Forty Turkish journalists were arrested in raids which targeted suspected members of the "press and propaganda wing" of a banned Kurdish separatist group. The arrests in Istanbul yesterday morning came during continuing investigation into the...
CATEGORY: Europe and Central Asia

“My brother is dying in silence”
One year on from the crackdown on the opposition in Belarus, Irina Bogdanova, sister of political prisoner Andrei Sannikov, calls for international action against Europe’s last dictatorship
Russia gets ready to protest
The first meeting of Russia's newly elected State Duma will be held on 21 December. Tens of thousands of Russians protested the parliamentary elections, based on claims that they were unfair. This week protesters will take to the streets again with...
An artists’ manifesto for Belarus
In one of his last public acts, dissident, playwright and president Václav Havel signed this statement calling for free speech in Belarus, along with Ai Weiwei, Sir Tom Stoppard and many more
Kommersant publishing house editor-in-chief fired for anti-Putin photos
Alisher Usmanov, a metal tycoon and owner of Russia’s leading Kommersant publishing house, fired Kommersant Vlast magazine editor-in-chief Maxim Kovalsky and Kommersant-Holdingexecutive director Andrey Galiev. The reason for the dismissals,...
Moscow prison whistleblower under pressure
Senior lieutenant Alexey Kozlov, responsible for educational work at Butyrka pre-trial prison in Moscow, has virtually lost his job after having publically criticised the penitentiary system. He has appealed to rights activists and journalists...

Russia urges Putin to step down
Elena Vlasenko reports from Saturday’s momentous Moscow protest
Russia urges Putin to step down
Tens of thousands of people participated in opposition rallies against alleged unfair parliamentary elections in Russia. The biggest was in Moscow: up to 120,000 people demanded the resignation of Russia's prime-minister Vladimir Putin. "Putin...
Azerbaijani human rights lawyer detained at Istanbul airport
An Azerbaijani human rights activist was detained for more than 24 hours at Istanbul airport on Tuesday evening. Intigam Aliyev was returning to Baku from the Civil Society Parallel Event, organized by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation...

Belarus: European ministers meet activists
UK’s Europe Minister David Liddington visits Human Rights House Viasna alongside Index on Censorship; Irish Foreign Minister Eamon Gilmore emphasizes NGO involvement
Plus: Conference urges ministers to “suspend Belarus from the OSCE”