News and updates from BCSDN and the region
Following the protest series occurring all over Serbia in December 2021 and Civic Initiatives’ announcement of a fundraising campaign for covering the fines of the citizens charged with misdemeanors, solidarity among community members of the community has proven to be very solid. At this point, Civic Initiates has received enough funding to cover the charges
Read more →A panel discussion titled “Unleashing the potential for change through civic movements and initiatives – What can the latest developments in Serbia tell us” organized by European Fund for the Balkans took place last week in Belgrade. According to the BiEPAG`s brief about civic movements and initiatives in the region, presented on this occasion, local
Read more →New research published by the International Centre for Not-for-profit Law explores the challenges for the non-profit sector, which has also been recognized by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a key global standard setter on AML/CFT issues. The research aims to better understand the driving forces of de-risking. It documents practices in relation to how
Read more →With the raise of the authoritarian regimes and their influences, the smear campaign against CSOs is also marking a raise. Having that and mind, and being guided by the idea of giving a practical mechanism for handling such narratives, Liberties has published a guide for progressive CSOs facing smear campaigns. This guide is meant to
Read more →The use of facial recognition technology in public spaces interferes with several fundamental rights, including the right to protest. But how does such technology work and what are the human rights standards in this field? What risks are commonly associated with FRT? What do the international human rights standards protecting assemblies say about FRT? ECNL
Read more →Nearly 800 cases of digital rights violations in eight countries of south-eastern Europe were recorded by BIRN and SHARE Foundation in the latest Annual Digital Rights Report 2021. Hate speech continues to thrive, journalists and vulnerable groups are systematically targeted in the online realm, and the presence of fake news does not decline. Similarly, political
Read more →The monitoring report for the Media Freedom Rapid Response has focused on summarising press and media freedom violations across EU Member States and Candidate Countries. From January until June 2021, 272 alerts have been documented, ranging from verbal attacks to legal incidents. 438 individuals or media entities in 26 countries have been subject to one
Read more →The Thomson Reuters Foundation has partnered with UNESCO, the International Women’s Media Foundation, and the International News Safety Institute to develop practical and legal tools for journalists, media managers and newsrooms to counter harassment. The Practical Guide for Women Journalists on How to Respond to Online Harassment and Checklist and Guidelines on Gender-Sensitive Safety Policies for Newsrooms address the
Read more →Safe and effective whistleblowing protects everyone involved with aid: the people affected by crises, aid workers and the organisation itself. By identifying problems or harm, organisations can ensure that misconduct or wrongdoing is acted upon. This resource has been created by CHS Alliance to provide practical guidance and a policy framework for CHS Alliance members
Read more →Anti-government protests, political rhetoric, and institutional instability appeared to be the main causes of digital rights violations in Southeast Europe over the past fortnight. An article published by the Balkan insight does a thorough overview of the anti-government protests in Serbia, the political tensions in the digital environment in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the rise of
Read more →Following the protest series occurring all over Serbia`s major towns and smaller cities over the last two months, and keeping track of all the pressure mechanisms practiced by the state, Civic Initiates has publicly expressed their solidarity with the oppressed citizens. In their statement, they note that so far they are aware of 146 misdemeanor
Read more →The ECF, a pan-European network of CSOs, has published its report on the Rule of Law in the EU. The report notes the importance of vibrant civil society space as the foundation of a strong and well-functioning rule of law. Recommendations from the report note the urgency for the European Commission to develop a civil
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