Artsfex

I was just reading a press release on Freemuse from October this year about a new organisation called artsfex.org - they write:

Today 14 international arts and human rights organisations and networks – representing more than 1,200 national organisations globally – launched Artsfex, the first international civil society network actively concerned with the right of artists to freedom of expression as well as with issues relating to human rights and freedoms generally. Artsfex aims to promote, protect and defend artistic freedom of expression, as well as freedom of assembly, thought, and opinion in and across all art disciplines, globally.. Recent censorship incidents, the suppression of creative voices, and threats against the lives of artists have made it clear that we have arrived at the moment when creative workers and free speech activists need to work together against repression and for an open cultural space both locally, regionally and globally.”

The organisations involved are:

• Arterial Network
• ECA – European Council of Artists
• ECSA – European Composer and Songwriter Alliance
• FERA – FEDERATION OF European Film directors
• FIA – The International Federation of Actors
• freeDimensional
• Freemuse – The World Forum on Music & Censorship   
• ICAF – International Committee for Artists’ Freedom
• IETM – International Network for Contemporary Performing Arts
• IFCCD – International Federation of Coalitions for Cultural Diversity
• Index on Censorship  
• PEN International    
• NCAC – National Coalition Against Censorship, USA

They passed the following resolution at the Copenhagen Summit on Artistic Freedom of Expression:

There is an urgent necessity to launch an international initiative to protect and promote freedom of artistic and creative expression (in the visual arts, music, dance, film, writers, theatre etc.) with the goal of increasing awareness about violations of freedom of expression in the arts among artists and the arts sector, in the media, among political bodies, human rights and free speech organizations, as well as among the general public.

This initiative will:

• serve as an  information exchange
• monitor and analyse censorship in the arts worldwide with the goal of identifying trends and creating an understanding of the various mechanisms of censorship and persecution of artists for their creative work
• publicly expose the persecution and censorship of artists
• advocate in support of artistic and creative freedom worldwide
• hold governments accountable to their obligations under the relevant international conventions and national laws
• direct artists in distress to existing information, funding and other resources for emergency and ongoing support  and facilitate their relationship with  relevant funders and defenders of human rights

A vision paper has also been drafted which details the organisation's vision, aims and activities and is available on its website.
 
Further Information 
Arstfex: http://artsfex.org/