Recent Press Releases & News

The week of June 30th 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:

• Cartoon artwork by Doğan Pehlivan that appeared in LeMan magazine, 06/26/25 and wrongly described by prosecutors as depicting the Prophet Muhammad.
• The June 26th 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follows that the arrest warrants issued for six individuals associated with LeMan magazine were baseless and should be rescinded.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 30th , 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 Askan Ozdemi must end.
• The new accusations leveled July 2nd, 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 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

Press Release from the City of Geneva, March 6, 2025

The “Genève reconnaissante” Medal will be awarded to cartoonist Chappatte on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, at 12:00 PM during a ceremony at the Palais Anna and Jean-Gabriel Eynard. The medal will be presented by the Mayor of Geneva, Ms. Christina Kitsos, on behalf of the city authorities.

Through this award, the Administrative Council wishes to pay tribute to the tireless commitment of this fervent defender of freedom of expression and the press. Recognized as a pioneer of graphic journalism, Chappatte is an internationally renowned cartoonist, known for his sharp and insightful perspective. Having received numerous prestigious awards and collaborated with major press outlets in several countries, he is today one of the most distinguished ambassadors of the democratic values cherished by the City of Geneva.

The Administrative Council wishes to acknowledge Chappatte’s prolific career and his dedication to press freedom, particularly through the Freedom Cartoonists Foundation, an initiative that defends freedom of expression through editorial cartooning and recognizes the talent and courage of cartoonists threatened for their work. His illustrated reports—covering topics such as the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, the death penalty, the situation in the Middle East, as well as issues in Africa and Central America—have helped shed light on major social issues and crises in a unique format that reaches a broad audience.

In an increasingly concerning international context, where new threats to freedom of expression and human rights emerge daily, the Administrative Council seeks to honor one of its most distinguished representatives. By doing so, it underscores the role of press cartoons as a tool for democracy and social cohesion and reaffirms its support for this art form, which is increasingly under threat and censorship.

Mayor of Geneva, Christina Kitsos, emphasizes that “by awarding the ‘Genève reconnaissante’ Medal to Patrick Chappatte, the City is not only honoring talent but also celebrating commitment and resilience. Being a press cartoonist means taking the risk of offending, challenging, provoking thought, and shifting perspectives. It is also, and above all, about offering citizens a sharp and critical gaze that exposes absurdities and highlights abuses of power. In this way, editorial cartoons serve as a true antidote to the crisis of democracy.”

A cartoonist shows the way for courage and principle, while a major newspaper tramples on freedom of expression and humiliates itself in the process: Ann Telnaes leaves The Washington Post after the rejection of a cartoon showing tech moguls including Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos (the paper’s owner) courting Trump.

Of course, every news outlet has the right to choose what to print and what not to print. But by not daring to run this biting, to-the-point depiction of the current power plays around the Trump administration, the Washington Post is betraying the tradition of critical journalism for which it is renowned. A once-great American newspaper is showing that it is now afraid of political satire – and the truth – when it involves billionaire Jeff Bezos.

David Shipley, editor of the Opinions section, denies any censorship, saying the cartoon coincided with an article on the same subject…. The solution is simple, David: publish that cartoon in the coming days! (And keep working with one of the best cartoonists in the world.)

We are proud and fortunate to have Ann on the advisory board of the Freedom Cartoonists Foundation in Geneva, which has been defending press freedom and editorial cartooning since 2010, and we fully support her in her fight for freedom of expression and opinion in a context of rapidly evolving self-censorship in the American media. A country that was once a beacon of journalism, human rights and democracy is showing worrying signs of weakness in these areas.

Patrick Chappatte,
Foundation Chair

👉 READ Ann Telnaes’ essay: “Why I am quitting the Washington Post” 👉  https://anntelnaes.substack.com/p/why-im-quitting-the-washington-post

We are dismayed to learn that the Iranian activist, artist, and cartoonist Atena Farghadani has been sentenced to a total of six years in prison; five years for “insulting the sacred” and one year for “propaganda against the State”. This sentence was handed down by the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Revolutionary Court on Monday, June 10, as confirmed by lawyer Mohammad Moghimi via social media. The maximum penalties are indicative of the Iranian regime’s long-standing determination to persecute and silence this courageous rights defender.

Atena Farghadani had been detained since April 13 2024 after attempting to display a drawing in a public space, not far from the presidential palace in Tehran. Over the past decade, she has been regularly monitored and harassed due to her art and activities opposing the repression of rights in Iran, especially those of women and children.

Previously jailed in 2014-16, and again for a short period last summer, Atena Farghadani risks coming to harm within the penal system. In 2023 she alleged an attempted poisoning. At the time of her arrest this year she reported that she suffered severe injuries from Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) personnel.

Artwork by Atena Farghadani was recently exhibited in Norway, at the sixteenth Oslo Forum for Freedom (OFF) organized by the Human Rights Foundation, dedicated to “reclaiming democracy”. In the presence of human rights defenders from around the world, Atena Farghadani’s representative Mohammad Moghimi ensured that her voice was heard, a voice that is both brave and righteous, and is targeted because she dares to defy oppression and injustice in her country.

Our organizations call for her immediate release and that she be returned to her family unharmed.

Signatories:

Africartoons
Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) Association of Canadian Cartoonists Cartooning for Peace
Cartoon Movement
Cartoonists Rights
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Forum for Humor and the Law Freedom Cartoonists Foundation Freemuse
Index on Censorship
Professional Cartoonists’ Organisation

Press contact : Chloe Guerif chloe.guerif@cartooningforpeace.org +33 (0)7 49 33 55 86

The Freedom Cartoonists Foundation and the City of Geneva announce the winners of the 2024
Kofi Annan Courage in Cartooning Award: Rachita Taneja of India, and Zunzi of Hong Kong

Rachita Taneja, India (left) and Zunzi, Honk Kong (right)

Rachita Taneja, India

On her popular online webcomic Sanitary Panels, the young Indian cartoonist Rachita Taneja draws chronicles of daily life in India. She is under the threat of a prison sentence following a complaint lodged by a member of the nationalist party in power in India. She is attacked for her critical cartoons about patriarchy, intolerance, and authoritarianism. Her cartoons on the ban on the hijab in schools gave rise in 2022 to new threats. India ranks 161 on 180 countries according to RSF Press Freedom Index.

Zunzi, Honk Kong

In May 2023, Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao dismissed Zunzi, its regular cartoonist since 1983. The decision came after months of criticism of Zunzi by officials since Beijing adopted in 2020 National Security Laws that have reshaped Hong Kong’s arts, culture, and the media. His cartoons were denounced by officials for their “sanctimonious humour that damages Hong Kong’s image” and called “ too distorting and unethical ”. Hong Kong ranks 140 on 180 countries on RSF Press Freedom Index.