Tag: human rights
-
‘They are trying to divide us’: Bosnian anti-corruption activists speak out against ‘ruling party’ tactics
REPORT The last month has seen a flurry of protests across Bosnia and Herzegovina. Peace protests first unfolded at the end of October as Serb nationalist rhetoric threatened to destabilise the fragile peace in the country. More recently, miners from across Bosnia have gone on strike in protest of government plans to restructure indebted coal […]
-
The political games threatening human life at the Poland-Belarus border
CN: death ANALYSIS The ‘migration crisis’ between Poland and Belarus may have hit the mainstream global news cycle in early November, but the origins of the contest reach much farther back. The crux of the issue is not about migration specifically, but is in fact a broader political disagreement between the EU and Belarus’ Lukashenka. […]
-
‘The Serbian state supports the glorification of war criminals’: an interview with the organisation fighting to remove Mladić murals
CN: war, genocide triumphalism VIDEO In July this year, a mural honouring convicted war criminal Ratko Mladić was painted on a building in central Belgrade. This had occurred on the same day that Bosnia’s outgoing High Representative, Valentin Inzko, imposed changes to Bosnia’s Criminal Code that would prohibit the denial of genocide and glorification of […]
-
‘Clarifications are not good enough’: Poles demand abortion law U-turn after pregnant woman dies
CN: death It seems to be a never-ending epic in Poland. Though one without a comforting victory. Once again, Poles are marching against the near-total abortion ban that came into effect a year ago. Protesters have linked the death of a 30-year-old pregnant woman named Izabela, who died of sepsis 22 weeks into her pregnancy, […]
-
‘Today, we fear for our lives again’: co-organiser of Sarajevo protests calls on peace implementers to act
CN: genocide, war, trauma INTERVIEW The ongoing security crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina shows no sign of abating. Bosnian-Serb leader, Milorad Dodik, continues to peddle a secessionist rhetoric that is yet to provoke meaningful repercussions for the politician. Now, documents accessed by regional press indicate the nationalist leader seeks to create a parallel judiciary, armed […]
-
Europe’s amnesia of Bulgaria’s ‘Revival Process’ and its Turkish victims
CN: ethnic cleansing, murder, Islamophobia, Turcophobia, trauma OPINION While Germany is known for being home to the biggest Turkish diaspora, Bulgaria is home to the largest autochthonous Turkish community in Europe. Bulgaria is the historical land of origin of around 600 000 ethnic Turks, who are also citizens of the European Union by being citizens of […]
-
Poland and the EU: a case study in pandering to authoritarianism
OPINION Poland could introduce another draconian law to further restrict civil liberties. The bill, proposed by right-wing activist Kaja Godek, would amend existing legislation on public congregations, banning peaceful protests for LGBT rights. ‘Questioning marriage as a union of man and woman, propagating same-sex marriage, propagating adoption by such couples, propagating gender as separate from […]
-
‘We are afraid’: Polish queer families feel no safer since the repealing of ‘LGBT-free zones’
INTERVIEW Almost a month has passed since the first of four Polish regions repealed their infamous ‘LGBT-free zone’ declarations. This came after the EU put on hold millions of euros of funding to the regions. Hailed as a ‘great success’ by activists, the tide may already be turning for Poland’s queer community. Warsaw is now […]
-
‘Lebanon needs help’: an interview with filmmaker, Nada Raphael
INTERVIEW Two weeks ago partial power was restored to Lebanese homes. It is a victory as anticlimactic as it sounds. A twenty four-hour nationwide blackout had brought a flurry of media attention to the situation on the ground. After the partial restoration of electricity, all has gone quiet again. Are we to assume life is […]
-
Serbian parliament refuses to debate resolution on the genocide in Srebrenica
CN: genocide, war REPORT On Tuesday, Serbian MPs voted against debating three proposed resolutions relating to the 1990s Yugoslav Wars. One of these resolutions included condemning the genocide committed by Serb forces against Bosniaks in Srebrenica. The resolution sought to ban the denial of the genocide in Srebrenica that saw over 8 000 Bosniaks (mainly […]
the scroll 