Stories about Eastern & Central Europe
24 August 2018
Russian social media giant evades hard questions about privacy failures
One user challenged Vkontakte: "How many times have you challenged the security services in court over their demands to hand over user information? You have that right."
13 August 2018
Romania's paediatrician shortage crisis signals red flags about its healthcare system
Several hospitals in towns outside the capital Bucharest operate with only one pediatrician on duty. When they take a vacation, the unit has to shut down.
9 August 2018
Russians are facing criminal prosecution for sharing memes online, thanks to anti-extremism laws
Repressive laws and cumbersome bureaucracy are putting hundreds of Russians behind bars for sharing memes online.
2 August 2018
Montenegro disagrees with Trump that they are a threat to world peace
Nobody except Trump can imagine that Montenegro would start a war with Russia, even though there were many old Yugoslav jokes about Montenegro starting a war with China.
27 July 2018
Netizen Report: Russia and Sudan join the ranks of countries looking to outlaw ‘fake news’
On the heels of recent legislation in Malaysia, Philippines, Brazil and France, the latest draft laws on “fake news” come from Sudan and Russia.
One of Europe's last primeval forests crumbles in the hands of the Polish government
Watchdog environmental organizations say at least 160,000-180,000 trees were felled since 2016, after the Polish government tripled the amount of wood to be harvested from Białowieża.
25 July 2018
Attack by municipal guards signals rising threats against journalists in Ukraine
Municipal Guards for the city of Odessa attacked a group of journalists with teargas and rubber batons.
18 July 2018
What will it take to #savetheinternet in Europe? The view from Romania
Copyright proposals being pushed by European governance bodies must take into account the nature and potential uses of networked digital technology.
16 July 2018
Are the people from the former Yugoslavia pleased with Croatia's success in the World Cup? Yes.
Croatia's success in the 2018 World Cup inspired numerous fans from all across the Balkans -- defying the historic ethnic-hatred between neighboring nations.
World Cup out, pension reform protests in: Russia's economic woes take the front seat again
"Football is just a ball, a game. Pensions and taxes are our life. While you're playing with the ball, the thief is emptying your pockets… Keep playing the ball."
11 July 2018
What's happened to digital rights over the past seven years? 300 editions of the Netizen Report will tell you
This week, we're looking back at seven years of covering global digital rights news in celebration of our 300th edition!
10 July 2018
What were Global Voices’ readers up to last week?
During the week of July 2-8, 2018, our stories and translations attracted readers from 203 countries. Number 19 on the list? Madagascar. And number 114? Timor-Leste.
5 July 2018
Wrongly labeled as ‘foreign agents’, Russian environmentalists face regulatory punishment — and violent threats
Instead of recognition as patriots striving to protect the nature of their homeland, Russian environmentalists get labelled as “foreign agents” by the state, experience pressure, and suffer physical attacks.
4 July 2018
What were Global Voices’ readers up to last week?
During the week of June 25-July 1, 2018, our stories and translations attracted readers from 197 countries. Number 19 on the list? Angola. And number 185? Seychelles.
The threat of a restrictive NGO law looms over Slovakia
"Mr. Fico and Mr. Pellegrini. The main motivation of our protests is Jano and Martina. If you disrespect it with conspiracy theories, you are laughing at the motivation"
30 June 2018
The dark side of World Cup fun in Russia: Online mobs are bullying women getting ‘too friendly’ with foreigners
The World Cup euphoria will fade in a few weeks, but hard questions about women's rights in Russia are still lingering, it seems.
28 June 2018
Central European University remains in ‘legal limbo’ under Hungary's new higher education amendment
Central European University (CEU) announced that it will remain open in Budapest for the next academic year amidst a legal battle and debate over its destiny with the Hungarian government.
27 June 2018
With new anti-migration laws, the space for civil society in Hungary continues to shrink
"Hungary's gov targets NGOs...because Hungary is small and these happen to also be the only NGOs working on civil rights of Hungarian citizens: looking into police abuses, representing protesters..."
What were Global Voices’ readers up to last week?
During the week of June 18-24, 2018, our stories and translations attracted readers from 201 countries. Number 2 on the list? Iraq. And number 15? Jordan.
26 June 2018
During the World Cup, Mexico gets in trouble when their fans’ chants are called ‘foul’
"In addition to being considered a homophobic scream, the “EEEEEH P…” could cause serious problems for the Mexican National Team" according to FIFA rules.
About our Eastern & Central Europe coverage
Filip Stojanovski is the Eastern & Central Europe editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.
