Updated: Producers taking 'Stitching' ban decision to European Court of Human Rights

The producers of the play Stitching are taking the case to the European Court of Human Rights after they lost their appeal from a court judgment which had upheld a decision by the Stage and Film Classification Board to ban the production. The ban had caused uproar, sparking months of discussion. The play's producers, Unifaun, had claimed their freedom of expression was being denied but the court disagreed. However, Maltese law has been changed since the case was instituted and the producers have promised to stage the play about a troubled young couple. The civil court had declared that blasphemy and vulgar language should not be tolerated in public, not even in plays. The controversial play, written by Scottish playwright Anthony Neilson, has been performed in several countries, often to critical acclaim. In a statement this afternoon, Unifaun Theatre said it was very disappointed, although, judging by the previous verdict, not totally surprised. “We believe that the judgement is severely flawed on several grounds. Worse yet it creates a dangerous precedent which creates a sword of Damocles over every artist's head. “We believe that the court has not made the case that the play is...