Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from January, 2011
Russia: Anti-Corruption Blogger's Gmail Hacked
Alexey Navalny, one of the Russia's most influential anti-corruption bloggers, twitted [RUS] that his Gmail account has been recently hacked. This happened after Navalny accused [RUS] one of the Russian ministries in corruption. Gmail, however, reacted fast, and within 15 minutes returned [RUS] the account to the owner.
Ukraine: State’s Grip on Media Tightens, Affects Bloggers
Tetyana Bohdanova reports on the deterioration of press freedom in Ukraine, highlighting the recent case of blogger and journalist Olena Bilozerska.
Bulgaria: Bloggers Discuss the Soviet Army Monument in Sofia
The Soviet Army Monument in Sofia was built in 1954, in honor of the victory over the Nazis in World War II. Today, this monument is the subject of dispute between left- and right-wing political groups. Recently, a group of right-wing activists started a discussion in the Bulgarian society whether the Monument should be demolished or not.
Hungary: Protest Against Media Law in Budapest
A discussion of this past Friday's rally in Budapest in protest against Hungary's new media law – at Hungarian Spectrum.
Belarus: Mobile Operators Aid Police to Trace Protesters
Boing Boing writes that, according to an “unsourced report,” “the Belarusian mobile operators have cooperated with the country's secret police to provide a list of everyone who was in the vicinity of an anti-government demonstration; the spooks are now calling in everyone on the list to interview them about their...
Russia: Financial Pyramid Founder's New Online “Project”
Profy reports that Sergei Mavrodi, who created one of the world's largest financial pyramids in the 1990s, is at it again: recently, he “[…] has decided to launch a new pyramid […] – but this time it should all take place exclusively online using electronic payment provider WebMoney that is...
Macedonia: “Napoleon Bonaparte in Skopje?!”
Razvigor :-) finds some incorrect information in Croatia Airlines’ in-flight magazine: “I got an impression that the author received a briefing from an overly enthusiastic source, someone with a burning desire to accentuate the city's importance over the centuries, with little interest for the truth.”
Macedonia: Anti-Abortion Campaign
Feministik writes about a new anti-abortion campaign launched by the Macedonian government.
Estonia: KGB Museum at Tallinn's Hotel Viru
Kerry's Eastern Europe Travel Blog on About.com writes briefly about a new museum that opened in Tallinn earlier this month: located on the top floor of Hotel Viru, it “preserves the equipment and rooms the KGB used to eavesdrop and spy on individuals for the first 20 years of the...
Russia: 7 Sites Warned By Media Regulator in 2010
Roskomnadzor, Russian regulatory body that oversees online and offline media, published annual 2010 report [RUS] on issued legal warnings to the media outlets. 7 out of 53 warnings were issued to online media outlets, most of them for ‘using mass media to implement extremist activities.’ The second legal warning received by...
Russia: Journalist Claims RuNet Has Become “Controllable”
Katya Gordon, opposition activist and a journalist, presents her view [RUS] on the state of freedom of expression in Russian Internet. Gordon accuses major search engines in ‘silencing’ hot topics, news portals in creating ‘alternative agenda’ when something important happens, and top bloggers in using black hat SEO methods.
Russia: Internet for Tatar Diaspora
Paul Goble writes about the role of the Internet in connecting dispersed Tatar communities both in Russia and abroad. “… the Tatnet is thus serving as a virtual space in which all of them can come together, something Tatars in Kazan have long dreamed of but up until now they...
Poland: Microblog Reactions to the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity
More than 800 concerts, 1,300 artists performing for free today, 120,000 volunteers, an endless amount of charity activities across the whole of Poland and so far almost $12.3 million: these are the results of the grand finale of the 19th Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity. As we slowly approach the end of the day, we are also looking at online reactions to the event.
Hungary: New Blog on Arts and Culture
A new blog called Hungarian Watch is trying to help “media outlets, journalists, and concerned citizens” to find information on the deteriorating situation in arts and culture in Hungary. They are sharing notes from Hungarian citizens who work in the media and cultural sector as well.
Hungary: International Blackout Campaign
Citizens advocating freedom of speech are also trying to keep up the volume of the international coverage by means of communication on the internet. A group called Blackout for Hungary started a campaign for 24 hours beginning on Jan. 5 against the new media law introduced on Jan. 1. Marietta Le reports.
United States: Serbian Couple Struggles to Get Children Back
A U.S.-based Serbian couple Vuk and Verica Nastic have been going through hell since June 2010, when the U.S. Child Protection Agency (CPA) took away their children, son Damjan, 8, and daughter Nastasija, 5, because of alleged negligence and sexual abuse.
Russia: Ushahidi Project Adresses Problems of Russian Winter
“Help Map for Russian Winter” (Holoda.info), a new crowdsourcing project, was launched in Russia to address the problems of people who are affected by cold weather. RIA Novosti news agency reports [RUS] that the website's goal is to raise awareness about people suffering from the lack of heating and other...
Hungary: Ice-T and the New Hungarian Media Law
Marietta Le reports on an ongoing investigation of a radio station that played a song by rapper Ice-T by Hungary's National Media and Infocommunication Authority.
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