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BEIRUT, LEBANON

State censorship has long played a role in guiding the arts in Lebanon, where a permissive culture and a delicate sectarian balance come head to head.

In the face of what they complain are arbitrary clampdowns, though, some activists and playwrights are taking the fight for free speech to the courts. MARCH is a civil rights organization that works with playwrights whose scripts, it says, failed to make it through governments required approval process.

Using content from articles, blog posts and TV shows already online and uncensored, it submitted four plays that tackled some of the most taboo topics in Lebanon: politics, the countrys civil war, Zionism, religion and homosexuality.

Lea Baroudi, co-founder of MARCH, said the plays never made it past the censors. Now the group is launching a court appeal, and is campaigning to ensure that any decisions to ban or censor content are formalized.

A lot of people think there is no censorship in Lebanon, or that the laws are pretty correct, she said. What we wanted to show and prove is that the laws on censorship are completely arbitrary. All they do is oppress arts and culture in Lebanon, as the only people who suffer are the artists and play directors.

"The censorship is not even efficient, as the content we used could be found elsewhere. So if you are trying to protect communities, it is not working, said Baroudi. Danger of offending The deadly attack on staff at French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, thought to have been a response to depictions of the Prophet Muhammad, sparked widespread debate about the limits of free speech.

In Lebanon, more than a hundred gathered in central Beirut's Samir Kassir square - named after a Lebanese journalist killed by a car bomb in 2005 - in an act of solidarity and support for free speech.

However, others defend the role of censorship, insisting that free speech can go too far, given Lebanon's sectarian diversity and, especially, at a time of regional upheaval.

Baroudi argued the very concept of censorship, however, is often a misplaced one. Art is very cathartic and in our point of view this strategy of making everything taboo in order to please and appease every group and community is not making things better. Its making them worse and its building up the tensions.

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Lebanese Artists Battle State Censorship

HONG KONG

In Hong Kong, where last years pro-democracy protests ended in a stalemate with the Beijing-backed government, there are signs of increasing state censorship.

A new report has found that Hong Kong police have requested more web posts to be taken down during the last four months than in the previous four years combined.

That data, plus recently revealed rules regarding Executive Council members interviews with the media, have added to the concerns of democracy activists, who say the citys history of freedom of expression is gradually eroding under Chinese rule.

Darcy Christ, a researcher with the Hong Kong Transparency Report at the University of Hong Kong, has seen an increase in the number of web sites being taken down.

"There is definitely a spike, but like I say, its mostly in the case of take down requests. That's not to discount that, but definitely user requests are one other important issue especially after the occupy protests," said Christ.

Since October, Hong Kong police have made 101 requests to websites and service providers to delete content. That figure compares with 29 requests in the preceding nine months of last year and a total of 65 requests in the previous three years combined. Last year police also made more than 4,000 requests for online user information, such as email and IP addresses.

Lawmaker and Internet entrepreneur Charles Mok has called for greater independent scrutiny and oversight of such police requests.

"My concern is that the police is stepping up and using its power whether or not it is invested in law, but at least they have the execution of power and they seem to be telling these social media sites to take down messages," said Mok.

Last month the PEN American Center, a New York-based writers group, wrote a report warning that Hong Kongs more open media was showing signs of increased self-censorship, and coverage more tailored toward the business interests of their financial backers.

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Concerns Grow Over Censorship in Hong Kong

Published February 20, 2015

Zimbabweans going to the movies will have to watch a tame version of "Fifty Shades of Grey" after censors ordered an edit of the film adaption of the bestselling erotic novel.

The censors demanded that erotic scenes from the R-rated drama be deleted before it is shown in the southern African country.

"There are scenes in the film that are just too indecent to be shown to the public," said Isaac Chiranganyika, the Board of Censors secretary, said on Friday. The film based on EL James' book of the same name, explores themes of bondage and domination.

Movie theatres in Zimbabwe will only be allowed to show a censored version of the film. While most theatres have agreed to run the chopped-up version, one theater in the capital Harare said it won't screen "Fifty Shades of Grey" at all, because heavy censorship would remove too much.

"It was felt that heavy censorship would compromise the integrity of the film," the Sam Levy Village shopping center, site of the movie theater, said on its Facebook page.

Zimbabwean artists and filmmakers have regularly criticized the board's decisions to censor works that were seen as too erotic, violent or political. The board's chairman, Heya Malaba, 95, has been uncompromising about erotic movie scenes in the past.

For those who want to watch the whole film, pirated copies should soon be available on city street corners.

"I just have to wait a week or so and I will be buying 'Fifty Shades of Grey' for $1 from the vendors," said Harare resident Stam Zengeni. "So no problem."

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Zimbabwe censors '50 Shades of Grey' scenes

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American media censorship fear war Al Jazeera - Video

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Bollywood REACTS On CENSORSHIP RULES - Video