News stories world-wide News 2009 News 2008 News 2007 News 2006 News 2005 News 2004 News 2003 News 2002 News 2001 About music censorship Artists on censorship About Freemuse Publications Study room Activities Links Press room

NEWS18 March 2004 Veil lifts off once-forbidden Kurdish folklore music The fall of Saddam Hussein's regime has allowed the once-forbidden Kurdish music to spread throughout the country. Even such unlikely fans as Arab taxi drivers and Turkmen teenagers are singing along with the renaissance of a culture that spent nearly three decades in obscurity. Story from Washington Bureau More on minorities Kurds struggle to find voice in Turkey As death threats and angry slogans greet a recent performance in Kurdish by one of Turkey’s most popular singers, many human rights advocates in Turkey feel Ankara still has a long way to go to meet European Union standards on minorities 28 December 2003 Turkey: Killed for singing Kurdish folk songs in bar A young man, Emrah Gezer, was killed because he and his friends had been singing Kurdish folk songs in a bar 03 March 2010 Turkey: Broadcasting in local languages allowed without time limit Autorities has granted permission to 14 radio and tv stations in Turkey to broadcast in Kurdish, Zazaki, and Arabic without time limit 03 March 2010 Syria: Musicians arrested for singing Kurdish songs Seven men, including members of a wedding music band, were arrested at a Kurdish wedding party. In court they were accused of singing patriotic Kurdish songs. 18 January 2010 Turkey: Ferhat Tunç sang at large rally for Alevi rights Ferhat Tunç 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 09 November 2009 Iran: Trial against two Kurdish singers Two Kurdish singers are to be sentenced for “propaganda against the [political] order”, reported Shâr News from Saqqez in western Iran on 17 November 2008 21 November 2008 Finland / Sweden / Norway: The destruction of a minority's music culture Ethnomusicologist Ilpo Saastamoinen shares his insight and personal experiences with the oppression of Sámi music culture 21 April 2008 Mari Boine Video interview with Norwegian and Sámi singer Mari Boine about her personal experiences with the religious ban of joik music 31 March 2008 UK: Brighton first city to outlaw 'hate music' The British seaside town Brighton has become the first place in the UK to ban music that "incites hatred towards minorites" 06 December 2007 Denmark: Reggae concert under close surveillance 200 activitsts demonstrated against Jamaican rapper and DJ Elephant Man in Copenhagen on 21 May 2007 because he has incited to violence against homosexuals in his songs 23 May 2007