A/HRC/23/34 corporate activities, or to protect a specific logo or brand. 27 Sponsors have also played a direct role in having artwork considered too controversial or not fitting their own interests to be removed from artistic competitions, television shows or magazines. 52. The aesthetic censorship of art,28 when artists are not free to choose their preferred style or to borrow from others, is a field which is often overlooked. Specific styles of music or visual arts are deemed to be political, and/or considered to carry a foreign ideology. The claim that such styles are devoid of any artistic merit has led, for example, to the banning of, or restrictions on, abstract or conceptual art. Artistic expressions specifically concerned can include musical systems or styles such as heavy metal music (described as “satanic”) or Reggae Ton and Dance Hall (criticized as demeaning of women). D. Specific measures and practices impacting on the right to freedom of artistic expression 53. Restrictions can be imposed at various stages of the artistic creation, from the development of the idea through to production, performance, publication and distribution. Restrictions on artistic freedoms can result from oppressive laws and regulations, but can also be the outcome of a fear of physical or economic coercion. 54. The Special Rapporteur is deeply concerned that artists in many parts of the world feel threatened or have been attacked by aggressive audiences. Violence includes assassinations, death threats, beating, burning of theatres and cinemas, blowing up of DVD/CD stores, and destruction of artworks or musical instruments. Artists have been accused of, and prosecuted for, incitement to violence when, in fact, aggressive individuals, groups or crowds, sometimes with the duplicity of local or foreign State authorities, were responsible for the incitement. Reactions to controversial artwork can be expressed through the exercise of the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, but must never take the form of violence. The Special Rapporteur also regrets that in some cases, the police charged artists and cultural institutions to provide protection. 1. Laws and regulations (a) Unclear regulations 55. Restrictions on artistic freedom are often implemented through unclear regulations or directives without legal basis. In too many cases, regulations are implemented without consistency by non-transparent mechanisms with no possibility of appeal. In the area of cinema or public art in particular, artists may be required to obtain additional permits from State and non-State, as well as official and non-official authorities, “giving influential parties and individuals the power to interfere and restrict freedom of expression”.29 Difficulties multiply when overlapping laws and regulations are used to prevent public access to artworks. 56. The Special Rapporteur recalls that laws imposing restrictions “must be formulated with sufficient precision to enable an individual to regulate his/her conduct accordingly and 27 28 29 12 Nadia Plesner vs. Louis Vuitton, Case number 389526/KG ZA 11-284, Court of The Hague, 4 May 2011, http://www.nadiaplesner.com/simple-living--darfurnica1; and Mattel v. MCA Records, 296 F.3d 894, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 2002. Si Han, “The invisible red line – manoeuvring Chinese art censorship”, Background article related to the Oslo Conference, p. 4. Censorship in Lebanon: law and practice .A Collaborative Study by Nizar Saghieh,Rana Saghieh and Nayla Geagea,