9 May 2021

Restriction of artistic freedom in Hungary: complaint and petition of the European Alliance of Academies

The European Alliance of Academies is lodging a complaint with the UN Special Rapporteur on Culture, Karima Bennoune, and launching an online petition to the European Parliament. The alliance of 65 art academies and cultural institutions is calling for the violations of the freedom of the arts in Hungary to be countered with the available legal instruments.

Jeanine Meerapfel, initiator of the Alliance of Academies and President of the Akademie der Künste, explains the motivation for taking these steps: "If the freedom of art and opinion is limited in one member country of the European Union, this is also a challenge to democratic rights in the other European countries. And we can only succeed if we defend them together".

The documents produced in cooperation with the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) are available at: www.allianceofacademies.eu 

In an accompanying online meeting of the Alliance of Academies, the procedure will be discussed with cultural and political key players in Europe.

Taking part are Liesbeth Bik (Akademie van Kunsten), Ferenc Czinki (Society of Hungarian Authors), Marion Döring (European Film Academy), Gyözö Ferencz (Széchenyi Academy of Letters and Arts), Wolfgang Kaleck (European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights), Dominika Kasprowicz (Villa Decius in Krakow), Christoph Markschies (Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities), Jeanine Meerapfel (Akademie der Künste), Norbert Palz (Berlin University of the Arts), Aleš Šteger (writer), Sabine Verheyen (European Parliament), Marina Warner (Royal Society of Literature) and others.
Music: Floros Floridis (Clarinets), Elena Kakaliagou (French Horn), AoA Impro Group
Chair: Annette Riedel, Deutschlandfunk Kultur

Supported by the Federal Foreign Office and the Society of Friends of the Akademie der Künste

European Alliance of Academies. Artistic Freedom in Europe: Mission (in)complete!?
Online discussion with a welcome address by the Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas; video available from 9 May 2021, 2 pm
www.allianceofacademies.eu | www.adk.de