Republika Srpska, the criminalisation of defamation and the squeeze on media freedom - Article

The parliament of Republika Srpska approved in the first instance a bill to amend the criminal code which reintroduces the crime of defamation. Now sixty days of public debate and then back to the assembly. A dangerous step backwards for freedom of expression 

By Arman Fazlić

Originally published by OBCT, also available in ITA and BHS

Against SLAPPs, the first European conference - Article

The first European conference for the fight against SLAPPs, also known as gag or reckless complaints, was held in Strasbourg on 20 October, organised by the European Center for Press and Media Freedom and the Coalition against SLAPP in Europe. The report of the event

by Sielke Kelner

Social Media 4 Peace - Monitoring tool

The overall objective of this UNESCO project is to strengthen the resilience of societies to potentially harmful content spread online, in particular hate speech inciting violence while protecting freedom of expression and enhancing the promotion of peace through digital technologies, notably social media

Mapping Fake News and Disinformation in the Western Balkans and Identifying Ways to Effectively Counter Them - Reports

A study requested by the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs, concluding that the European Union should focus on the role that it can play in bolstering the quality of democracy and governance in the Western Balkans, as the most powerful potential bulwark against disinformation

PANDEMIC FOR DIGITAL RIGHTS. Central and Southeast Europe - Reports

The digital rights monitoring that SHARE Foundation has been running since 2014 expanded and included the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) to keep track of incidents in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Romania. This monitoring report covers the period from 31 January to 30 September 2020

Turkey must end the harassment of journalist Can Dündar and lift the block of his online radio - Article

We join PEN International and other 37 civil society organisations in deploring the decision to block Özgürüz, the online radio station headed by Can Dündar, a Turkish journalist living in exile in Germany, whom OBCT interviewed during a festival in Italy. Here the text of the call

Internet Freedoms in the Western Balkan Region - Reports

Developed in cooperation with the SHARE Foundation, the report presents in-depth research on the state of internet freedoms in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Albania. It provides a comparative overview of specific indicators – according to the European Convention on Human Rights – and develops a set of recommendations for governments of these countries to improve the state of citizens’ freedoms online

Human Rights Defenders in the Western Balkans. Intimidation instead of Recognition - Reports

This landmark report by Civil Rights Defenders explores how human rights defenders face intimidation instead of recognition in the six Western Balkan states

Online Abuse Now Commonplace for Balkan Women Reporters - Reports

Reflecting the global trend, female journalists in the Balkans are more often attacked online than their male colleagues: an investigation with dozens of interviews and comments and an open platform to collect stories of attacks, harassment and threats, reports of a worrying picture where women are also left alone facing intimidation and its psychological impact

Media in the Western Balkans: who controls the past controls the future - Academic Sources

Media are essential to democracy, acting as watchdog to power and providing citizens with information for informed decision-making. Yet, media freedom is increasingly compromised in the Western Balkans, undermining democratic principles