CATEGORY: Europe and Central Asia
Germany: A positive environment for free expression clouded by surveillance
The situation with regards to freedom of expression in Germany is largely positive, but there are questions over internal mass surveillance.
Russia: Rolling back free expression
Russia’s environment for free expression is deteriorating, especially since the 2012 re-election of President Vladimir Putin.
Golden Dawn: The open question of Greek politics
As the Greek financial crisis drags on, politicians from the mainstream parties continue to flirt with the far-right Golden Dawn and mainstream media downplays the threat that the party represents, Christos Syllas writes
France: Strict defamation and privacy laws limit free expression
Freedom of expression is generally protected in France, although is limited by strict defamation and privacy laws. Several laws have passed since 1972 that have further restricted this fundamental right.
Investigators identify mastermind behind editor’s killing
For the time being the identity of the man who allegedly ordered Nikolai Potapov's killing is being kept secret by the investigators. The editor's killers were caught early on by policemen who were hot on their heels. When Nikolai Potapov, 66, was...
Bulgaria: A muted reaction to mass surveillance
While the revelations around mass surveillance by the US and some European governments were reported by Bulgaria’s media, the country’s focus in recent months has been the fallout from the country’s elections. Georgi Kantchev reports
Italy’s free expression hamstrung by lack of media plurality
The situation for freedom of expression in Italy is curtailed by a lack of media plurality, restrictive media legislation and a digital sphere restricted by a strict privacy law.
Two people sentenced for online insults in Belarus
A theatre playwright and a former worker from the Minsk Automobile Plant were found guilty of using offensive language online in Belarus. Andrei Aliaksandrau writes
Edward Snowden helps France rediscover its own whistleblowers
So far, France has spectacularly failed to protect its whistleblowers. But new proposals may offer some protection. Valeria Costa-Kostritsky writes