EPA/GEORG HOCHMUTH /LANDOV Miley Cyrus isn't backing down from her often eyebrow-raising onstage antics.
After a government-run group banned the 21-year-old pop star from performing a scheduled show in the capital of Santo Domingo on Sept. 13, which would have marked her first concert in the Dominican Republic, a source tells E! exclusively that Miley is taking a stand against the ban after her performance was prohibited.
We're told that a legal challenge has been filed by the tour's promotor in the Dominican Republic to remove the ban. The filing argues that an administrative decision made to ban artistic expression is in violation of the Dominican Republic constitution.
"Miley wants to defend artistic expression for all artists," the source said.
The Dominican Republic's national entertainment and radio commission (CNEPR) said in a statement on Thursday that the ban was issued because Cyrus performs "acts that go against morals and customs, which are punishable by Dominican law," local newspaper Hoy reported.
A poll commissioned by the outlet showed that 64 percent of participants agreed with the ban, while the rest opposed it, saying it violates freedom of expression.
The Santo Domingo concert was announced in June, about four months after Cyrus began her Bangerz tour, with a Dominican Republic tourism site promoting the forthcoming show as "spectacular" and "highly anticipated."
Meanwhile, the "Wrecking Ball" beauty, whose tour continues this fall in South America, Australia and New Zealand, is next scheduled to perform in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Sept. 11.