Democratization

The new US administration offers the opportunity for a reboot of transatlantic relations, especially in relation to civil society. The calls and grievances expressed by Women’s movements, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the climate generation resonate strongly in both Europe and the US.

Talking about the establishment of a national committee that will tackle discrimination against LGBTIQ* people in Greece

“Once I started to write myself, I began to realize how this powerful act of self-expression was the counter opposite of the seclusion, alienation, and repression that mandatory veiling had imposed on me” says Iranian author Ava Homa. In her article, she points out various forms of protest with which women in Iran fight for freedoms and participation – one of them is writing.

For centuries, resources have been extracted from the African continent without adequate payment or compensation. With colonialism, Khoikhoi and San, the first inhabitants of Southern Africa, lost their land and many lost their lives. During decades of Apartheid they were racially discriminated and still have to fight for political and economic inclusion in the post-Apartheid era. We spoke to the Khoikhoi lawyer Lesle Jansen about her fight for the community and for the legal acknowledgement of the cultural heritage of Indigenous people.

The Council of the European Union adopted the long-striven “EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime” on December 7th, 2020. Lawyer Benan Molu from Turkey provides an overview of when, how, and against whom this sanction regime could be invoked, and then, discusses whether it would be realistic for the EU to pursue such an option against Turkey.  

The new European Commission's Rule of Law Report cannot be expected to deter those deliberately seeking or already engaged in the systemic dismantlement of national checks and balances. Unless these shortcomings are remedied, the new yearly monitoring exercise will create more problems than it will solve.

Joint statement by the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, the Robert Bosch Foundation, the Goethe Institute, the European Cultural Foundation and the Mercator Foundation to members of the Council of Europe, the European Parliament and the German Bundestag.

“The hell of women is in full swing” is is one of the most pertinent comments on the decision of the governmentally controlled Polish Constitutional Court to further restrict the anyway very limited public access of women to abortions in Poland. Although the measure had been part of the public discourse for years, the timing for its implementation comes partly as a surprise. What does this tell us about the further prospects for the rule of the Law and Justice party?

The internet has become the perfect breeding ground and circulatory system for all kinds of untrue or inaccurate claims, thanks in part to the sheer speed and volume of information that it accommodates. As civil society and governments focus on increasing media literacy and pressuring technology companies to change their policies, what can citizens and technology users do in the face of misinformation?

International treaties also give certain leverage to civic actors and women’s movement in Turkey in their efforts to overcome entrenched resistance to policy and practice changes. Since the Convention’s inception, women’s organisations in Turkey have been actively struggling for effective implementation and pushing public authorities to adopt women-friendly policies by making direct references to the Convention’s provisions.