News and updates from BCSDN and the region
On 16 August, rival protests occurred in Sofia after Bulgarian President Radev endorsed a legislative amendment banning LGBTQ+ “propaganda” and “gender ideology” in schools, backed by the far-right pro-Moscow Revival party. Despite appeals from over 6,000 people and 70 organizations to veto the law, President Radev signed it, intensifying Bulgaria’s political divide. Approximately 2,000 people
Read more →An MCIC analysis reveals that Macedonian municipalities allocated 290.6 million MKD (about 4.7 million EUR) to CSOs, with a significant portion directed toward sports associations. The Southeastern region of the country led with 42 million MKD, primarily supporting sports and cultural activities, followed by the Eastern, Northeastern, and Vardar regions. Despite its larger population, the
Read more →International and Turkish media and rights organizations have called on Turkey to cease its harassment of journalists following a court’s decision to uphold a 20-month prison sentence for journalist Bulent Mumay. The joint letter condemned the verdict as a severe attack on press freedom, emphasizing that the charges against Mumay, which include “illegally obtaining or
Read more →The protests, organized by the Association of Environmental Organizations of Serbia, and other initiatives, opposing the Rio Tinto lithium project in Jadar, continued nationwide, with activists’ warnings about significant environmental risks. On 10 August, a major protest in Belgrade resulted in the arrest of three activists who were charged with “disturbing public order” after blocking
Read more →A year after the live-streamed femicide of Nizama Hecimovic, BiH has made no significant legislative changes to address domestic violence or femicide. Despite some improvements in court protection for victims, activists criticize the state’s inaction, highlighting a lack of official data on femicides and ongoing violence. In response to Hecimovic’s killing, protests were held in
Read more →On 7 August, the Bulgarian Parliament passed a controversial amendment to ban LGBT “propaganda” in schools, proposed by the pro-Russian Revival (Vazrazhdane) party. The law prohibits any promotion or discussion of nontraditional sexual orientations and gender identities in the educational system. The amendment passed with a majority vote, while a separate text defining “nontraditional sexual
Read more →A recent surge in online censorship in Türkiye has seen over 200,000 items blocked by courts in 2023, marking a six-fold increase from the previous year. The Free Web Türkiye platform accuses President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s administration of using censorship to obscure governmental misconduct and corruption, with nearly 198,000 domains, 14,680 news articles, and thousands
Read more →In June 2024, online hate speech surged around LGBT Pride events and Euro 2024 football matches. The Istanbul Pride march, held amid a police blockade, saw widespread abuse online, including calls for violence against LGBTQ+ individuals. Similar online hostility was noted across Southeast and Central Europe, with Pride events in Zagreb, Tirana, and Sarajevo receiving
Read more →An international fact-finding mission will assess press freedom and journalist safety in Croatia from 9-20 September. Organized by Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners, including ARTICLE 19 Europe and the European Federation of Journalists, the mission will examine recent attacks on journalists, challenges with media ownership transparency, and legal threats, including SLAPPs. This follows after
Read more →BCSDN member, the Macedonian Center for International Cooperation (MCIC) released a report on Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) in North Macedonia, revealing an alarming increase in such cases aimed at intimidating journalists and activists. The report provides SLAPP cases, where powerful entities use different tactics to silence critics. It highlights insufficient legal protections against
Read more →Intimidatory lawsuits aimed at silencing journalists and media freedom activists by draining their resources have proliferated in Serbia, where there is no legislation to curb aggressive litigation by the rich and powerful. The Slavko Curuvija Foundation received a defamation lawsuit from Ratko Romic, a former state security operative indicted for his involvement in the murder
Read more →The EU and Serbia have advanced a controversial lithium mining project with the signing of a memorandum in Belgrade. This agreement, supported by the multinational corporation Rio Tinto, aims to reduce Europe’s dependence on Chinese lithium for electric vehicle batteries. The deal reflects the EU’s strategy to secure critical raw materials and enhance Europe’s green
Read more →