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by Robert Russell
ESSAM HANAFY IN EGYPT
GOES BEFORE THE COURTS
Cartoonist for the opposition newspaper
El-Shaabm, Essam Hanafy, and three of his colleagues have been
re-arrested and are in the middle of a retrial in Cairo. About
6 months ago, Hanafy went underground when he and his colleagues
were found guilty of libeling the Deputy Prime Minister/Minister
of Agriculture and close associate of President Hosni Mubarak.
While his colleagues reported for jail, Hanafy, incredulous that
a simple drawing could justify a person being imprisoned, hid
out instead of going to jail.
The police brought in Hanafy's brother,
Salim, for questioning, harassed his father and wife, and even
went to his children's school searching for him. In the mean
time, the attorneys got an appeals court to agree that the first
trial was unfair and biased. A new  trial
was promised if only Essam would turn himself in. He did, and
was thrown in jail. When a date was set for the new trial, he
was released. On the 13th of March, 2000 the second trial started.
From the first hour it became apparent that there was to be no
fair trial. Presiding judges frustrated every proposal that Hanafy's
lawyers made, venues were changed without advanced warning, and
at one point when it seemed that the judges were about to come
in with a judgment, police surrounded the court building. It
seems that Hanafy was lured out of hiding by a ruse. Essam mails
to us that he has packed his suitcase and is ready to go to prison
for drawing a cartoon. CRN is in regular contact with Essam Hanafy
and his family and we wait on the outcome of the trial. He goes
to court on 4/1/00. He sent us these cartoons, representing his
thoughts about his country as he goes to trial for drawing a
cartoon, and the same that got him into trouble. Something about
the Minister of Agriculture/Deputy Prime Minister.
 American
cartoonists Joel Pett and Dani Eagle have drawn some cartoons
especially for CRN that were sent to Egyptian President Hosni
Mubarak in Cairo. They are shown here. Leif Zetterling, renowned
Scandinavian cartoonist is also producing a cartoon for Mr. Mubarak.
NIK AHANG-KOWSAR,
IRANIAN CARTOONIST IS JAILED AND THANKS HIS CAPTORS
Last year, Nik Ahang-Kowsar drew some
toothy and pointed cartoons. One made fun of a popular conservative
cleric showing him as a crocodile shedding crocodile tears because
the bad journalists had been teasing him. The cartoon infuriated
the cleric's student following and soon they were on a rampage
seeking revenge for their patron's damaged image. At the same
time Nik was charges with crimes against Islam and taken into
custody. In a phone conversation with Nik the day he got out,
he said that he wanted to give his deepest thanks to his jailer.
Apparently the fellow was an old friend, and NIk said he got
caught up on his sleep. He was treated like an honored guest.
As it turned out, the ruffians couldn't find him as he was safely
tucked away in the slammer. By the time Nik was released a few
days later the wind had gone out of their sails, and they had
gone back to the campus. Nik was safe.
Nik still faces charges, but with the
elections that just brought more liberal personalities to the
forefront in Iran, there may be a long delay in bringing this
particular case to trial. I guess, sometimes a few days in the
slammer is just what the doctor ordered.
SIERRA LEONE CARTOONIST
IS MURDERED
Muniru Turay: editorial cartoonist
from "Unity Now" from Sierra Leone. Known all over
Sierra Leone by his pen name, "AZZO", Muniru was murdered
in front of his family in January 1999 by the domestic rebel
force, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). Since then, the
RUF has been brokered into power, and all crimes (they killed
about 10 other journalists at the same time) against the people
are being ignored for now. Crimes forgiven is becoming increasingly
more common in the world as peace accords are negotiated between
weak governments and strong and violent rebel movements. RUF
leaders, who were recently busy chopping off the limbs of children
and adults alike are now learning the ropes of cabinet membership
In a new government. The January 9th 2000 issue of the Washington
Post Magazine has done a very through analysis of the situation
in Sierra Leone. If any one would like me to fax it to them I'd
be happy to, thought Muniru Turay is not mentioned specifically.In
the mean time, Turay's elder mother languishes with no support
or compensation in a country that is now Africa's poorest. CRN
is in contact with Muniru's Uncle, who has sent us newspaper
clippings of some of his work. After elements of the RUF killed
him, his paper was ransacked and all of his life's work destroyed.
CRN has asked a number of cartoonists to make original copies
of some of these images in order to preserve his life's work
for posterity, and as an addition to our "Art To Die For"
archive.We would like someone to step forward as a sponsor so
we can mount a traveling exhibit of his work around various Embassies
in Africa as a tribute to his life and work.In this cartoon,
the President and the Parliament are struggling over Amy Smythe,
the country's first cabinet officer for Gender Affairs. The Parliament
wanted to make sure her politics were close to theirs, and the
President (TK) was insisting that their brief was to confirm
her qualifications, not her politics. By coincidence, CRN Director
Robert Russell was in Free Town, Sierra Leone when this issue
was being tossed around in the press and had a chance to meet
with Amy and her husband. She thought the controversy was just
so much good fun, and was much more concerned that her office,
while ground breaking politically, wasn't granted enough money
for her to buy a desk, let alone have a phone. She was operating
out of offices donated by a local school and was using her own
cell phone to conduct business at the time Russell met her.
We are asking for contributions towards
a fund to relieve Muniru's elderly mother. Send contributions
to us, made out to the New York Foundation for the Arts, earmarked,
Cartoonists Rights Network/Turay. We will make sure she gets
100% of it. Your donation will be tax deductible. NYFA is our
fiscal agents.
 FUN WORLD
Sara Seneviratne in Hong Kong has recently
published the third issue of Fun World, his new effort at bringing
the work of the world's editorial cartoonists as they see the
world's human rights abuses. This issue focused special attention
on the war in Sri Lanka between Sri Lankan Government troops
and the rebel group the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. At
press time, the LTTE had just tried to unsuccessfully to assassinate
the President of Sri Lanka, Mrs. Chandrika Kumaratunga. This
came a few weeks after the LTTE had released a number of captured
soldiers as a gesture of good will without getting any kind of
recognition or reciprocation from the Government. Please email
Sara with your subscriptions for future issues, advertising copy,
and (and for now) voluntary submissions on issues having to do
with human rights or human rights abuses in any way. artsara@netvigator.com
MIKE DIANA -
CRN's AMERICAN CLIENT
A call to our only American client,
Mr. Mike Diana turned up more information about his plight at
this time. Back in 1994, the state of Florida threw Mike in jail
for 4 days without bail on obscenity charges for publishing,
advertising, and selling his ''zine BOILED ANGEL. He is still
on probation after nearly 5 years. Terms of his probation include
fines of $5000, no contact with children under 18 (or being within
10 feet of a minor), 1280 hours of community service, he must
maintain full time employment, and, at his expense see a psychiatrist
regularly and take journalism ethics courses. Further, the court
said Mike cannot draw for his own personal use. His home was
subject to unannounced searches by local police to make sure
he was complying. Mike Diana is now serving another 2 years of
probation, including $2000 in fines, and the same probationary
terms. His website is at www.testicle.com/mikediana.htm, where
Mike will walk you through his work past and present. He sells
his comics, prints, t-shirts, paintings and more. NOT for the
faint of heart, spirit or easily offended. Email mike at miked@testicle.comMost
editorial cartoonists are surprised to learn about a first amendment
case here in the US. The American Civil Liberties Union refused
to take it on, and it remains one of the few obscenity rulings
that have stood the review of appeals courts.
 AFFILIATES,
"CARIN" Adewale Adenle, COUP d'CRAYON, "POPOLI"and
a new affiliate organization: Cartoonists Rights Network/Romania
with Nicolae Ionita. We have met a wonderful young cartoonist
from Romania, Nicolae Ionita. He was so impressed with the work
that CRN is doing that he offered to start a new affiliate in
Romania, that he wants to call it the Cartoonists Rights Network/Romania.
He has suggested a new logo for the organization that we are
including below.
He has joined two other CRN clients
who have started their own cartooning/human rights groups Popoli
in Cameroon and Adewale Adenle in Nigeria. Both have modeled
their new organizations after CRN.
All three are men on a mission. Already
Nicolae, Popoli and Adenle have started efforts to find funding
for fall workshops and longer term institution building. We all
intend to explain to donors that our interests are in the institutionalization
of editorial cartooning, development of safety protections for
cartoonists, defining legal initiatives to protect cartoonists
from illegal censorship, and finding stronger outlets and markets
for cartoonists. All of this is within the general rubric of
strengthening democracy and protecting free speech in regions
of the world where the rule of law is a questionable assumption.
Unlike professional groups that only seek to further the interests
of the members, these CRN Affiliates have mission statements
that wed them to the pursuit of human rights monitoring and free
speech advocacy. So far as we know this is unique in the world
of journalism: cartooning organizations involving themselves
in human rights monitoring and lobbying. Fellow cartoonist Paul
Nyemb Ntoogue "Popoli", the winner of the first annual
Cartoonists Rights Network's Award for Courage in Editorial Cartooning
They are generally modeling their organizations after CRN as
well, and CRN is helping them to develop sources of resources,
and is helping them develop bylaws what will give the organizations
a deep keel and strong rudder to help fight headwind. We will
be hearing more from our new Affiliates" in the future.
(file: CRN-R.Logolowjpg#2)
VIOLENCE WORKSIn a call to Popoli in
mid March we learned a sad result of his trials and tribulations.
Apparently, Popoli has in fact toned down his cartoons in an
attempt to get the goon squad off his trail. One of his fans
recently told him that he has changed, and his cartoons don't
tell the truth like they did before. Popoli said that everyone
wants him to tell the truth and wants him take the risks. But
the comments had a devastating effect on Popoli. He knew he had
changed his editorial style, but hearing it from a fan brought
it all home like a bolt of lightning.
Source
Agencies:
Committee to Protect Journalists
Reporters sans Frontieres
International Federation of Journalists
International Freedom of Expression Clearing House
Human Rights Watch
Amnesty International
World Association of Newspapers
The NEWSEUM
And other human rights organizations that cannot now be mentioned.
Your suggestions
and comments are appreciated. E-mail Robert Russell
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Robert
Russell