR has had a change of heart towards Ali but that he was basically stolen back from those who stole his freedom four years ago. The ICORN organization deserves a Nobel prize for its courage and single-minded purpose as it rescues human rights workers, journalists, artist, cartoonists and other desperate visionaries from deadly situations. Without them Ali would still be in limbo.

Ali is extremely eager to tell his story, to tell interested audiences what he has been through for the sake of personal freedom. He also knows he has a big job in front of him: contacting all the hundreds if not thousands of people who have helped him, thanking them for their commitment, their cartoons, their time and their positive thoughts all of which have resulted in his new life in Norway.  We also spoke about his coming here to the United States to address various audiences, and I believe CRNI should work towards this objective with some of our partners here.

Ali and I will continue to be in regular communication with each other, keeping current with each other on the various projects that he sees for himself soon.

Robert Russell

 January 5, 2018.

Zunar fights back against intimidation campaign by Malaysian government

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Zunar continues to not back down in the face of ongoing efforts by the Malaysian government to silence him. Last week he filed an application at the Federal Court to challenge the travel ban which was imposed by the Malaysian Government since June 2016 under “Special reason”

He also filed a judicial review challenge at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur on January 2nd, 2018 to set aside the ban on his book “Sapuman: Man of Steal.” Home minister and the government of Malaysia are named as respondents in the judicial review application.’The ban was announced in October last year by the Malaysian government because “the book was a threat to public order.”

Beside challenging the ban, Zunar is also seeking a declaration that the ban order is declared void and illegal, on the grounds that it is in violation of Section 7 of the Publication and Printing Presses Act 1984 (PPPA), violates Articles 5 (personal liberty), 8 (equality) and 10 (1)(a) (freedom of expression) of the Federal Constitution.  He is also seeking general and special damages.

The government escalated it’s campaign against Zunar by pressing charges against his fans who attended a “tea party” in support of the cartoonist.  They will face trial in April.

“Sapuman: Man of Steal” – a collection of Zunar’s political cartoons, was published in 2015.

 

Holiday Card Campaign for Ramon

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Ed Hall created a holiday card for Nsé Ramón Ebalé that is getting lots of traction on social media. Please help us spread the word and share on Twitter and Facebook.

Use Ed’s great image or better yet join others who have created their own… and remember to use a hashtag or two!

Help wish #FelizNavidad to imprisoned cartoonist Nsé Ramón Ebalé! He’s spent over 95 days in one of Africa’s worst prisons in #EquatorialGuinea in retaliation for his art & #FreedomOfExpression. #FreeNseRamon coalition is determined to secure his release! #HumanRights @halltoons

 

 

EATEN FISH IS FREE

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Cartoonists Rights Network International is absolutely delighted to receive news from our colleagues at the International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN) that our cartoonist colleague, friend and client Ali Durani, better known to all of us as Eaten Fish, has arrived in a safe haven country and will now take up residence in a safe haven city.

This brings a new chapter to Ali’s story, which started about 4 years ago when he was interred in an immigrant refugee camp in Papua New Guinea run by the Australian government. He and thousands of other Inmates on Manus Island have suffered terrible indignities and the loss of almost all of their civil rights.  There have been incidences of murder, suicide, hunger strikes, gross sexual assaults, for years, all while under the “care” of the Australian government.

Read more about his story from earlier posts on our website.

CRNI aided the brave and hard-working human rights worker, Janet Galbraith who works for the Through The Wire literary movement in Australia.  Galbraith has been a tireless advocate for Ali and other detainees during some of the darkest periods of their illegal incarceration.  Some months ago CRNI introduced ICORN and Janet, and as of this press release from ICORN, the rest was human rights history.

For us, this has been the most intractable and difficult cases of a client in grave danger that we have ever been involved with. In 2016 Ali received our Award For Courage In Editorial Cartooning at the annual convention of the AAEC. The international attention that the award brought to Ali’s situation has been a major influence on eventually turning a corner for Ali and all of his supporters.

This is all the result of the work of dozens of human rights and free-speech NGOs, the tireless efforts of cartoonists from the Australian cartooning community (especially our friend and colleague First Dog On The Moon, Andrew Marlton) as well as literally thousands of concerned cartoonists from all over the world, including the members of the AAEC and the Canadian Association of Editorial Cartoonists, Cartooning for Peace, the Professional Cartoonist Organization UK among others. Special thanks to CRNI’s own Nik Kowsar who was the initial contact with Ali and has been his dogged advocate and source of constant support over these rough and challenging years.

We send our very best regards to Ali and assure him of our continued attention, appreciation and support. Janet Galbraith has pulled off a major accomplishment that she and her organization should be very proud of.  Elizabeth Dyvik along with her colleagues at ICORN have also done an extraordinary job finding sanctuary for Ali. With clients safely placed all over Europe, ICORN provides long-term residencies and a complete package of social, professional, educational support services.  Like many other  earlier cases of cartoonists in dire straights ICORN has once again proven to be invaluable, coming through and negotiating a happy outcome for Ali when one seemed almost impossible.

We at CRNI will continue to be involved with Ali while he settles into his new environment,

Congratulations to everyone especially the cartoonists who played a role in this wonderful accomplishment. Congratulations to Ali.  We’ve got your back.

Dr. Robert Russell
Executive Director
Cartoonists Rights Never International