Recent Press Releases & News
Cartoonist Safaa Odah is out of Gaza
We are incredibly happy to share the news that Safaa Odah, the Palestinian cartoonist who received our 2026 international award, is out of Gaza and has arrived safely in France. Safaa is a fellow of the Collège de France’s PAUSE program, which supports scientists and artists at risk.
Last May, on World Press Freedom Day, at our Award ceremony in Geneva, Safaa accepted her prize by video, live from her tent in Gaza – the same tent on which she would draw when she had no other means to express herself. She received a standing ovation from 600 people in Switzerland.
We now look forward, together with the City of Geneva, to welcoming Safaa in person and finally placing her trophy in her hands.
We are grateful to the government of France for ultimately honoring its commitment to welcome Safaa. The Freedom Cartoonists Foundation, together with Cartooning for Peace in Paris, Cartoonists Rights in the United States, and other allied organizations, contributed to making this happy outcome possible.
To everyone who helped make this possible: thank you! In particular, big thanks to Collège de France/Programme PAUSE, Maison des auteurs / Cité de la BD et de l’Image, Ecole Européenne Supérieure de l’Image (EESI), Mounir Satouri and Emad Hajjaj.
And to Safaa: Welcome to safety and a land of peace.
Patrick Chappatte,
Chair of the Freedom Cartoonists Foundation
2026
2026
2026
2026
Jimmy “Spire” SSentongo sentenced in Uganda
Jimmy “Spire” Ssentongo is a Ugandan scholar and cartoonist — and co-laureate of our 2026 Award.
He was recently ordered by the Ugandan High Court to pay a huge fine or spend three months in jail, in what seems to be a political attack.
2026
2026
2026
2026
Russian cartoonist and dissident Semyon Skrepetsky, shot dead on the streets
Semyon Skrepetsky was a Russian cartoonist and opponent of the Putin regime. He was living in exile when he was shot dead in broad daylight in Biała Podlaska, eastern Poland. Authorities are investigating a targeted attack.
His killing is a stark reminder that political art and cartooning are acts of courage — and that it can be a deadly job. Because one thing autocrats fear most is ridicule.
2026
2026
Our president in Davos (and a comic strip report)
Patrick Chappatte attended the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2026 to represent our foundation. It was an extraordinary edition, marked by transatlantic tensions over Greenland, which he recounted in a comic strip published in Le Temps on 1 February. His report was posted on the newspaper’s website in the form of an interactive experience – a new storytelling format that is helping to renew the forms of journalistic reporting.
Support for an artist in danger
A discreet but decisive mobilisation saved an Afghan cartoonist and his family, who were under threat while in exile in Pakistan. The operation was carried out jointly with Cartooning Rights Network and Artists at Risk Connection – ARC, two partners committed to protecting artists in danger.
Faced with this emergency, our Foundation stepped in to provide essential financial support, covering the costs of their departure from Islamabad. The cartoonist and his family were able to reach Paris, where they now live safe from threats. This action is a concrete example of one of our missions: to protect threatened press cartoonists and defend freedom of the press and expression everywhere.
UNDER PRESSURE – Report on the situation of threatened cartoonists around the world (2023-2025)
The new report on the situation of threatened cartoonists around the world has just been published by Cartooning for Peace and Cartoonists Rights in partnership with the Freedom Cartoonists Foundation, FORHUM, Columbia Global Freedom of Expression at Columbia University, and Reporters Without Borders.
Happy holidays
Given the current global geopolitical situation, it’s difficult to find hopeful and joyful words, so let’s stick to the basics: happy holidays from the Freedom Cartoonists Foundation!
Cartoon: Filippo Gander, Freedom Cartoonists Foundation
Ann Telnaes & Chappatte: after the debate, the book
The screening and discussion around US editorial cartoonist Ann Telnaes, moderated by Patrick Chappatte and organized by the Foundation last May at the Grütli cinemas in Geneva, in partnership with Le Temps newspaper, was not only a great public success (two full theaters), but also led to a unique collaboration between the two cartoonists. Their dialogue continued and gave birth to the book “Censure en Amérique”, released in October 2025 by Les Arènes, in Paris.
In it, the two cartoonists reflect on the state of political satire in the United States and ask a pressing question: In a country that seems to be drifting toward autocracy, is there still room for political satire? The book unfolds as a conversation in words and cartoons, exposing the growing culture of censorship and reminding us that everywhere, when cartoonists are silenced, democracy is in danger.
The Freedom Cartoonists Foundation and its role are highlighted in this book, thereby contributing to our mission to support editorial cartoonists around the world and to defend freedom of expression.
Support for Freedom Cartoonists at the Geneva Bar Association’s 130th anniversary gala
The Chair of the Geneva Bar Association, Maître Sandrine Giroud, took the initiative to involve the Foundation in the celebrations of the Association’s 130th anniversary. She invited Patrick Chappatte to create an exclusive cartoon to illustrate the book dedicated to the history of the Association since its beginnings, and she invited us to produce copies for sale during the gala evening on October 3.
Invited to take part in this event, which brought together more than 1,000 lawyers, we were able to highlight the Foundation’s work and inspire this exceptional audience. The Vice-President Mare Heuzé presented a selection of significant editorial cartoons on screen and showed pictures of our Kofi Annan Award being presented by Nobel Peace Prize laureates Dmitry Muratov and Maria Ressa in 2022, and by lawyer Shirin Ebadi in 2024.
We extend our warm thanks to the lawyers and guests who supported our commitment to press freedom and the protection of human rights by purchasing an authenticated reproduction of Chappatte’s cartoon. This collaboration with the Bar Council enabled us to sell more than 275 drawings.
Collaboration with Caux Democracy Forum 2025
The Foundation collaborated with the Caux Democracy Forum 2025, themed “Revitalizing Democracy – Towards Inclusive and Peaceful Societies Across Europe and the World,” which brought together over 350 participants from more than 45 countries.
At the Forum’s invitation, Freedom Cartoonists brought in two editorial cartoonists from the Global South: Gado (Kenya), a member of our Advisory Board, and Willis from Tunis (Tunisia). As part of this collaboration, we supported several activities, including the editorial cartoon exhibition “Democracy? What Democracy?!”. Gado made the trip to Caux to represent the Foundation, engage in discussions, and meet participants.
Presented at the Caux Palace over the summer, the exhibition gathered around forty works addressing the challenges, contradictions, and hopes surrounding contemporary democracies. It drew strong interest among Forum participants and other visitors.
Following this successful cooperation, the Caux Forum has invited the Foundation to continue contributing to future editions. We are looking forward to consolidating and strengthening this partnership in the years ahead. This collaboration aligns closely with our mission to support press cartoonists worldwide, promote inclusive democracy, and amplify voices from under-represented regions.
