Stories from Quick Reads and Eastern & Central Europe
Name calling, nukes, and Interpol: The latest on Azerbaijan-Russia tensions
Three days after Delyagin's remarks on Russia's television channel, the prosecutor's office in Baku filed a criminal lawsuit against him and asked Interpol to issue a search warrant.
Has Turkey dodged its sunflower oil crisis?
In recent months, Turkey has been rocked by a handful of crises - financial, political, environmental, diplomatic but now it is grappling with a new one - the sunflower oil shortage.
Do we live in a news bubble of our own making?
We are able to follow news in multiple languages and make conclusions, choose what we share and what we label as misinformation.
Georgians rally in support of Ukraine as MPs scramble for response
Thousands of people have taken to the streets of the Georgian capital Tbilisi to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russian peacekeepers promise to oversee return of all Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan
While both parties pledged to return all prisoners as part of the ceasefire signed on November 9, 2020, the number of Armenian POWs still in Azerbaijan remains unknown.
Ukraine marks anniversary of Euromaidan protest on Day of Dignity and Freedom
Global Voices covered the Revolution of Dignity extensively in 2013 and 2014, featuring the multitude of citizen voices as captured by our volunteer authors.
Belarusian authorities rule to liquidate domestic violence shelter
The liquidation of Radislava is part of an ongoing crackdown on NGOs, independent media, and activists in Belarus that intensified this summer following a year of protests against fraudulent elections.
Belarus court labels independent media outlets Tut.by, Zerkalo.io as ‘extremist’
The ruling applies to every single piece of content on the Tut.by and Zerkalo.io websites, as well as to all content posted on their social media channels.
Unlivable Conditions in Macedonian Student Dorms Worsen
The Student Plenum, a grassroots movement fighting for the rights of university students in Macedonia, published new photos of the unlivable conditions that students in Macedonia's capital of Skopje live in. The movement has steadily been following the situation in the state-owned student dorms and has called on the state...
HRW Research Finds Media Freedom in Western Balkans Under Serious Threat
After almost a year of research in the region and in-depth interviews with over 80 journalists, editors, and independent media owners, Human Rights Watch released a report in July 2015 stating that media freedom in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Serbia are under threat. The report's findings include impunity and lack...
Serbian Intelligence Agency Caught Inquiring to Purchase Surveillance Software
Serbian NGO SHARE Defense reported in July 2015 that leaked emails and files belonging to Milan-based software company Hacking Team (HT) published on Wikileaks reveal that at least one Serbian security service inquired about and negotiated the purchase of surveillance software from this company in 2012. There is also evidence...
Serbian Authorities Take Control of A Man's Facebook Account Following Alleged Threats Against PM Vucic
Police in Serbia seemed to have overstepped boundaries in search and seizure proceedings, taking over a personal Facebook account without a court order.
Hungarian PM: Immigration Crisis Should be Solved by Building Wall along the Border with Serbia
While the European immigration crisis is not showing any signs of dying down, the EU has been taking some much needed measures related to saving the lives of the people who are trying to enter Europe trough the Mediterranean. Aside from the Mediterranean Sea, migrants have also been fleeing their home...
Macedonian Activist Ends Hunger Strike for Migrant Rights
On Saturday, June 20, human rights expert and activist Suad Missini ended the hunger strike he started six days prior in protest of inhumane treatment of migrants passing through Macedonia. Mr. Missini issued the following statement [links added]: While the effects of the changes of the Asylum Law are yet to...
Human Rights Activist Begins Hunger Strike for Migrants in Front of Macedonian Parliament
The growing migration crisis has recently also affected countries in southeastern Europe, with new issues arising almost daily. Reacting to the inhumane treatment of migrants who pass through Republic of Macedonia, renowned human rights activist Suad Missini started a hunger strike in front of the Parliament building in Skopje. He began...
LGBT Pride Parade in Dalmatia Smaller but Without Incidents
The fifth Split Pride parade was held on June 6, 2015, with around 200 members of the LGBT community walking through Split, Croatia. No incidents or violence happened during the manifestation. The Split Pride parade has been held since 2010 and in previous years saw more than 500 participants joined in...
Pro-Russian Videos Get Fake Views With Help From Malware
A group of unknown hackers have been infecting Internet users' computers with malware, using them to inflate views on a handful of pro-Russian videos.
Bulgaria's First Crowdfunding Journalism Project
Bulgaria, a member of the European Union, has a big problem with freedom of the media. The Balkan country is ranked 106 out of 180 countries in the 2015 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders. Against this unpleasant background, a new media project was established with the ambitious task...
Municipal Referendum to Preserve Skopje Shopping Centre Scheduled
The local council of the Municipality of Centar, part of the Skopje downtown area, approved a proposal to hold a referendum to preserve the authentic look of the iconic Skopje Shopping Center. As Meta.mk reports, the referendum will take place on April 26. For the referendum to be successful, it needs a...
Documenting the Systematic Decline of Women's Rights in Macedonia
Although southeast European countries are progressive in many other ways, the decline of women's reproductive rights in some Western Balkan countries has been a worrying trend. In Macedonia, several small protests have been held in recent years to demonstrate people's opposition to government involvement in determining public sentiment on issues...
Macedonian Journalist Describes How It Feels to Be Subject of State Surveillance
Prominent investigative journalist Meri Jordanovska wrote a testimony about her experience on receiving evidence that she was one of allegedly twenty thousand individuals who have been subjected to state surveillance in Macedonia. In an op-ed on Balkan Insight, Jordanovska explains: Each report on one of my wiretapped conversations was true:...
