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Welcome to Cartoonists
Rights Network, International the world's only free speech and human rights
organization dedicated exclusively to the well being of cartoonists.
 Currently, we have Affiliate
organizations in Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Ukraine, Cyprus, Cameroon,
Nigeria, Uganda, Ghana, Argentina and Affiliates starting up in many more
countries. We seek out cartoonists in countries where freedom of expression
is at risk, and abuses of journalists are common.
We have been
operating for more than 10 years, and we have 5
Pulitzer Prize
winning cartoonists on our Board of Directors. We are a member of the
International Freedom of Expression eXchange
- Toronto, Canada. In order to strengthen cartoonists’ defenses against
arbitrary human rights abuses, CRN conducts workshops that assist editorial
cartoonists to understand their rights under local and international free speech
laws. We network thousands of cartoonists so they may understand that they are
not alone in their daily struggles to tell the truth from the independent
journalist's point of view. Our "Clients" are cartoonists who have been the
victims of human rights or free speech abuses.
We have files on about 60 cartoonists
who, over the last 10 years, have been victims of violent regimes or terrorist
groups. Our Affiliate members are cartoonists who want to develop the freedom of
expression foundations of their craft and strengthen the cartoonist's influence
with the public.
CRN Romania
holds annual cartoon competitions on issues of free speech from the pens of
hundreds of international cartoonists.
Please send us an email if you would
like to know more about CRN or be put on our "Alerts" mailing list. We have a
cartoon bank of editorial and social cartoons on the subject of freedom of the
press, freedom of expression, political repression, journalism and a free press,
and other related free speech subjects. These cartoons are available for review
and use (for a modest fee) in journals and publications.
CRN promotes our "Art To Die For"
archive of those cartoons that provoked a human rights attack against the
cartoonist. This archive is humorous, thought provoking and educational. If your
organization would like an experienced and entertaining public speaker to
sensitize your group about domestic and international free speech and human
rights issues from the perspective of the cartoon journalist, send us an Email
letting us know. It's a presentation your members won’t forget.
CRN International advocates for
cartoonists in trouble. We conduct public letter writing campaigns, email
campaigns, we send delegations of cartoonist leaders to Embassies to meet with
the diplomats of governments that might make a difference in the lives of our
Clients. CRN produces the world’s only human rights lobbying document that is
entirely based on the powerful cartoons that sympathetic cartoonists
contribute. We have produced human rights cartoon booklets for defending
cartoonists in Egypt, Panama and Turkey.
The individual writing a letter to a
head of state protesting the treatment of a journalist is generally perceived as
a futile gesture. Taken by itself, it is. But what many in the concerned
public may not know is that most offending governments are as sensitive to
international public perceptions as they are to internal critics. A well
coordinated, effectively publicized, focused public advocacy campaign in support
of a cartoon journalist can often make a critical difference
We are always looking for skilled
volunteers to help us serve the needs of cartoonists in trouble. If you’d like
to give us some of your time and skills, please email or write to:
Dr. Robert Russell
Executive Director
Cartoonists Rights Network, International
10600 Alison Drive
Burke, VA 22015 USA
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