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International Contest for Minority Artists 2026: War and Reconciliation

Geneva, 18 December 2025. On the occasion of minorities day – the anniversary of the adoption in 1992 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities – UN Human Rights (OHCHR) and its partners announce the launch of the fifth edition of the International Contest for Minority Artists (2026).  The 2026 theme of the Contest is War and Reconciliation. Minority artists can play a key role in advancing peace, transitional justice, mutual understanding and reconciliation. Artists document war and conflict by preserving memories, humanizing victims, and challenging official narratives through mediums such as painting, photography, sculpture, installations, digital arts, film, music and dance. Their work can evoke empathy, provoke thought, and serve as a powerful form of protest and a tool for healing and shaping public discourse at all stages of conflict, as well as long after the cessation of open hostilities. Artists who self-identify as belonging to a national, ethnic, religious or linguistic minority are invited to submit high-quality electronic images of five works of art related to the 2026 theme of the International Contest for Minority Artists. Women and LGBTQI+ artists belonging to minorities are particularly encouraged to apply. The application form also requests information about the artist or artists submitting, as well as a vision statement explaining links between the artworks submitted and the theme of War and Reconciliation. The application form also requests several affirmations, including consent to be recognized publicly, in the event of a successful application. Consent provided may be withdrawn at any time. Up to eight, non-hierarchical awards total will be made in the following categories: The deadline for submission is 1 March 2026. Applications may be submitted in any of the 6 UN official languages on the following links: العربية | 中文 | Français | English | русский | Español. There is no fee for applying. Any intent to request fees in relation with the application process and the International Contest for Minority Artists should be reported to: ohchr-minorities@un.org. Any threats received in relation to these processes should also be reported there. Winners are selected by an independent jury. Award winners will be announced publicly in November 2026. Full details of criteria for evaluation, rules and other modalities, are available in the Concept Note:  العربية | 中文 | Français | English | русский | Español. Share your voice. Drive change. #MinorityRights #ArtForHumanRights #WarAndReconciliation #MinorityArtists4HumanRights Read more about the contest at ohchr.org.

Creativity Under Rubble: Art, Culture, and Rights on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People

Freemuse joins people around the world in marking the United Nations’ (UN) International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People on 29 November and reaffirming their UN-recognised rights, including self-determination, the right of return, and an independent state free from occupation. After generations of dispossession beginning with the 1948 Nakba and decades of occupation and blockade, the past two years have brought devastating genocide in Gaza and escalating violence and repression across the occupied Palestinian territory. Tens of thousands of lives have been lost many of them children. Entire communities have faced displacement, hunger and deep trauma. The October 2025 ceasefire agreement offers small but important signs of hope. As UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, ‘The Palestinian people have a right to dignity, to justice, and to self-determination. Yet over the last two years, these rights have been violated beyond comprehension’. We recognise that the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People must extend to protecting artistic freedom. While reporting has centred on humanitarian, health, and education crises, the impact on artistic and cultural life has received far less attention. Among the approximately 67,000 Palestinians killed, dozens were artists, writers, and cultural operators. It is estimated that 80% of all structures in Gaza were damaged, this includes archaeological sites, libraries, galleries, art centres, and cultural institutions. ‘The Palestinian people do not need a peace plan; what we need is a justice plan’ As Freemuse’s State of Artistic Freedom 2025 report, Censorship of Commentary on Palestine in Germany – Art in the Crossfire: Navigating Censorship in Turbulent Times, highlights artistic freedom around the world has come under intense pressure since the 7 October 2023 attacks in Israel and the subsequent bombardment of Gaza. Exhibitions, performances and installations related to the war have been censored or cancelled in many countries. Political expression has been closely policed, and artists have faced attacks for opinions shared recently or even many years before a work was presented. This climate has created a global chilling effect on cultural expression. Freemuse’s data shows a wide impact, especially in Germany, as well as in the United States and the United Kingdom. Since the report was written the situation has not improved in any meaningful way.  At a UN meeting on 25 November for the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, poet and Pulitzer Prize winner Mosab Abu Toha said Palestinians ‘do not need a peace plan; what we need is a justice plan’. Born in a refugee camp, he spoke of surviving the genocide and read from Forest of Noise (2024), including “Under the Rubble”: ‘He left the house to buy some bread for his kids. / News of his death / made it home, / but not the bread. / No bread. / Death sits to eat whoever remains of the kids. / No need for a table, no need for bread.’ On this International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, Freemuse commemorates the lives Palestinian artists who have been killed in the last 12 months and whose stories reveal what it means to create under siege, during war and genocide. Their lives ended too soon, but their work shows how creativity finds a way to survive even in the darkest moments. Walaa Jumaa al-Afranj’s detailed calligraphy, Dina Zaurub’s portraits and Durgham Qreiqeh’s neighbourhood workshops all sought to preserve memory at a time when those keeping the record were themselves under threat. Amna al-Salmi and Ismail Abu Hatab, who were killed together in an airstrike, used their craft to express resilience and humanity. As Mosab Abu Toha reminds us, when souls remain under the rubble, the world must act so that no child, no story, and no future stays buried.

Free Mohamed Tadjadit

Joint statement demands immediate release of Algerian Hirak poet Mohamed Tadjadit risking a death penalty sentence ahead of November 11 hearing. Ahead of upcoming court dates on 11 and 30 November 2025, 20 leading Algerian, regional and international organisations reiterate their calls on the Algerian authorities to drop all charges and release poet and activist Mohamed Tadjadit and his 12 co-defendants.  Mohamed Tadjadit along with 12 other activists, six of whom are currently detained, two in exile and four who are free pending trial, are facing baseless terrorism-related and “conspiracy against the state” charges punishable by death as the maximum sanction possible. The persecution of Tadjadit is based on his poetry and peaceful activism, making his continued imprisonment a violation of his fundamental rights. His prosecution sends an alarming signal to others who raise their voices for human rights and the rule of law in Algeria. Tadjadit has long faced judicial harassment for his involvement in the Hirak movement that erupted in February 2019 to oppose the 5th term of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Although the President resigned, the protesters continued to demonstrate, calling for political reforms and stronger human rights protections, despite a swift and harsh crackdown by the authorities. The authorities imprisoned Tadjadit at least six times between 2019 and 2025, for his artistic expression and political activism. Judicial authorities are now accusing Tadjadit of terrorism and “conspiracy against the state” on the basis of his political activism expressed through his poetry. After being released under a presidential pardon from a previous period of detention in November 2024, the authorities arrested him again two months later on politically motivated charges. Following an expedited trial hearing, a judge sentenced him to five years in prison, which was later reduced to one year on appeal.   Mohamed Tadjadit has been shortlisted for the Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Awards in recognition of his courageous and creative commitment to civilian rule, human rights, and democratic accountability in Algeria. His continued persecution, as well as the imprisonment of other protesters and prisoners of conscience, is a serious breach of Algeria’s obligations to international human rights law. We will continue to follow developments in these proceedings. Mohamed Tadjadit is a poet and activist and should not be in prison. We call for him to be released and for all charges to be dropped.   Signed by: Index on CensorshipFreemuseJustitia Center for the Legal Protection of Human Rights in AlgeriaRiposte InternationaleCairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)MENA Rights GroupLiberté Algérie Shoaa For Human RightsLa Confédération Syndicale des Forces Productives (COSYFOP)International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) PEN AmericaARC – Artists at Risk ConnectionEuroMed RightsAmnesty InternationalPEN InternationalAdala For All association (AFA)La Fondation pour la promotion des droitsComité des Familles des Disparus en Algérie (CFDA)Comité de Sauvegarde de la Ligue Algérienne des Droits de l’Homme (CS-LADDH)Committee for Justice (CFJ)

A Fragile Victory for Artistic Freedom in Türkiye

Human rights violations against LGBTQ+ individuals are escalating in Türkiye, where Pride Marches and Pride Month events have been banned for more than a decade. A new draft law package expected to be submitted to parliament soon could further increase pressure on the LGBTQ+ community. However, in a rare positive development, a landmark court ruling has reaffirmed the protection of LGBTQ+ rights and the principles of freedom of thought, artistic freedom, and expression. The court has overturned the ban on “Turn and See Back: Revisiting Trans Revolutions in Türkiye,” an exhibition hosted last summer by Depo, one of Istanbul’s leading independent art and culture venues. The exhibition was shut down shortly after opening because “it could provoke reactions from certain groups due to social sensitivities and could cause provocation.”     Organised by the 10th Trans Pride Week Exhibition Collective, the exhibition opened on 26 June 2024, but was banned on 11 July following a notice from the Beyoğlu District Governor’s Office. Authorities also ordered the removal of all related content from the internet and social media platforms. Announcing the court’s decision on social media, the organisers described the ruling as “a sign of hope at a time when intolerance toward LGBTQ+ identities and expressions continues to manifest itself in various forms in Türkiye.” They added: “As the court ruling reminds us, in a country governed by the rule of law and respectful of human rights, the state’s positive obligation is not to restrict the visibility of diverse identities, but to stop those who attack them.” Asena Günal, director of the Anadolu Kültür organisation, which includes Depo, shared her views with Freemuse. While describing the decision as encouraging, she noted that it is not final, as the Beyoğlu District Governor’s Office plans to appeal and may take the case to the Court of Appeals. According to Günal, although administrative courts occasionally issue more liberal rulings, the government’s restrictive stance has become increasingly apparent. Günal also drew attention to the draft 11th Judicial Package, which contains discriminatory provisions directly targeting LGBTQ+ individuals and artists. She warned that pressure on LGBTQ+ visibility and expression is likely to intensify. “Two days after the statement about the exhibition decision, we gathered in Kadıköy to protest the 11th Judicial Package, which directly targets LGBTQ+ existence,” she said. “The police prevented us from reading our press statement or even holding banners. Although I see the lifting of the exhibition ban as an important step, I am not hopeful about the coming period. Everything related to LGBTQ+ visibility is being banned. The new bill even goes beyond visibility, seeking to criminalise existence itself.” Türkiye is moving past the “Year of the Family 2025”, a government-led initiative ostensibly to counter its declining birth rate by promoting traditional family values –  a time when cultural expressions were banned for being seen as threats to traditional values, undermining artistic freedom and other fundamental rights. The new draft law signals that anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric could soon be formalised as state policy. In this context, ongoing resistance and the defence of human and artistic rights have become more crucial than ever. By Özlem Altunok, Freemuse Türkiye Researcher