About: authoritarian regime
Game on for the Premier League in Serbia?
Luring them with football, Serbia’s leadership want to lock Balkan audiences into their favoured TV channels carrying anti-western narratives, which correspond with the country’s growing ties to the likes of China, Russia and Hungary, writes Marko Milosavljevič.
Nicaragua opposition arrests climb to 26
Nicaragua has arrested a sixth presidential contender and four other opposition figures, police said Tuesday (6 July), bringing to 26 the number of people rounded up by long-term leader Daniel Ortega's forces ahead of November elections.
Belarus jails Lukashenko foe Babariko for 14 years in sham trial
A court in Belarus jailed former presidential contender Viktor Babariko for 14 years on Tuesday (6 July) after convicting him on corruption charges he denied, sparking condemnation from the West and the embattled opposition-in-exile.
Analysis: Vucic’s balancing act with the EU
Serbia's progress towards the EU should not be expected as long as Aleksandar Vučić is the most powerful politician in the country, writes Darko Čačić, in an article he submitted to EURACTIV Bulgaria.
Lukashenko blasts ‘Nazi’ Germany after new Western sanctions
Belarus strongman Alexander Lukashenko Tuesday (22 June) accused modern Germany of Nazism on the 80th anniversary of Hitler's invasion of the USSR and a day after coordinated Western sanctions on his country.
West piles coordinated sanctions on Belarus after plane diversion
The EU, US, Britain and Canada ratcheted up pressure on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko Monday (21 June) by imposing coordinated sanctions after the forced landing of a Ryanair airliner to arrest a regime critic.
New US sanctions amid calls to free Nicaragua opposition figures
The global community urged Nicaragua Wednesday (9 June) to free four recently-detained opposition presidential candidates, as the United States announced sanctions against allies of long-serving leader Daniel Ortega. The detention of the four — the last two of whom were...
EU considers sending delegation to Hong Kong after electoral law reform
The European Union denounced on Wednesday (9 June) Hong Kong's major overhaul of its political system as a breach by China of its international commitments and threatened to send a delegation to visit the autonomous city.
Russian court outlaws Navalny organisations, branding them as ‘extremist’
A court in Moscow on Wednesday (9 June) branded the political organisations of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny as "extremist" and barred them from working in Russia, a further blow to the embattled opposition ahead of parliamentary elections.
Belarus: a moment of truth for European values
Firmness is the only answer to Alexander Lukashenko’s Soviet-era thuggery. But in addition to strict sanctions, those who oppose oppression need our help: psychological support and scholarships for now-exiled young activists, support for media and shelter for journalists, writes Frans Timmermans.
Third potential presidential candidate detained in Nicaragua
Nicaraguan authorities on Tuesday (8 June) detained a third potential presidential candidate amidst a deepening crackdown by President Daniel Ortega, branded a "dictator" by the United States, ahead of elections later this year.
Belarus strongman toughens protest laws
Belarusian strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday (8 June) signed legislation toughening protest laws, raising the stakes of a crackdown following his disputed re-election last year.
Belarus authorities stage propaganda ‘interview’ with jailed journalist
Belarusian journalist Roman Protasevich, who was arrested after his plane was forced to land in Minsk, appeared on state television Thursday (4 June) in a tearful interview that family and campaigners say was conducted under duress.
MEPs sound the alarm over Chinese mass surveillance project in Belgrade
The European Parliament is taking a close look at China's high-tech present to Serbia, a mass surveillance system that involves the installation of thousands of smart surveillance cameras equipped with facial recognition features, MEP Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield (Greens/EFA, France) told EURACTIV in an interview.
Kremlin critic Dmitry Gudkov detained, EU warns of ‘shrinking space’ for civil society
Prominent Kremlin critic Dmitry Gudkov was detained and faced possible jail time Tuesday (1 May) as authorities ramped up pressure on dissenters ahead of upcoming parliamentary elections.
Putin and Lukashenko go for boat ride after plane outcry
Russian President Vladimir Putin took Belarus strongman Alexander Lukashenko for a boat trip on Saturday (29 May) as the close allies met for a second day and held "informal talks" amid the outcry after Minsk diverted a European plane.
Navalny sues prison for censoring his newspapers
Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, speaking in a court appearance via videolink, on Wednesday (26 May) accused the prison where is being held of censoring his newspapers by cutting out articles.
Defiant Lukashenko defends plane diversion, blasts critics
A defiant President Alexander Lukashenko on Wednesday (26 May) defended Belarus's diversion of a European flight and arrest of a dissident on board, lashing out at critics at home and abroad.
War-ravaged Syria heads to polls with Assad set to win
Polling stations opened Wednesday (26 May) across Syria for an election where few doubt that Bashar al-Assad will extend his grip on power for a fourth term, in a war-battered country mired in economic crisis.
EU leaders agree to pile sanctions on Belarus over jetliner ‘state piracy’
Western powers prepared to pile sanctions on Belarus and cut off its aviation links, furious after it scrambled a warplane to intercept a Ryanair aircraft and arrest a dissident journalist, an act one leader denounced as 'state piracy'.
Vilnius university says its student travelling with Protasevich also detained, demands release
A Belarusian university in Vilnius on Monday (24 May) said its student Sofia Sapega, 23, who was travelling with journalist Roman Protasevich, had also been detained when their flight was diverted there from Vilnius and demanded her release.
Minutes to touchdown: the moment the Belarusian journalist knew his time was up
Ryanair Flight 4978 had already begun its descent into the Lithuanian capital when the pilot announced that the plane would be suddenly diverting to Minsk, capital of neighbouring Belarus.
Belarus ‘state terrorism’ suddenly tops the agenda as EU leaders meet
Belarus forced a plane carrying an opposition activist to land in its capital, provoking a furious outcry from world leaders who described it as an "act of state terrorism" ahead of an EU summit expected to toughen sanctions on Minsk.