Displaying the most recent and relevant news from Freemuse. http://www.freemuse.org MP Mohammad Hayef Al-Mutairi wants music teaching to be banned from schools in Kuwait because he considers that music is prohibited under Islam http://www.freemuse.org/sw35848.asp A concert by Steve Tromans and his band entitled Last Words of Victor Jara is performed in Birmingham on 11 November 2009 http://www.freemuse.org/sw35818.asp Western Saharan singer and musician Aziza Brahim is shortlisted for the 2009 Freedom to Create Prize in the Main Prize category http://www.freemuse.org/sw35830.asp Brasilian legend Gilberto Gil is headlining Festival against censorship in Bilbao in Spain in November 2009 - Europe*s leading festival against censorship http://www.freemuse.org/sw35794.asp Ferhat Tunc was one of the artists who performed in Istanbul on 8 November 2009 in front of 200,000 people protesting for the rights of a religious minority http://www.freemuse.org/sw35786.asp In the north-western Pakistani valley of Swat, the Taliban*s ban on all forms of artistic expression has been lifted, and culture now makes a comeback http://www.freemuse.org/sw35772.asp An Iranian newspaper reported that 12 musicians accused of promoting satanism have been arrested in northwest Iran http://www.freemuse.org/sw35761.asp Palestinian singer Khalid Faraj was kidnapped, beaten up, and thrown in a field in Gaza by unidentified gunmen http://www.freemuse.org/sw35722.asp High profiled panel points at imprisoned musician Lapiro for the final shortlist of The Orient Global Freedom to Create Prize http://www.freemuse.org/sw34335.asp The International Music Council has awarded Freemuse the IMC Inaugural Musical Rights Award for its *courageous global programme advocating freedom of musical expression* http://www.freemuse.org/sw35449.asp Was it self-censorship or restrictions that held Teddy Afro back from playing his two most controversial songs at his triumphant *back-in-freedom concert*? http://www.freemuse.org/sw35450.asp Freemuse - The World Forum on Music & Censorship - calls for consultants to submit tenders on evaluation of the organisation and its activities http://www.freemuse.org/sw35385.asp Rami Abdel Rahman*s personal account of his experiences as a young metal head in the 1990s heavy metal scene of Jordan http://www.freemuse.org/sw35298.asp Freedom Now, a US based lawyers* advocacy organisation, is now officially monitoring singer Lapiro de Mbanga*s case http://www.freemuse.org/sw34335.asp The Chinese ministry of culture implements new censorship rules for online music providers by 1 January 2010 to ensure that lyrics are *acceptable* http://www.freemuse.org/sw35284.asp The Bharatiya Janata Party in the Indian state Haryana has promised voters that the party will ban Western music if it comes to power http://www.freemuse.org/sw35254.asp On 15 September 2009, the newly appointed information officer in Belet-Hawo town published a list of edicts the Al-Shabaab want to see implemented in the media http://www.freemuse.org/sw35273.asp A councilman in Fort Myers, Florida, is seeking to have hip-hop music banned at the Harborside Events Center and other venues in Fort Myers http://www.freemuse.org/sw35261.asp Rapper El Aldeano of the popular Cuban rap group Los Aldeanos was detained at 11:00 am on 28 September 2009. He was released later the same day http://www.freemuse.org/sw35216.asp A personal account by the editor of The Devil On 45 Zine http://www.freemuse.org/sw35037.asp Several countries in the Carribean have barred the Jamaican dancehall artist Mavado citing that his lyrics advocate violence. In Guyana, the goverment lifted the ban http://www.freemuse.org/sw35172.asp A statement in favour of a new plan on how the Turkish government should approach the Kurdish issue turned fans of the popular Turkish pop diva Sezen Aksu up against her http://www.freemuse.org/sw35141.asp Justin Timberlake and Ciara*s music video for the song *Love Sex Magic* was banned in Turkey due to its explicit sexual content http://www.freemuse.org/sw35115.asp Iranian singer Behrouz Ghaemi fled Iran to pursue his singing dream in the UK. On 29 August 2009 he became famous overnight in a tv-show watched by 11.8 million viewers http://www.freemuse.org/sw35024.asp A concert in Malaysia on 25 September 2009 by the American hip-hop group Black Eyed Peas is only open to non-Muslims, by order from authorities http://www.freemuse.org/sw35010.asp US concert promoters canceled shows by Buju Banton after protests from gay rights advocacy organisations over the singer*s homophobic song lyrics http://www.freemuse.org/sw35052.asp Hosiah Chipanga and Raymond Majongwe speak about their recent experiences with music censorship in the “new” Zimbabwe under a coalition government http://www.freemuse.org/sw35067.asp Singer Lapiro found himself leaving the court's witness box on 13 and 15 May 2009 without a verdict. The adjournments of his case appear to be never-ending. 25 May 2009. http://www.freemuse.org/sw33748.asp The Iranian film 'No One Knows About Persian Cats' was awarded at Cannes Film Festival. But two of the musicians which it features now must go in exile. 27 May 2009. http://www.freemuse.org/sw33767.asp A concert in Shiraz was raided by an Islamist militia, and 104 people arrested, on the grounds of being 'immoral', reported Jam-e Jam newspaper on 27 May 2009. 08 June 2009. http://www.freemuse.org/sw34177.asp On 26 May 2009 a former army conscript, Jos Adolfo Paredes Mrquez, confessed his involvement in the assassination of the popular folk singer Victor Jara. 08 June 2009. http://www.freemuse.org/sw33849.asp The music of 56-year-old Sungura musician Hosiah Chipanga has been banned on national radio, Radio Zimbabwe, wrote the newspaper ZimDaily on 7 June 2009. 10 June 2009. http://www.freemuse.org/sw33914.asp One year ago, two Zimbabwean musicians were charged of singing 'insulting' songs. Their lawyer and producer say the country is not yet safe for the duo to come out of hiding. 10 June 2009. http://www.freemuse.org/sw33749.asp Presumably angered by the activism of the Femi Kuti, authorities have closed the legendary nightclub and concert hall in Lagos he runs together with his family. 10 June 2009. http://www.freemuse.org/sw33922.asp While visa issues continue to create controversy, the Freemuse white paper 'Visa / the discordant note' plays an essential role in various international fora. 17 June 2009. http://www.freemuse.org/sw33985.asp A Russian ballet company has been forced to cancel its 2009 programme after failing to obtain UK visas for its dancers in time. 17 June 2009. http://www.freemuse.org/sw34045.asp A report reveals that more than 20 major arts events have been cancelled or badly affected by new UK visa regulations. 17 June 2009. http://www.freemuse.org/sw34056.asp A petition 'against EU visa discrimination of musicians' was started after the European tour of Zimbabwean Mokoomba was forced to be cancelled. 17 June 2009. http://www.freemuse.org/sw33991.asp Music censorship in the Middle East and North Africa was in focus at a Stockholm seminar on 12 June 2009, rounding up a 'Young Leaders' training programme. 17 June 2009. http://www.freemuse.org/sw33968.asp 500 freedom of expression activists met in Norway in early June 2009 - but the artists' voices were missing. 17 June 2009. http://www.freemuse.org/sw34016.asp A documentary film shows the controversy over Youssou N'Dour's 2004-album 'Egypt' which became subject of a boycott because of its mix of music and Islam. 17 June 2009. http://www.freemuse.org/sw34109.asp A chief magistrate in Kano has banned listening, sale and circulation of 11 Hausa songs, described as obscene, confrontational and immoral. 18 June 2009. http://www.freemuse.org/sw34137.asp At one of Latin America's biggest music festivals, Ollinkan in Mexico, Freemuse gave a 40 minutes powerpoint presentation. 18 June 2009. http://www.freemuse.org/sw34108.asp Despite a general ban, rock music has become one of the most vibrant forces for critiquing the various ills of Iranian society, writes music researcher Mark Levine. 23 June 2009. http://www.freemuse.org/sw34218.asp Ethnomusicologist John Baily and Freemuse executive director Marie Korpe speak about the Taliban's campaign against music and musicians in Afghanistan and Pakistan. 23 June 2009. http://www.freemuse.org/sw34252.asp Musicians, singers, and other art performers are in panic. We are all at risk, Zeek Afridi, an up-and-coming singer fromm Peshawar, told correspondents of Radio Liberty. 23 June 2009. http://www.freemuse.org/sw34240.asp Lapiro de Mbanga's sentence of three years imprisonment and the fine of FCFA 280 millions was confirmed at a court hearing on 24 June 2009 in Douala, reported Jen Bell. 25 June 2009. http://www.freemuse.org/sw34262.asp A university thesis which analyses Jamaican music culture in a postcolonial context was published in Danish language in March 2009. http://www.freemuse.org/sw33711.asp When Dr. Ahmad Sarnast wanted to set up a vocational music school in Kabul, he received death threats, he told BBC World Service in this 8:31 minutes radio interview. http://www.freemuse.org/sw33697.asp Kurdish director Bahman Ghobadi launches a film about music censorship in Iran. It features an underground rock band, a rapper and other banned musicians and singers http://www.freemuse.org/sw33688.asp A London-performance of a group of 19-year-old Israeli soldiers turned singers was cancelled because the owners of the theatre hall claimed it was *political* http://freemuse.synkron.com/sw33672.asp On 21 March 2009, a broadcasting editor of a local radio station Dünya in Adana, southern Turkey, was acquitted in a trial brought for the airing of the Kurdish song *Kece Kurdan* http://freemuse.synkron.com/sw33649.asp The government of Grenada has denied performance work permits to popular Jamaican Dancehall artist Vybz Kartel and his band. http://freemuse.synkron.com/sw33643.asp The popular Pashto singer Shamim Aiman Udas was murdered on 26 April 2009. According to her husband, she was killed by her own brothers http://www.freemuse.org/sw33614.asp In Buner district a young man told that Taliban militants had shaved the heads and moustaches of him and three friends for listening to music in the evening of 25 April 2009 http://www.freemuse.org/sw33607.asp On 27 April 2009 the Lahore High Court imposed a ban on songs by two Lahore singers, deeming them *indecent* and *against the values of a Muslim society* http://www.freemuse.org/sw33615.asp The hip French lounge chain Buddha Bar is under pressure to close its only Asian branch, a club in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, amid protests by Buddhists http://www.freemuse.org/sw33569.asp In an article published by Washington Post, Freemuse ambassador and singer Salman Ahmad and filmmaker Karam Pasha criticise the Taliban of hijacking Islam in Pakistan http://www.freemuse.org/sw33570.asp False evidence, delays and rumors appear to play an essential role in keeping the popular singer Lapiro de Mbanga in prison http://www.freemuse.org/sw33552.asp Musical expressions are completely banned and ruthlessly discouraged in the newly founded Taliban state of Swat in north-western part of Pakistan http://www.freemuse.org/sw33496.asp In Sweden the country*s mezzo soprano winner is claimed to be *unfitting* for mainstream radio formats http://www.freemuse.org/sw33541.asp The Cambodian Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts has outlawed all songs with *rude or obscene meanings* in an attempt to reduce the number of rapes and sex crimes http://www.freemuse.org/sw33295.asp Music banned by the Chinese authorities will not be available at a new free Internet music download service launched earlier this week by Google Inc. and major music companies http://www.freemuse.org/sw33299.asp Palestinian authorities has disbanded a youth orchestra and barred its Arab conductor, Wafa Younes, from a West Bank refugee camp http://www.freemuse.org/sw33301.asp Lima Sahar charmed her way into the third spot of the 2008 version of the wildly popular *Afghan Star* competition. Now in exile, she fears for her life http://www.freemuse.org/sw33283.asp 0n 24 March 2009, Afghanistan*s attorney general office arrested the manager of Amroz TV because of the station*s broacast of certain music programmes http://www.freemuse.org/sw33217.asp Scottish rock band Primal Scream has been accused for *promoting fascism* by the Czech Radio Council in regard to the song *Swastika Eyes* http://www.freemuse.org/sw33240.asp In its human rights series, Duke University in North Carolina, USA, presented two censored musicians and highlighted freedom of musical expression http://www.freemuse.org/sw33222.asp Georgia has pulled out of the Eurovision Song Contest after organisers banned the country*s song for *mocking* the Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin http://www.freemuse.org/sw33112.asp As the Taliban silence music in the Swat Valley in northern Pakistan, Freemuse ambassador Salman Ahmad denounces the Pakistani peace accord with the Taliban http://freemuse.synkron.com/sw33102.asp Video interview with Tao Rodriquez-Seeger who received the Freemuse Award on his grandfather*s behalf on 3 March 2009 http://www.freemuse.org/sw32857.asp Singer and musician Tao Rodríguez-Seeger from USA speaks about his personal experiences with music censorship http://www.freemuse.org/sw32880.asp Two seminars and concert in Stockholm on 3 March 2009 became a beautiful, yet serious and powerful manifestation for musicians* human rights http://www.freemuse.org/sw32824.asp Brigadier general Mer-Abbas Sofivand told a daily newspaper that 13 musicians have been arrested, and 90 CDs seized by police in Isfahan http://www.freemuse.org/sw32768.asp Singer, songwriter, activist, environmentalist, and peace advocate Pete Seeger receives the Freemuse Award 2009 http://www.freemuse.org/sw32549.asp On 15 December 2008, a group of musicians were attacked by armed men. Two days later at a hospital in Peshawar, the harmonium player Anwar Gul died from his wounds http://www.freemuse.org/sw32121.asp Musician Lapiro de Mbanga faces a new trial on 20 March 2009 because of accusations that a song of his led to the destruction of a banana plantation http://www.freemuse.org/sw32041.asp The Islamist cleric who was elected as Somalia*s new president on 31 January 2009 has a long history of silencing musical expression in Somalia, writes Wa*ays http://www.freemuse.org/sw31912.asp Freemuse talks with the popular Pashtun singer Sardar Yousafzai who on 15 December 2008 was attacked by unidentified militants http://www.freemuse.org/sw31815.asp Audio interview with the popular Pashtun singer Gulzar Alam who escaped an attack on his life on 16 October 2008 http://www.freemuse.org/sw31631.asp A song composed by Tongai Moyo, a popular Zimbabwean musician, has reportedly been denied air play by the state-controlled Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, ZBC http://www.freemuse.org/sw31659.asp *The white paper points its fingers at very essential problems,* said Tobias Billstrom, the Swedish Minister of Migration, in a live radio programme http://www.freemuse.org/sw31581.asp On 6 January 2009, the Burmese military junta authorities released popular hip-hop singer Yan Yan Chan, who was arrested in April 2008 http://www.freemuse.org/sw31461.asp Singer and tv host Bülent Ersoy was acquitted of charges against her for having made anti-military remarks during a tv programme broadcasted in February 2008 http://www.freemuse.org/sw31660.asp The rapidly growing influence of the Taliban in Pakistan*s North West Frontier Province has left the areas* singers and musicians with few choices http://www.freemuse.org/sw31256.asp Somali Islamist groups have unleashed a renewed crackdown on radio stations in the areas under their control for airing music and music-related programmes http://www.freemuse.org/sw31360.asp Six Afghan musicians have been kidnapped by the Taliban for defying a ban on music http://www.freemuse.org/sw31313.asp Vigier, the company that has supplied Lapiro de Mbanga with a guitar,launches a new campaign for the release of the Cameroonese musician http://www.freemuse.org/sw31336.asp Popular Ethiopian reggae singer and opposition political icon Teddy Afro was sentenced to six years in prison for hit-and-run death of a homeless http://www.freemuse.org/sw31257.asp Musician and singer Noel Jamshaid was threatened by unidentified persons in Karachi, wrote Minorities Concern of Pakistan http://www.freemuse.org/sw31250.asp Aziza Brahim is a Sahrawi singer who was born in a refugee camp in Algeria. In this interview she speaks about how and why her music is banned in Western Sahara. http://www.freemuse.org/sw31191.asp One of Rwanda*s most famous singers, Simon Bikindi, was convicted on 2 December 2008 for his direct and public incitement to commit genocide http://www.freemuse.org/sw31145.asp Deeyah, the exiled Norwegian singer and activist, was awarded with an ArtVenture Freedom to Create Prize at a ceremony in London on 26 November 2008 http://www.freemuse.org/sw31075.asp As the civil war in Iraq appears to be fading, so does the pressure on musicians and the ban on music by the Mehdi Army*s and Al-Qaeda*s militiamen. http://www.freemuse.org/sw31040.asp The alleged arrest of rapper and singer Tataloo is debated in online Persian rap forums. Rumours says that Tataloo has received a three-year jail sentence http://www.freemuse.org/sw30983.asp Two Kurdish singers are to be sentenced for *propaganda against the (political) order*, reported Shar News from Saqqez in western Iran on 17 November 2008 http://www.freemuse.org/sw30986.asp Hip-hop star Zayar Thaw was sentenced to six years imprisonment by a Rangoon court on 20 November 2008 for his involvement in anti-regime protests http://www.freemuse.org/sw30999.asp Two men were arrested in Denmark on 27 August 2008 for allegedly distributing recordings that have been deemed illegal because of their extremist content http://www.freemuse.org/sw30949.asp On 14 November 2008 an Islamist group arrested and whipped 25 women and seven men because they had been singing and dancing http://www.freemuse.org/sw30964.asp Musician Win Maw received a sentence of six years imprisonment by a closed court in Rangoon*s Insein Prison on 11 November 2008, relatives reported http://freemuse.synkron.com/sw30539.asp White paper on visa issues launched at the international music trade fair Womex: *European countries need to make visa procedures more flexible, transparent and homogenous* http://www.freemuse.org/sw30534.asp Author Antonia Gala said that *censorship must be fought with humour* when participants of the Festival Against Censorship met in a three-hour roundtable in Bilbao 27 October 2008 http://freemuse.synkron.com/sw30541.asp Western musicians and tour organisers have encountered difficulties with performances in China due to a tightened political control over the arts and Christianity. http://freemuse.synkron.com/sw30479.asp Composer John Adams told BBC he is now *blacklisted* and followed by US security forces because he wrote the controversial opera The Death of Klinghoffer http://freemuse.synkron.com/sw30480.asp The launch of a new Sony computer game has been delayed because of sung verses from the Quran which are feared to cause anger among religious groups http://freemuse.synkron.com/sw30467.asp Haroon Bacha, a 36-year-old Pashtun singer, fled his homeland and is now in the US where he is doing performances, reported New York Times on 12 October 2008 http://freemuse.synkron.com/sw30424.asp European countries need to make visa and work permit procedures and the general access to the European market for artists more flexible, transparent and homogenous http://freemuse.synkron.com/sw30346.asp Report of a one-day seminar about music censorship and attacks on music practitioners in Somalia, held at Hotel Sahafi in the Somali capital Mogadishu, on 3 July 2008 http://freemuse.synkron.com/sw29844.asp Artists from Iran, Zimbabwe and Palestine are featured at this years Festival Against Censorship in Bilbao in northern Spain on 18-26 October 2008 http://freemuse.synkron.com/sw30308.asp Video interview with Colombian rappers and protest musicians Don Vito and Medina of Bellavista Social Club about their experiences of persecution http://freemuse.synkron.com/sw30250.asp Video interview with Colombian rappers and protest musicians Don Vito and Medina explaining why their colleagues in the band Pasajeros were imprisoned and exiled http://freemuse.synkron.com/sw30230.asp Lapiro de Mbanga was sentenced to three years in jail for taking part in anti-government riots. He is the author of several songs criticising the Cameroonian government. http://www.freemuse.org/sw29911.asp On 23 September 2008, rap musician Hamé of leading French underground rap groups, La Rumeur, was acquitted after a long, legal battle against president Nicolas Sarkozy http://www.freemuse.org/sw29935.asp Tiken Jah Fakoly, who received the Freemuse Award 2008, is one of the main characters in a new documentary film, *An Independent Mind* about freedom of speech http://www.freemuse.org/sw29912.asp Musicians, politicians and experts gather in Jerusalem, Israel, on 23-26 October 2008 to discuss the role of music in troubled regions such as Israel, Cyprus and South Africa. http://www.freemuse.org/sw29898.asp A court in Diyarbakır sentenced the busdriver Mustafa Tuzun to 10 months imprisonment because he played a Kurdish song in his bus http://www.freemuse.org/sw29618.asp Folk music singer Hasan Saglam was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment because he sang a Kurdish song at the Munzur Festival in Tunceli in 2007 http://www.freemuse.org/sw29792.asp Video interview with the West African reggae singer Tiken Jah Fakoly, recorded in Dublin on Saturday 23 August 2008 in connection with the Freemuse Award 2008 ceremony http://www.freemuse.org/sw29707.asp MTV in the Middle East - MTV Arabia - announced on 20 August 2008 that it will mark the holy month Ramadan by refraining showing from music videos http://freemuse1.inforce.dk/sw29678.asp After receiving a fine for civil disobedience, punk-rock singer and musician Gorki Águila could walk out of the court room as a free man http://www.freemuse.org/sw29658.asp According to members of his band, punk-rock musician Gorki Aguila has been arrested and faces up to four years* imprisonment for *social dangerousness* http://www.freemuse.org/sw29621.asp *We have to continue questioning corruption and poverty in Africa,* said Tiken Jah Fakoly as he received the Freemuse Award at the Festival of World Cultures in Ireland http://www.freemuse.org/sw29589.asp Access to Apple*s online iTunes Store has been blocked in China after it emerged that Olympic athletes have been downloading a pro-Tibetan music album http://www.freemuse.org/sw29562.asp On 4 August 2008, 28-year-old Yaghub Mehrnahad, a education activist and concert organiser, was executed, reported several human rights groups http://www.freemuse.org/sw29564.asp *I Kissed a Girl* provokes controversy and has been banned from radio stations in Dubai for containing lyrics that *depict sexuality, lesbianism and promiscuity*, reported Gulf News http://www.freemuse.org/sw29511.asp The Canadian country rock band Dry County feel they*ve been *unofficially banned* from the music industry. Freemuse asked the band*s manager to elaborate http://www.freemuse.org/sw29427.asp When a woman tries to break into the growing scene for Islamic hip-hop in United Kingdom she is often intimidated, or even threatened, reported the New Statesman http://www.freemuse.org/sw29495.asp A clampdown on live music and discotheques in Bangalore began around 1 August 2008, reported The Indian Express http://www.freemuse.org/sw29440.asp In an open letter, musician Leonard Zhakata asks the country*s ruling party ZANU-PF: *Why do you ban my music from being played on ZBC tv and radio?* http://www.freemuse.org/sw29360.asp International Pen Writers in Prison Committee sent this appeal on 7 august 2008 protesting the arrest and four-month detention of singer-songwriter Lapiro de Mbanga http://www.freemuse.org/sw29331.asp The defence lawyer of imprisoned musician Teddy Afro and an editor-in-chief of a local newspaper which interviewed the lawyer were arrested in Addis Ababa on 4 August 2008 http://www.freemuse.org/sw29295.asp Tiken Jah Fakoly will receive the first ever Freemuse Award in connection with his Ireland debut concert in Dublin at Festival of World Cultures on Saturday 23 August 2008. http://www.freemuse.org/sw25454.asp Baglama-player and singer Fuat Talay speaks about how the Turkish authorities kept him in a police station*s cellar for 23 days, and later on convicted him to 12 years in prison http://www.freemuse.org/sw29183.asp Author Mark LeVine asks the heavy metal band Motley Crue: *Why not really make rock history and open your Make Rock History contest to bands from around the world?* http://www.freemuse.org/sw29147.asp On 21 July 2008, militiamen from the Somali Islamist groups, armed with pistols, gunned down musician Omar Nur Basharah in the capital Mogadishu http://www.freemuse.org/sw29150.asp *Any artistic group or individual who have ever engaged in activities which threaten our national sovereignty will not be allowed in,* the Chinese Ministry of Culture stated http://www.freemuse.org/sw29141.asp Russian lawmakers propose to ban teenage subculture music styles such as emo and goth from the country*s schools. Emo music fans protested on 19 July 2008 http://www.freemuse.org/sw29040.asp American author and historian Mark LeVine has published a book about the special role of Heavy Metal music in the Middle East and its relationship with Islam: *Heavy Metal Islam* http://www.freemuse.org/sw29069.asp Lapiro de Mbanga was in chains when he was brought to a court room on 9 July 2008, accused of causing anti-government riots. His case was adjourned to 23 July http://www.freemuse.org/sw29056.asp In a short documentary video about music and *community censorship* in Afghanistan, the 19-year-old Afghan singer Mariam says she gets verbal abuse all the time http://www.freemuse.org/sw29024.asp Teddy Afro is still imprisoned after he appeared in court again on 4 July 2008. *The authorities are framing a popular singer,* writes Tsigue Shiferaw http://www.freemuse.org/sw29012.asp Singer Fahd al-Qarni was said to have *insulted the president*, and for this he recieved a prison sentence of 18 months and he must promise never to sing again http://www.freemuse.org/sw29041.asp The students of the University of Hargeisa rejected and obstructed a celebration for the World Music Day, which was scheduled to take place on 21 June, 2008 http://www.freemuse.org/sw28992.asp Radical Islamist groups have unleashed a renewed crackdown on music, cinemas, and music-related events as part of their unrelenting efforts to silence the music and musicians of Somalia. http://www.freemuse.org/sw28978.asp Mun Awng is a musician who left Burma to make music freely and in hope of improving the political situation in his country. http://www.freemuse.org/sw28810.asp A documentary film about the punk-rock and metal musicians rebelling against the bureaucracy and imposed conformity of the Castro regime. http://www.freemuse.org/sw28926.asp For the last six years one of France*s leading underground rap groups, La Rumeur, has been locked in a legal battle against current French president Nicolas Sarkozy http://www.freemuse.org/sw28748.asp While struggling with censorship in Khartoum, the Sudanese singer-songwriter Abazar Hamid hopes to bring peace to Sudan with his music, reported Stephanie McCrummen http://www.freemuse.org/sw28705.asp Three members of Diyarbakir Yenisehir Council Childrens Choir were acquitted, but the Turkish court issued an arrest order for the director of the choir, Duygu Bayar http://www.freemuse.org/sw28706.asp In the early hours of 18 June 2008, the musician Abdulkadir Adow Ali was stabbed to death in Mogadishu. http://www.freemuse.org/sw28697.asp Job of a secret police officer in Zimbabwe now hangs in balance. His offence: he was linked to music that is deemed to be sensitive by president Robert Mugabes regime http://www.freemuse.org/sw28640.asp In 2000, a song by Turkish rapper Sultana was banned, and she disappeared from the lime light. After an eight-year hiatus she is now back on the music stage http://www.freemuse.org/sw28621.asp Article 19 and ArtVenture are seeking artists to be nominated for a newly established 100,000 US dollars Freedom to Create Prize http://www.freemuse.org/sw28588.asp The youth wing of Malaysias opposition Islamic party will stage a peaceful protest if the two singers Mas Idayu and Ella are not banned from a 6 July concert http://www.freemuse.org/sw28575.asp Since March 2008, the Tibetan singers Drolmakyi and Jamyang Kyi, and musician Lhundrup have been arrested and held in custody by Chinese authorities http://www.freemuse.org/sw28531.asp "Many musicians have their music blacklisted because they refuse to pay bribes", the Zambian reggae musician Maiko Zulu told BBC News on 30 May 2008 http://www.freemuse.org/sw28479.asp Two musicians who are facing charges of singing songs that are sensitive failed to appear in court, and now a magistrate court has issued a warrant of arrest for them. http://www.freemuse.org/sw28487.asp Somali woman singer tells the untold story of how, in 1996, local Islamic courts militia raided a concert in Mogadishu, and sentenced the musicians to 20 lashes each. http://www.freemuse.org/sw28429.asp Because she had sung a South Korean folk song and taught it to four others in 1992, North Korean Ji Hae Nam (Hae-Nam Ji) was imprisoned for three years and tortured. http://www.freemuse.org/sw28378.asp Students of Iraqs Music and Ballet School still risk being attacked because of their love of music. This article summons the latest news from the musical life in Iraq. http://www.freemuse.org/sw28362.asp On 3 June 2008 a Chilean judge reopened the murder case of folk singer Victor Jara who was tortured and killed in 1973. http://www.freemuse.org/sw28285.asp Faisal Al-Alamy is founder of the Saudi Arabian thrash metal band Octum. They released a demo entitled Fighting For Freedom in January 2008. http://www.freemuse.org/sw28188.asp An online petition seeks to have a ban lifted on playing music in the streets during the Roma peoples annual pilgrimage in Saintes Maries de la Mer. http://www.freemuse.org/sw28271.asp