Human rights

Turkey, the plight of women refugees

18/09/2018 -  Fazıla Mat

Women make up almost half of the Syrians under temporary protection in Turkey. In addition to the difficulties arising from their condition of refugees, they often face sexual violence and patriarchal norms

Azerbaijan: white gold, black labour

28/08/2018 -  Arzu Geybullayeva

After the global decline in oil prices, Azerbaijan is trying to differentiate its economy betting on cotton industry. In Soviet times the “white gold” was one of the biggest exports of Azerbaijan, today is caracterized by huge violations of workers' rights

Pakistani Journalist Among Migrants in Bosnia: A Refugee from Oppression

27/08/2018 -  Adis Nadarević Sarajevo

The story of Muhammad Yasir, Pakistano journalist who fled from his country and who now lives in the nylon tents of the migrant camp in Velika Kladusa

Armenia: there is no workplace in the village

08/08/2018 -  Armine Avetisyan Yerevan

According to the State Employment Agency, more than 82,000 people are currently looking for jobs in Armenia. The number of unemployed in rural areas is 18.3% of the total, which increased by 26.6% compared to the same period last year

Albania: ‘If I were a boy’

03/08/2018 -  Gentiola Madhi

‘If I were a boy’ is the title of a novel by a male author published in 1936, which explores the inner world of a young girl living in Tirana, and her revolutionary thoughts on women’s emancipation and empowerment in Albania’s patriarchal society

“We must not forget Srebrenica“

11/07/2018 -  Dunja Mijatović *

To give to survivors and victims’ families of Srebrenica justice, recognition and respect we should start from education, in Bosnia Herzegovina and in the whole region. Education systems in the region must educate about the past, educate to debunk myths, educate about justice and equality for all

Croatia, refugees and responsibilities

28/06/2018 -  Francesca Rolandi

Two years after its entry into the European Union, Croatia saw the arrival of the first waves of refugees and migrants. With the change of government in 2016, the first instances of solidarity gave way to rejection and violence.

The working elderly — why in Azerbaijan ‘nobody wants to retire’

15/06/2018 -  Kamran Mahmudov

Elderly people in Azerbaijan are often seen working well beyond the age of retirement, often in hard physical jobs. The government has tried to celebrate this, claiming that no one wants to retire in Azerbaijan, but others point out that low state pensions give many no other choice

Azerbaijan, killing a republic

08/06/2018 -  Arzu Geybullayeva

In May Azerbaijan celebrated the 100th anniversary of its republic. Little is left of the democratic principles that inspired the founding fathers

Armenia: the red apple

05/06/2018 -  Armine Avetisyan Yerevan

In Armenia, the red apple, besides being a fruit, is also a symbol. It symbolizes the Armenian girl's virginity. In traditional Armenia an opinion is accepted that the girl has no right to have sexual relations with anybody before the marriage

Reform of the Dublin Regulation – Towards another wasted opportunity?

21/05/2018 -  Francesca Spinelli

Prolonged discussions and disagreements between governments threaten the necessary reform of European rules on the right of asylum

LGBT rights in the Balkans: what is still missing

17/05/2018

The last annual review of ILGA-Europe, the European LGBT umbrella organization, praises most Balkan countries for the laws that they have introduced – but implementation is still poor and further steps are needed

Suicides in prison are less frequent in the Balkans than in the rest of Europe

16/05/2018

The suicide rate in the prisons of South-East Europe is low compared to the other European countries, in part because of the different composition of the prison population.

The Romanian “slaves” behind the Sicilian tomatoes

15/05/2018 -  Iulia Badea Guéritée

Hundreds of migrant women moved from Romania to Sicily in order to work, but they are now reduced to a sort of contemporary slaves. The issue has been brought to the European Parliament, where many politicians are urging the EU to intervene

Montenegro: journalist Olivera Lakić attacked

18/05/2018 -  Damira Kalač Podgorica

Olivera Lakić, investigative journalist from the Montenegrin newspaper Vijesti, was shot and wounded in front of her house, in the same place where she was beaten up six years ago. It's not easy to be a journalist in Montenegro

Demonstrating for David in Banja Luka

10/05/2018 -  Alfredo Sasso

The authorities of the Republika Srpska are not telling the whole truth on the suspicious death of 21-year-old David Dragičević. But there are now thousands of protesters who every day, for a month and a half, have been asking for clarity

A Wikipedia online contest on Media Freedom

03/05/2018

On the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day, which is celebrated today, OBCT launches an online contest to translate and improve articles on media freedom on Wikipedia

The future of Europe passes through the Dublin system

08/05/2018 -  Lucia Bruni

“The crisis of today’s Europe is not a ‘Schengen crisis’ but a ‘Dublin crisis’”. An interview with Gianfranco Schiavone, Italian jurist and expert on migration issues

Cumhuriyet trial: the crime is journalism

27/04/2018

OBCT signs a joint statement to call on the institutions of the Council of Europe to remind Turkey of its international obligation to respect human rights

Armenia’s Space for Liberty

24/04/2018 -  Inna Mkhitaryan

The protests of these days in Armenia against the appointment of Serzh Sargsyan as prime minister - resulted in his resignation - have as their ideal and symbolic place the Freedom Square of Yerevan. The history and the present of this square

Turkey, the resilience of the Academics for Peace

05/05/2018 -  Fazıla Mat

Hundreds of university lecturers in Turkey are on trial, have been expelled or fired for signing a declaration in favour of peace. The pressures suffered have led them to develop new forms of resistance and solidarity

Azerbaijan: the kingdom of Aliyev secures fourth season

16/04/2018 -  Arzu Geybullayeva

Nothing but a show, with dramatic results for the future of Azerbaijan. A commentary on the recent presidential elections

No laws, just shame: Sexual harassment in the South Caucasus

06/04/2018 -  Armine AvetisyanNika MusaviDato Parulava

Inappropriate comments and propositions from strangers, groping, and worse are something women in the Caucasus are often forced to contend with, and while the problems seem universal, protections under the law are also universally lacking

Roma in the Balkans: the story of Nazif

27/03/2018 -  Azra Nuhefendić

Nazif Mujić has died – a comet that arrived from obscurity to the Berlin Film Festival and disappeared into the darkest pitch. The discrimination of Roma people in Europe in this memory

Turkey, hunger strikes against power

14/03/2018 -  Dimitri Bettoni Istanbul

In Turkey, hunger strike is an instrument of political struggle often used against power up to tragic consequences. An OBCT interview with Aslı Kuzu, researcher at SOAS University in London

Defending an open and free internet

12/04/2018 -  Una Čilić Sarajevo

Recent legislation in the United States has restricted the country’s so-called “net neutrality”, allowing internet service providers to privilege customers who can afford to pay for faster data traffic. Will this decision affect net neutrality in the EU and the Balkans?

Turkey: released Ahmet Şık and Murat Sabuncu

12/03/2018 -  Fazıla Mat

Two more Cumhuriyet journalists have been released, while Akın Atalay, managing director of the major Turkish daily, remains in prison

Turkey: the map of violence against women

08/03/2018 -  Fazıla Mat

An interview with Ceyda Ulukaya, journalist and creator of the first map of femicides in Turkey – an original and appreciated data journalism project

Welcome to ‘hell’: working on a Georgian railway construction site

06/03/2018 -  Luka Pertaia

Railway construction in central Georgia is a key part of ambitious plans to modernise Georgia’s infrastructure. Despite warnings from trade unions and official inspectors, life for the workers remains a ‘living hell’

Human rights. Give them shelter

28/02/2018 -  Lucia Bruni

Human rights activists are essential to the functioning of democratic societies, but they are all too often subject to threats and arrests. To safeguard their lives and their work, the EU has adopted various instruments, one of which is the “shelter city”