Human rights

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”

Hate speech: what it is and how to contrast it

01/02/2018 -  Marzia BonaIrene DioliLorenzo FerrariFazıla MatNicola PedrazziRossella Vignola Valentina Vivona

As hate speech is being debated more and more both online and offline, we decided to devote a special dossier to it, building on the materials of the Resource Centre on Press and Media Freedom in Europe.

Is democracy deteriorating in Europe?

17/01/2018

Freedom has been decreasing in several European countries over the last decade, according to the new Freedom House report.

Turkey, the price of neoliberalism

12/01/2018 -  Francesco Brusa

Tax-free zones where workers are denied trade union protection, authoritarian trends, experiences of resistance that emerge in the suburbs of large cities. Turkish development in an interview with researcher Luca Manunza

Turkey: the number of asylum requests has tripled over the last two years

18/12/2017 -  Fazıla Mat

Following the attempted coup d'état, the number of asylum requests from Turkish citizens for countries in the EU, Germany in particular, continues to rise

Femicide: the numbers in Europe

28/11/2017 -  Alberto BurbaMarzia Bona

Regardless of the law, cases of femicide still fill the news in Europe: this worrying subject continues to arouse the interest of the media and international institutions, including in South East Europe

Albania-Greece: minority properties

07/12/2017 -  Gjergji Kajana

The new urban plan of the little coastal city of Himara is heating up bilateral relations between Albania and Greece. Ethnic minorities and property speculation in this analysis by Gjergji Kajana

Wikipedia edit-a-thon in Sofia to support media freedom and democratic commons

14/11/2017 -  Rossella Vignola

The second edition of the Wiki4MediaFreedom edit-a-thon will take place in Sofia on November 27th. It will boost the availability of accurate knowledge on media freedom and pluralism in the largest open encyclopedia worldwide

The struggle of Kurdish women in Turkey, between journalism and jineology

16/11/2017 -  Francesco Brusa

"We have always valued hope over victory. Now, however, we are winning some of our battles". An interview with Ceren Karlıdaĝ, journalist, feminist, among the protagonists of the magazine Sujin Gazete.

Kosovo: the first ever Pride Parade

06/11/2017 -  Veton Kasapolli Pristina

In October, for the first time, a Pride Parade has been held in Pristina. Nevertheless the fight against sex discrimination in the country is still long

Whistleblowers: looking for European protection

25/10/2017 - 

The second of a series of three thematic itineraries to explore the Resource Centre on Media Freedom through a curated aggregation of contents

Muižnieks asks for details on the LGBT situation in Azerbaijan

17/10/2017 -  Nils Muižnieks

LGBT community members in Azerbaijan have been subjected to arbitrary arrests in the last weeks. The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, Nils Muižnieks, has addressed the matter

Armenia, a campaign to end violence against children

24/10/2017 -  Ani Chitemyan

NGOs in the country have launched a five-year campaign to counter violence against children, which is widespread