Breaking the silence: Susma’s annual censorship report now available in English

Susma (Speak Up) Platform’s 2024 Censorship and Anti-Censorship Report is now available in English. The report documents cases of censorship across six categories that have been monitored over the years: Cinema, Publishing, Music, Visual Arts, Theater, and LGBTI+.

For years, the number of reported censorship cases has remained stagnant, but not because the pressure has eased. On the contrary, self-censorship has become more widespread, continuous, and entrenched. As the report’s foreword notes: “Our annual documentation of censorship cases in arts and culture reveals an alarming rise in self-censorship, a dark and often invisible undercurrent. Although it often remains unprovable, the Susma Platform is aware of numerous artistic projects and events that are quietly shelved behind closed doors without being completed, staged, written, or exhibited. This form of suppression, though difficult to quantify, is largely driven by fatigue, fear, and a growing sense of resignation in the face of increasingly varied and intensified censorship tactics over the past decade.”

To better understand what drives self-censorship and how it affects both the cultural scene and individuals, Susma Platform invited six people working in their respective fields to write short essays on the subject. While scholars may be able to explain it in analytical and rational terms, those who experience self-censorship often face a storm of emotions. It is a confusing, ambiguous, and elusive phenomenon, one that demands coping, and at times, acceptance. Acknowledgment is the first step in finding a way through it, around it, or beyond it.

The contributors –Fırat Yücel on cinema, Aslı Tohumcu on publishing, Özge Ç. Denizci on music, Nazım Hikmet Richard Dikbaş on visual arts, Derviş Aydın Akkoç on theater, and Aylime Aslı Demir on LGBTI+ bans— not only articulate how self-censorship impedes free expression in their fields but also offer an intimate glimpse into the emotional toll it takes. Their essays are as introspective, self-aware, and heartfelt as they are informed, astute, and insightful. Together, they offer a compelling view of self-censorship from within, and may serve as a valuable resource for scholars and activists around the world seeking to understand the complexities of silenced expression.

To quote the foreword again: “The urge to ‘withdraw’ from creative expression is intensified by punitive measures, detentions, investigations, targeting, marginalization, and the threat of economic censorship directed at organizations, communities, and initiatives. Yet this act of withdrawal often becomes a necessary condition for continuing artistic and cultural work within the harsh climate shaped by government pressure.”

Ultimately, the report also highlights the resilience and resourcefulness of artists, human rights defenders, and communities as they weather the storm, and prepare, once again, to bloom.

Click here to read and download the report: https://susma24.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Jan-Dec_2024_monitoring_report.pdf