Painters, poets, singers, photographers, dramatists, authors, film-makers and musicians are targeted because of their social and political commentary.

The perpetrators are governments, state agents and increasingly non-state actors – a variety of groups intent on keeping full control on all forms of expression and thus on suppressing dissenting voices or images. Non-state actors include those acting in the name of purity, morality, religion or for a variety of other reasons.

ARTICLE 19 is monitoring, documenting and raising cases of the repression of artists globally in Artist Alert – a bimonthly publication.

In 2008 ARTICLE 19 also partnered with ArtVenture to launch the inaugural Freedom to Create art prize. The US$100,000 prize recognised the ways that artists use their work to defend and promote human rights.

ARTICLE 19 on artists:

• ARTICLE 19's landmark publication Unveiled: Art and Censorship in Iran which can also be ordered in hardcopy
• Lebanon: Censoring Art and Artists
• Russia: Art, Religion and Hatred
• Voices from Iraq
• Voices from Iran
• Panel Discussion on Film and Censorship