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NEWS
02 January 2006

Lebanese singer banned in Tunisia

By Freemuse

Marcel Khalife, one of the most appreciated composers and singers in the Arab world and also one of the most respected by local and international rights groups, recently told the media that his music and songs have been banned in Tunisia by the state-controlled radio and TV stations and informed he was no longer welcome to Tunisia.

According to different sources the Lebanese singer and composer might have angered the Tunisian authorities during a concert in Carthage in August during which he dedicated one of his songs to Arabs imprisoned in Israel and Arab countries. But the decision to inform him that he is no longer welcome came weeks after Marcel Khalife and prominent Arab intellectuals, such as Borhan Ghalioun and Elias Khoury, expressed support for the rights and political activists who went on hunger strike before and during the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Tunis in November 2005.

"It is unacceptable that artists who promote freedom are banned," said Said Akremi of the International Association to Support Political Prisoners. Said Akremi has recently been dispossessed of nearly ten books at Tunis Carthage Airport upon her return from an international seminar. Most of them on human rights.



Marcel Khalife's home page:

www.marcelkhalife.com

Marcel Khalife
Marcel Khalife

Photo by Pia Laulund

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