Türkiye: Big tech should protect free speech and resist state censorship - Article

Ahead of Türkiye’s municipal elections on 31 March 2024, 22 rights groups and journalists’ organisations jointly call on social media platforms to uphold the free expression rights of their users and resist state censorship. They should also fully disclose all government requests to restrict accounts or content, and be transparent about informal government pressure to restrict content on their platforms.

Croatia, journalists on the streets - Article

Hundreds of journalists took to the streets in Zagreb against the Plenković government's amendments to the Criminal Code, which limit the right to report. According to the Association of Croatian Journalists, the prime minister wants to silence investigations into his government's corruption

By Giovanni Vale 

Originally published by OBCT. Also available in ITA

Trudeau against Facebook: social media, copyright, and information - Article

In protest against the new Canadian law that requires social media to pay news organisations every time a user shares a link, Facebook has blocked access to news portals, earning the condemnation of Prime Minister Trudeau. In Europe, meanwhile, new regulations are on their way on the removal of content, advertising, and disinformation

By Paola Rosà

Originally published by OBCT in ENG and ITA

Slovenia: Media freedom groups welcome court ruling on RTV SLO reform - Article

OBCT together with MFRR partners welcomes the decision of the Slovenian Constitutional Court to approve the reform of Radiotelevizija Slovenija (RTV SLO) 

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

Bulgarian far-right party’s ‘foreign agent’ bill sparks media freedom concerns - Article

Press freedom groups raise alarm that law appears intended to target critical media

Poland: new plans to limit foreign-owned media - Article

The governing Law and Justice (PiS) party announces the will to pass the new law before the end of its term in 2023. This is a new threat to media freedom coming from legislation within the EU, and the platform Mapping Media Freedom keeps track of it, too

Albania, the controversial media law - Legal Resources

Concerns persist over the approval of the new package of amendments aimed at modifying two important laws on the Albanian media, the so-called "anti-defamation package"

The Russian VPN ban: another round in the battle for a free Internet - Legal Resources

In the Russian Federation, a new Law that prohibits anonymizers and VPN usage is to enter into force on 1 November 2017. What are VPNs and what does this law mean for freedom of expression? The author attempts to disentangle the technicalities at stake

Turkey: the legality of post-coup actions and the use of Bylock App as evidence in trials - Legal Resources

An opinion on the legality of the Turkish state's reactions following the 2016 attempted coup and of the controversial use of certain facts as evidences of support or membership to a terrorist organization