Human rights

Nagorno Karabakh: school, victim of war

27/04/2021 -  Armine Avetysian

The outbreak of the war in Nagorno Karabakh caused 100,000 displaced persons and 30,000 schoolchildren and students could no longer attend their schools

The caravan for freedom of movement

16/04/2021 -  Chiara Milan

In Trieste, a civil society initiative focuses on the themes of hospitality, transnational solidarity, and the need to build "the anti-border"

The Uyghur question between Ankara and Beijing

12/04/2021 -  Filippo Cicciù Istanbul

Relations between Turkey and China are growing strong, as confirmed by the recent visit to Ankara by the Chinese Foreign Minister. Relations, however, are complicated by the unresolved question of the Turkish-speaking Uyghurs repressed by Beijing

Serbia: the criminalisation of civil society

26/03/2021 -  Vukašin Obradović Belgrade

An attempt is underway in Serbia to discredit civil society. Serious and heavy attacks against some Serbian non-governmental organisations came from the parliament benches, in particular from Aleksandar Martinovic, leader of the Serbian Progressive Party

Clara Guibourg: COVID-19 death toll in European regions

17/03/2021

Clara Guibourg, ​data journalist at ​Journalism++/Newsworthy, ​contributed ​to EDJNet’s ​coverage of COVID-19 with an investigation on excess deaths in Europe . In this video, she presents ​how she approached the subject ​starting from summer 2020, including the type and limits of the various sources. She also points at ​some of the most interesting findings of their work​, which was notable both for its scope (most of Europe was covered) and for its scale (data on excess deaths refers to regions).​

The gender gap in EU parliaments

11/03/2021 -  Openpolis

While the proportion of women in the legislative bodies of the member states of the European Union has grown over the years, access to key positions of political influence is still limited — in some member states more than in others.

Ángela Bernardo: Mental Health and Covid 19

09/03/2021

Ángela Bernardo, ​data journalist at Civio, ​coordinated EDJNet’s large investigation on access to mental health care in Europe. In this video, she presents how her team approached the subject and what were some of the most interesting findings of their work. Mental health care, including both psy​​chological and psychiatric care, is critical to the wellbeing of plenty of people, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic – yet access to treatment is not always easy, especially in the public sector.

Armenia and Azerbaijan: women peacebuilders on the post-conflict scenario

08/03/2021 -  Claudia Ditel

Women are not only victims of conflict, but also of gender discrimination, exacerbated by war. We talked about it with peace activists from Armenia and Azerbaijan

The migrant pay gap

02/03/2021 -  Roberta Bertoldi

The latest ILO report shows that migrant workers have more precarious contracts and earn 13 percent less on average than domestic workers, for equal work. This gap is widening, and is particularly stark for female migrants

MEPs, migrants, and the Croatian police: tensions at the Croatian-Bosnian border

03/02/2021 -  Giovanni Vale Zagreb

On Saturday 30 January, on the border between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Croatian police blocked a group of Italian MEPs – an event that highlights how explosive the situation is and how much the solution can only be a European one

Armenia: domestic violence and the pandemic, houses are a prison

28/01/2021 -  Armine Avetysian

Armenia is unfortunately no exception - as in many other countries in the world, the lockdown has led to an increase in cases of domestic violence. Anna's story

Migrants and refugees’ health in the wake of Covid-19

25/01/2021 -  Emanuela Barbiroglio

With COVID-19 in the spotlight, refugees and undocumented migrants disappeared from public attention. Precisely what swept these communities away from the agenda, however, disproportionately affected them. An analysis by Emanuela Barbiroglio, making use of a survey by the World Health Organisation

A historic verdict: Italy's pushbacks to Slovenia are illegal

26/01/2021 -  Nicole Corritore

The application of the readmission agreement between Italy and Slovenia is illegitimate. This was confirmed by the Court of Rome, that accepted the appeal of a Pakistani citizen who had arrived in Trieste via the Balkan route and was then pushed back to Slovenia and then Bosnia and Herzegovina

Serbia: denouncing sexual violence, a matter of courage

21/01/2021 -  Antonela Riha Belgrade

With great courage and determination, Serbian actress Milena Radulović publicly denounced being raped as a child by her then acting teacher Miroslav Mika Aleksić. Her gesture encouraged more testimonies and Aleksić is now under investigation

Kosovo: infant-toddler centres and preschools are not yet a priority

07/01/2021 -  Arta Berisha

Not all municipalities in Kosovo have their own infant-toddler centre, and the public resources invested in the sector are minimal. Yet, at the Faculty of Education in Prishtina, efforts are being made to train teachers who put the needs of children first. An interview

Exclusion by Public Discourse: Media representations of Syrian Refugees in Turkey

28/12/2020 -  Fazıla Mat

There are two main discourses about Syrian refugees in Turkey's media: they are depicted either as "guests to help" - thus implicating moral superiority over Europe - or as a "threat", highlighting their otherness from the country's socio-cultural identity. Either way, disinformation is everywhere

North Macedonia: census yes, census no

23/12/2020 -  Aleksandar Samardjiev Tetovo

2021 for North Macedonia should be the year of the new general census, after the failure of 2011. However, many issues remain unresolved: the inclusion of emigrants and the delicate topic of ethnic balance are of particular concern

Online ads know you well

09/12/2020 -  Federico Caruso

Online advertising is based on the collection and sharing of user data, a system which rests mostly in a few powerful hands, including Google. Privacy and data protection are at issue, and Europe is debating what action should be taken

COVID-19 has paralysed mental health care in Europe

03/12/2020 -  Ángela Bernardo María Álvarez del Vayo Carmen Torrecillas

Mental health resources in the European Union were scarce even before the pandemic. COVID-19 has caused a tsunami in mental health, from Spain to Romania, and access to care is more difficult today. An investigation by EDJNet, coming out on many European news outlets

UN experts: Bosnia must investigate attacks against woman aiding migrants

11/11/2020

Recently, on 5 November, UN human rights experts called on the Bosnian government to investigate a smear campaign and death threats against a woman human rights defender working for the rights of refugees and migrants

Azerbaijan: the Yagublu affair

14/09/2020 -  Arzu Geybullayeva

Longtime political activist and member of Azerbaijan's oldest political party, Musavat, Tofig Yagublu has always been in the sights of the authorities. He was arrested at least 35 times and recently received his fourth sentence. Now he has decided to go on a hunger strike

Disinformation and anonymous portals in Bosnia

02/09/2020 -  Aleksandar Brezar

In Bosnia and Herzegovina there are thousands of anonymous portals that pollute the web with disinformation. It is difficult to find solutions, except for media literacy. A comment

Ukraine: life in a minefield

01/09/2020 -  Claudia Bettiol Kiev

In Donbas, along the line of contact between the Ukrainian army and the separatists, there are hectares of mined territory. Securing it – once the conflict is over – will take more than half a century. A tragedy within a tragedy

‘This is no life’: The disillusionment of Azerbaijani migrants in Poland

11/08/2020 -  OC Media

Long hours, unsavoury jobs, low wages, and almost no institutional protections — life in Poland for Azerbaijani workers is far from the European dream

Moral accountability and implicated subjects from Yugoslavia to Trump

06/08/2020 -  Jelena Subotić

War crimes, racism, xenophobia, political violence. Who is to blame for what happened in the former Yugoslavia or for what is happening in Trump's America today? What is the responsibility of individuals? What is the responsibility of states? What is the responsibility of societies? What is our responsibility? An analysis

Surrogate motherhood and exploitation in Ukraine

30/07/2020 -  Claudia Bettiol Kiev

Ukraine is one of the few countries where surrogate motherhood is legal and commercial. Private agencies and clinics offer these services, fuelling the so-called "rent-a-womb tourism". Many Ukrainian women do it for money, but at what price?

Donbas: the miners' protest

06/07/2020 -  Claudia BettiolMartina Napolitano

In Donbas, miners went on strike for unpaid wages. Local authorities responded with repression: isolation of strikers, telephone lines cut, arrests and fines. Meanwhile, the conflict continues, albeit in international silence

Croatia, police abuse is systemic

22/06/2020 -  Giovanni Vale Zagreb

While the world is outraged and protests after George Floyd's death to denounce institutionalised violence, migrants have been beaten and tortured on the Balkan route for years. A brutal practice often covered up, even by the EU itself

Turkey: an open call to release the Kurdish journalist Nedim Türfent

16/06/2020

Together with more than 40 ngos, we call to the Turkish authorities to free Kurdish journalist Nedim Türfent, who is in jail since May 2016 for false allegations of "terrorism": his only fault was to report on Kurdish issues and on the abuses of Turkish special forces. After almost 1500 days of detention, we invite everybody to sign this call

Lgbt in Albania, goodbye conversion therapy

24/06/2020 -  Christian Elia

Albania's Order of Psychologists has decided to ban so-called "conversion therapy", i.e. the attempt to change a person's sexual orientation. However, much remains to be done in Albania on LGBT issues