Lebanon: A Virtual Museum for Censorship

Lebanon now boasts a Virtual Museum of Censorship, an online database of censorship cases in Lebanon since the 1940s. The website was launched by Lebanese organization MARCH to draw attention to information kept away from people.
On September 2, 2012, the day the Museum of Censorship was launched, MARCH said:

WELCOME TO THE VIRTUAL MUSEUM OF CENSORSHIP IN LEBANON !
Ever wondered WHAT was censored in Lebanon, WHEN, and particularly WHY? You have come to the right place.
Here, you will be able to look up material that was censored since the 1940's !
Heard of something that is being censored, is under the threat of being censored or has been censored in the past that we have missed/failed to spot? Feel free to report it in order to complete the database.

Netizens can report censored movies, music, theater pieces, books, print and audiovisual content from 1940s to date on the website. They are required to give the name of the censored work, the censorship date, entity and reason.
For instance, Charlie Chaplin's Great Dictator was banned in 1940 for its anti-Nazi views. While, in 1990 LBC International received threats from the National Audiovisual Media Council to suspend its transmission over the broadcast of an interview with David Levy, the Israeli foreign Minister at that time.
In 2012, Lebanese journalist Moustafa Geha survived an assasination attempt, a cartoonist who drew Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was threatened, and Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis was banned from bookshops for “offending Islam and Iran.”
Who censors in Lebanon?
The Virtual Museum of Censorship lists four main Lebanese censorship entities:

General Security: Licensing, Monitoring, Censoring creative works
Ministry of Information: Prohibiting the entry of a foreign publication; confiscating copies of it
Provides licenses to publish for periodical publications
May suspend a TV channel for a maximum period of 3 days
Can censor cinematic works from the preliminary stage of the censorship process, along with the General Security
The special administrative committee: In the case that General Security finds what it considers enough cause to prevent part or all of the film from being screened, a decision shall be made by the committee according to a majority vote of its member to allow the film to be screened as it is, to edit certain parts of the film or to ban the film from being screened altogether. The final decision shall officially be issued by the Ministry of Interior, alone.
The National Audiovisual Media Council:The Council has become a “media watchdog”. It started off as an advisory board for the government to regulate television and radio broadcasting; the council's authority is now expanding to include regulating websites and blogs (what? exercises post- censorship on TV, radio and Internet

Censorship motives
In Lebanon, censorship practices are either politically, religiously or morally motivated. The Virtual Museum of Censorship explains:

Political reasons: regarding foreign relations with friendly countries, the censor pays considerable attention to the political sensitivities of Arab regimes and endeavors to safeguard diplomatic relations with these countries as well as banning attacks on the Palestinian cause and Arabs in general. Films on the civil war have been routinely censored since the nineties on the basis that referring to the conflict “threatens civil peace”.
Israel: regarding relations with enemy states, censorship is firstly based on a national law that calls for the boycott of all Israeli products. Secondly, there is censorship of all forms of publicity or compassion for Israel : this boycott was initially observed by the entire Arab League. Today, only Lebanon and Syria adhere to it stringently(…)
Religion: General Security will send creative works it thinks might upset religious sensitivities to their respective governing bodies (usually the Catholic Information Center or the Dar-al-Fatwa, which is Lebanon’s highest Sunni Muslim authority). Scenes or topics that question the ability of religion to counter evil and offensive scenes are removed.
Obscene and Immoral content: regarding censorship material which offends public morals, contains scenes of nudity, sex and foul language are strictly censored and the censor generally determines the extent to which the film or work does not offend public morals. Also, works that promote homosexuality are prohibited but violent scenes or scenes depicting drug use are allowed.

Twitter reactions
On Twitter, the initiative was welcomed:

@SultanAlQassemi: This is a brilliant idea: The Virtual Museum of Censorship (Lebanon) censorshiplebanon.org via @Sandmonkey Every Gulf state needs one

@mirabaz: This is great: what was censored, when and why–> censorshiplebanon.org v @SultanAlQassemi

@ramseygeorge: This is fantastic

Written by Afef Abrougui

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Armenia: Young Author Faces Military Censorship

Hovhannes Ishkhanyan, a 24-year-old computer programmer and, like many others, a former conscript in the Armenian military has found himself in hot water in the former Soviet republic after penning a literary work detailing life in the country's army.
Despite a print run of just 300, the Armenian military prosecutor says the book defames the army, is insulting to religion and also mothers. Demob Day has been removed from the shelves of at least two book stores in Yerevan, the Armenian capital.
Ironically, the city this year celebrates its status as UNESCO World Book Capital, but that will come as little comfort to Ishkanyan who is facing prosecution under Article 263 of the Criminal Code of Armenia for the illegal dissemination of pornographic materials or items.

Demob Day

If found guilty Ishkhanyan could find himself fined or imprisoned for up to two or three years. Ianyan comments on the case:

The Armenian army has been suffering from a spell of bad PR in the last few years as news of non-combat deaths have plagued the institution. Activists, who regularly protest the deaths, accuse the military of failing to properly investigate them as well as portraying murders as suicides. In September 2010, an amateur video that was posted on YouTube alleging abuse in the Armenian army made headlines in and outside the country.
Of the 16 fictional stories in the “The Day of Discharge” three concern themes related to the army. One of those, titled “Military March,” about 100 marching soldiers, who, dragging their military identification cards, begin to relay their experiences of their life in the army, has angered authorities the most, according to Ishkhanyan.

The Armenian Observer even made a point to read the book:

The situation with the police got me interested, so I read the book. Admittedly, reading was without enjoyment. The book contains too much violence and vulgar language for my taste, but that’s about it. One can hardly expect a book about the Armenian Army to contain a lot of tenderness and poetic speach – after wall, we’re talking about a structure, were dozens of soldiers die every year in non-combat situation, mainly because of hazing, violence and pressure, which forces soldiers into committing suicides.
[…]
The heroes of the book, young soldiers who died or became crippled during military service, tell horror stories of mistreatment by military officers.
[…]
Needless to say, that we’re witnessing a clear case of censorship, which is totally unacceptable.

Unzipped also commented, drawing attention to a petition established in the young author's support. “Unbelievable,” the blogger wrote. “What ages are we living in?! Say your firm NO to attempts of taking back Armenia into dark ages of Stalinism.”

Hovhannes Ishkhanyan © Nazik Armenakyan, ArmeniaNow

There is also an interview with Ishkanyan from last year in which the author discusses freedom of expression and military culture in Armenia on Artist For Artist.

Written by Onnik Krikorian Global Voices