In June 2026, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Irene Khan, presented her report on her visit to Germany in early 2026 to the Human Rights Council. One of the key concerns she raised was on the impact of debates on the Israel–Palestine conflict that have specifically affected the arts: the cancellation of cultural events, withdrawal of invitations, funding decisions and pressures affecting artists and cultural institutions.
Khan stresses the need to ensure that efforts to combat antisemitism, racism and all forms of discrimination are fully compatible with the protection of freedom of artistic expression and open cultural dialogue. She also raises concerns about the impact of such measures can have on freedom of expression, particularly around Palestine related artistic and political speech. These concerns are also documented in Freemuse’s 2025 State of Artistic Freedom report, chapter on Germany, which highlighted increasing pressure on this issue.
A growing trend in Germany – and indeed elsewhere in Europe – is political influence on cultural institutions, mainly from right-wing political actors. Khan underscores the need to safeguard German cultural institutions from political influence and to ensure that appointments to leadership positions are based on professional expertise and transparent processes.
That Irene Khan chose to focus on Germany, a country that has traditionally protected freedom of expression, including in the arts, is an important indication of the need to confront what is a trend across Europe, including in democracies, governments that claim to protect artistic freedom on paper while, in practice, allowing that freedom to be eroded.
We are pleased that Irene Khan’s report included Freemuse and the International Association of Art Critics (AICA) advisories sent to her prior to her visit, and we call upon the German federal authorities, the Länder, municipalities and public funding bodies to take note of her findings, including her recommendation that funding for arts and academic institutions be allocated on the basis of merit, not political pressure, and to take concrete action to end pressure on artists and cultural institutions.
Irene Khan’s six-year term as UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression concluded on 31 July. She was succeeded by Leopoldo Maldonado Gutiérrez from Mexico.
