‘Malta subject to outdated censorship legislation’ - AD
Alternattiva Demokratika have expressed their solidarity with the artists involved in the play Stitching, which was banned in 2009 sparking a debate in censorship laws.
The appeal will heard on 5 October when evidence will be re-examined.
Yvonne Arqueros Ebejer, AD Deputy Chairperson and spokesperson for Civil Rights and Culture said “The right to freedom of expression is recognized as a human right under article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and recognized in International Human Rights law in the ICCPR. Therefore the case against Stitching is a case against Freedom of Expression and a proof that artistic expression in Malta is still subject to confessional scrutiny and out-dated censorship legislation".
Michael Briguglio, AD Chairperson, said that AD’s election in parliament will mean that there will be a political party with clear policies for modernisation of censorship laws.
Unifaun’s production of “Stitching” was banned in 2009 by the Film and Stage Classification Board in Malta just weeks before its opening performance. The reasons for the ban were blasphemy, obscene contempt for the victims of Auschwitz, a review of sexual perversions leading to sexual servitude, reference to the abduction, sexual assault and murder of children and a eulogy to the child murderers.
