Photo by Monica Dorame on Unsplash At a time when international sporting institutions are striving to rebuild trust after years of crises and political disputes, the decision by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to restore full membership rights to the Paralympic committees of Russia and Belarus has sent a troubling signal. It seems premature and…
Photo by Brian Wangenheim on Unsplash The International Press Association (API-IPA) has expresses deep concern at what it calls the abrupt dismissal of journalist Gabriele Nunziati following a question he posed during the European Commission’s midday press briefing on 13 October. “Journalists ask difficult and inconvenient questions. That’s our job. It’s also still happens to…
Photo by Ian Taylor on Unsplash The Pride march in Pécs, Hungary takes place today Saturday (4 October) despite a ban. The Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán has been accused by some MEPs of wanting to intimidate the demonstrators with a massive police presence and the use of facial recognition software. No one from the…
Schools on the Front Line: What Rising Antisemitism Means for Europe’s Children In the days after 7 October 2023, classrooms across Europe changed. In Paris, Jewish teenagers reported classmates whispering that they were responsible for Gaza. In London, a boy who wore a Star of David necklace was told to take it off or get…
Photo by Levi Meir Clancy on Unsplash Twenty years after Saddam Hussein was hanged, Iraq remains mired in corruption, sectarianism, and repression, particularly towards Kurdish citizens and women, writes Denis MacShane. The hope that the 2003 US-UK invasion would bring democracy and the rule of law has long faded. One woman’s story reveals just how…
Photo by Marek Pospíšil on Unsplash New rules to better protect journalists are about to come into force. The legislation also aims to protect reporters’ sources and press freedom generally in the digital age. It will apply in all EU countries and come into effect on Friday (8 August). The entry into application of the …
Photo by Wesley Tingey on Unsplash On 9 July the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that Russia is fully responsible for the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in July 2014, which resulted in the deaths of all 298 onboard, most of them Dutch citizens. The ruling was part of a…
Photo by Michael Schmid on Unsplash The Roma Foundation for Europe has condemned what it claims is a sharp rise in racist attacks and discrimination against Roma and Sinti in Germany, calling it a test of political will and journalistic responsibility. The Foundation’s attack follows the latest annual report by Germany’s Anti-ziganism Reporting and Information…
Photo by Jonathan Cooper on Unsplash MEPs say it is time to send a clear signal that the European Parliament defends citizens’ rights. That was the message from the Socialists and Democrats on 18 June ahead of the plenary vote on the 2024 Rule of Law report. It comes, they say, at a time when…
Anders Vistisen MEP says he supports child protection but defends national legal sovereignty and harsher penalties against child abusers, including medical castration. He was speaking on Wednesday in a key plenary debate on the proposal to combat child abuse across the EU. Vistisen emphasized both his strong support for protecting vulnerable children and his firm…
