Mana Neyestani

Can a cartoon cause riots? It seems unbelievable but for Mana Neyestani it's true. One of his cartoons sparked riots, shuttered the newspaper Neyestani worked for, and landed the cartoonist and his editor in solitary confinement inside of Iran's notorious prison system. Neyestani's story, which can only be described as Kafkaesque, is vividly brought to life in An Iranian Metamorphosis. Mana Neyestani (b. 1973 in Tehran) is an Iranian cartoonist and illustrator for economic, intellectual, political, cultural, and professional magazines. He is particularly known for his work for the newspaper Zan and Persian language Radio Zamaneh. He is the recipient of the 2010 Cartoonists Rights Network International Courage Award in editorial cartooning.