Europe
Slovakia: press freedom
Transparency International reported, ‘Unfortunately this week we were reminded again of the terrible risks facing journalists who report on corruption. Ján Kuciak, a Slovakian investigative journalist, and his fiancée were shot dead in…
Germany: a letter from Watchman International
‘Five months after the elections we still do not have a new government in Germany! We await approval of SPD party membership for the SPD to join the CDU/CSU in a ‘grand coalition’…
Italy: violent demonstrations ahead of election
Clashes between anti-fascist and far-right activists have increased ahead of a general election on 4 March. Recently, police in Milan used batons as left-wing demonstrators tried to break through a police cordon. The…
Turkey’s Armenian Apostolic patriarch
The state has again blocked the long-delayed election of a new Armenian Apostolic patriarch, arguing that an election would be contrary to the community's traditions. Yet freedom of religion protects the right of…
Christianity - Europe's 'last hope'
Hungary's prime minister Viktor Orbán has called Christianity the ‘last hope’ for Europe, as the continent struggles to integrate millions of Muslim migrants who have fled their countries of origin. Orbán also accuses…
Montenegro: Serb attacks US embassy
At midnight on 21 February Serbian Dalibor Jaukovic, formerly of the Yugoslav People's Army, threw a grenade into the US embassy compound and then blew himself up. According to Facebook publications he was…
Two US destroyers sent into Black Sea
Two American destroyers have sailed into the Black Sea, the first time since 2014 that more than one US warship has operated in this tense region other than in an exercise. ‘Our decision…
Poland: Holocaust complicity bill
Recently a bill was approved that makes it illegal to accuse Poland of complicity in crimes committed by Nazi Germany, including the Holocaust. The bill bans the use of terms like ‘Polish death…
Hungary: NGOs helping immigrants could be banned
Viktor Orbán’s government has outlined plans for a new law giving it powers to ban any NGOs that ‘sponsor, organise or support a third-country national’s entry into or stay in Hungary via a…
Increased risk of war, warns report
The 2018 annual Munich Security Report cited growing pressure on nuclear disarmament treaties and ongoing security concerns in eastern and central Europe as a cause for concern, and most worryingly the erosion of…
