Oppression of artists in Russia and Turkey

Russian artist Alexander Shchednov was arrested on June 11 by the Federal Security Service(FSB or ФСБ in Russian) for a collage depicting the head of prime minister Vladimir Putin on a woman’s body, captioned: "Oh I don't know ... a third presidential ... it's too much, on the other hand ."

Shchednov was charged with "uncensored swearing in a public place", according to human rights organisation Article 19 in their June 2009 Artist Alert.

The organisation also reports that the trial of curators Yury Samodurov and Andrey Erofeev has resumed.

The pair are facing five years in prison on charges of inciting religious and ethnic hatred under Article 282 of the Russian Penal Code, including an artwork of a crucified Lenin.

In Turkey, Article 19 reports that Turkish author Nedim Gursel is on trial for his novel "The Daughters of Allah" , which depicts a fictional interpretation of the Prophet Mohammad and his life.

Earlier this year, "The Daughters of Allah" was accused of insulting Turkishness, and Gursel was charged with insulting religion and inciting hatred.