Description of Incident: Achebe has been threatened throughout his career as a journalist and creative writer. Nigeria's attorney general and minister of information threatened Achebe while he was controller of the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation of the eastern region of Nigeria. The government officials accused him of biased reporting during the country's first elections free of British rule. Achebe also worked with the eastern Nigerian seccessionists, the Biafran Organisation of Freedom Fighters. Achebe has completed numerous literary works. His first, "Things Fall Apart" (1958), describes the harmful effects of colonialism on Nigeria's culture. "A Man of the People" (1966) was his first major literary work that described the corruption rife within the Nigerian government. All of his works, both fictional and non-fictional, address corruption and social issues in Nigeria and other African dictatorships. While Achebe recieved numerous threats, his work was not censored until 1988.

Results of Incident: In 1988, after Achebe made the critical comments about Obafeni Awolowo, the western Nigerian states banned his work.

Description of Incident: Abelard's opponents condemned his works and teachings at various times throughout his life. During the 1120s his writings were considered heretical. When he moved to Paris to teach, a former friend, Guillaume de St. Thierry, declared his rhetoric heretical.

Results of Incident: Opponents publicly humiliated Abelard by burning his books and reciting the Nicene creed. He was also imprisoned for a brief period. In 1140 the pope condemned Abelard to silence. His books were subsequently burned and his followers were confined to religious houses. His work was listed in the Index Librorum Prohibitorum (Index of Prohibited Books) of 1559 and 1564.

Description of Incident: Schneider's piece exhibited in the Spitz Gallery in Spitalfield's Market, London, during a festival celebrating female writers. The London tabloid, The Sun, published a scandalized article claiming the work was child pornography. Gallery owners became cautious of violating the law and notified Scotland Yard after visitors complained about the images, and one visitor allegedly took photographs of Schneider's piece. A similar case emerged in 2001, when London police threatened to seize photos of photographer Tierney Gearon's children in the nude. In 2001 former culture minister Chris Smith decided that the officers crossed a mark between probity and censorship, and spoke in support of the images.

Results of Incident: The gallery blackened its windows, covered Schneider's work, and closed for one afternoon. The next day it reopened with three other artist's work, but removed Schneider's. Police suggested that they lacked the expertise to judge whether or not the piece was obscene. They referred the issue to the Metropolitan Police obscene publications unit.

Description of Incident: The two books were banned and confiscated less than a day after they went on sale. The publisher, Abdullah Gunduz of Aram Publishing House, has asserted that 20 of the last 24 books he has published have been confiscated.

Results of Incident: Ten hours after the books went on sale the Istanbul State Security Court ordered them banned and confiscated all copies.

Description of Incident: Six Turkish teachers sent out invitations for a World Teachers Day celebration. Turkish police arrested the teachers.

Results of Incident: The police claimed that "publishing and distributing invitations in Kurdish" is a crime under law." The teachers were arrested.

Description of Incident: These words have been outlawed by the Polish Language Council through a language purity law enforced in August 2000. Simultaneously, another language purity law forces broadcasters to ensure that one-third of the music played on radio stations is Polish.

Results of Incident: Violators of these edicts could face heavy fines.

Description of Incident: German officials refused the swastikas entry into Germany. Yung intended to use them in an exhbit at the Hong Kong-Berlin Arts Festival. Swastikas are illegal in Germany and viewed with suspicion in China; their representation of Buddha's heart is used by the outlawed, Chinese Buddhist group, Falun Gong.

Results of Incident: German officials ordered Yung to burn the swastikas or return them to Hong Kong.

Description of Incident: The NEC charged Kwon with violating new electoral laws that were amended on March 12, 2004. The new law prosecutes internet users for distributing information that is offensive to politicians during their election campaigns. In addition, the law forces internet service providers to surrender customer's, who are accused of violating these precepts, information. The NEC said that Kwon posted the pictures on sites other than his personal page and permitted other users to download them. For these actions, Kwon was charged with disseminating false information and for violating electoral law.

Results of Incident: Kwon was arrested, charged and released from prison.

Description of Incident: The Texas state prosecutor charged Castillo with two counts of obscenity for selling adult comic books in the adult section of his comic book store. The prosecutor argued, "I don't care what type of evidence or what type of testimony is out there...comic books, traditionally what we think of, are for kids." With this statement, prosecutors persuaded the jury to find Castillo guilty, sentencing him to 180 days in prison, a $4,000 fine and one year of probation.

Results of Incident: The Texas State Appeals Court upheld the conviction and the U.S. Supreme Court did not the case. Castillo's prison term was suspended. He did, however, pay the $4,000 and served one year of unsupervised probation. The CBLDF fears that the Castillo case will set a precendent that could stifle adult comic book artists and endanger their First Amendment rights.

Description of Incident: In December 2000 the Canadian Supreme Court, in the case Little Sister's Book and Art Emporium v. Canada, condemned customs agents for its arbitrary and discretionary practices by confiscating material bound for the Little Sister's Book and Art Emporium. The court also ruled that the onus of proving material obscene lies with the customs agency. Little Sister's has recently filed another case against Canadian Customs in response to confiscation of the comic series, "Meatmen." Little Sister's claims that the books in question do not exhibit the "undue exploitation of sex," as is prohibited by Canadian law. Opponents argue that comic art is not artistic. Little Book's appeal to the 2000 case will challenge decency standards held by the Criminal Code of Canada, and rights of free expression contained in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Results of Incident: Little Sister's Book and Art Emporium is seeking support from free expression advocates to raise funds and contribute expertise for their litigation. Already, Arsenal Pulp Press has created a comic series titled, "What Right" and "What's Wrong" to raise money and awareness for Little Book's campaign.

Description of Incident: Lamy, a construction worker from Brooklyn, sent his request for a license plate reading, "DUMPBUSH," into the Custom Plate Unit of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. The agency informed Lamy that his request could not be filed because "others may view the plate as obscene or offensive."

Results of Incident: When Lamy inquired into his plate's refusal,the agency told him that they will only approve plates with a positive message like: "IM4KERRY" or "YES2BUSH."

Description of Incident: On March 28, 2004, American Marines closed the popular newspaper and chained its doors shut. The CPA, and its administrator L. Paul Bremmer III, accused the paper of spreading false rumors intended to incite hostilities against American troops. In a letter, Bremmer noted examples of false reporting of which the paper has been accused. One example is the paper's claim that an explosion that killed 50 Iraqi police recruits was the result of an American missile, instead of a car bomb.

Results of Incident: Shortly after the paper's doors were sealed, thousands assembled for a protest where protesters screamed, hoisted banners and men charged a line of American troops. Some Iraqi leaders feel that the closing of Al Hawza will incite more violence by undermining democratic ideals. Bremmer said that the paper may reopen in 60 days, but must adhere to rules ostensibly prohibiting the precipitation of violence.

Description of Incident: "Blue Things I Wear" was part of "The Open Show," featured in San Diego University's 15th annual Social Issues conference. The show was meant to address concerns of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender community in the context of social issues. Lawless' work was removed from the show because of the image of the dildo.

Results of Incident: The Open Show's coordinator organized a dialogue/discussion about GLBT issues and censorship.

Description of Incident: German police raided the homes of 300 people suspected of posting neo-Nazi music files on the internet for others to download.

Results of Incident: Inciting racial hatred is punishable by imprisonment in Germany.

Description of Incident: A nursery school denied Fatima Mouajche--a forty-year-old Moroccan woman--an internship after she asked to wear her head scarf during class. School administrators told her that "if she works with her head scarf on, she risks scaring the children."

Results of Incident: The issue has divided Italian politicians. The Interior Minister, Giuseppe Pisanu, disagrees with the school's decision. Members of the Northern League, a right-wing party, have praised it. The mayor of a neighboring, Ivrea, has promised to hire Ms. Mouajche for a nursery school in his town.