TEHRAN - The press conference for the 3rd International Cartoon, Caricature, and Poster Contest Holocide was held on June 11 at the Tehran Municipality building, with the presence of a number of international visual artists.

At the beginning of the press conference, Masoud Shojai Tabatabai, the secretary of the event, which is organized by the Art Bureau, announced the opening of the event at the House of Photographers Gallery at the Art Bureau in Tehran on Wednesday evening.

“This is the third edition of the ‘Holocide’ contest. In the previous two events, the challenge to freedom of expression in the West was highlighted,” Tabatabaei said.

“Due to restrictions on social media, and in the face of media warfare and the dominance of hegemonic powers, there is no informing the public about Gaza, despite the fact that we have been witnessing genocide in that geographic area for over 20 months,” he added.

“Western media, in the truest sense, operate with double standards. When it comes to oppressed people and the atrocities in Gaza, they refuse to report anything. Even the non-Iranian media present here today are from Arab countries, Turkey, and Russia; no Western media has shown up to cover this event,” he emphasized.

“Last week, UNICEF announced that every 20 minutes, a child in Gaza is martyred due to malnutrition or bombardment. In Western media, even the mention of the word Holocaust is forbidden. The term Holocide is a coined word, combining Holocaust and Genocide,” he noted.

Tabatabaei, who is a well-known cartoonist, went on to review the history of the Holocaust and the perspective of hegemonic systems in Western media, saying: “Despite the conditions imposed by Western media, we’ve received strong support and solidarity from artists around the world in the Holocide event”.

“More than 1,500 works from 61 countries were submitted, some of which will be unveiled today at the Art Bureau,” he stated.

The secretary further elaborated on the exhibition and said, “We’ve also arranged for urban advertising spaces in subway stations, but the main exhibition will be online, using platforms such as the Iran Cartoon website.”

Later in the press conference, Mehmet Eray Ozbek, a prominent cartoonist from Turkey, expressed: “I am very happy to have been invited to this event, but I am also deeply saddened by the main subject, Palestine.”

“In world history, no genocide has been as widely discussed as the genocide in Gaza. As an artist, all I could do was create a few artworks, and I’m saddened by that limitation,” he continued.

Describing his piece for this year’s event, he said: “In my cartoon, I aimed to highlight the fact that although people across the globe protested against the crimes of the Zionist regime in Gaza, governments around the world remained silent, and that’s deeply disappointing.”

“I congratulate the Iranian people, whose government stands united and resolute in its opposition to the crimes committed against Palestine. I express my love and affection to you,” he concluded.

In another part of the event, Iván Ernesto Lira Gomez, a renowned graphic, cartoon, and caricature artist from Venezuela, gave a speech and said, “I came here on behalf of the government and people of Venezuela. Art is an instrument that allows for resistance. Wars are not confined to geography; they also exist in virtual spaces. Those in power can distort reality. Through media manipulation, the hegemonic powers portray aggressors as victims and victims as aggressors”.

“In reality, freedom is aligned with art, and visual arts advance that freedom. Art is a constructive process toward liberation and can expose unspoken genocides and human rights violations,” he added.

“Today, the greatest genocide is being committed against the Palestinian people. Culture and art aim to eradicate colonialism and imperialism,” the artist noted.

At least 55,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip since October 2023, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

“Many victims are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

SS/SAB