Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from January, 2017
Journalists of Closed Hungarian Newspaper Népszabadság Score ‘Symbolic Posthumous Victory’ in Court
A Hungarian court has ruled that last October's sudden closure of the country's leading opposition daily, Népszabadság, was illegal.
In Moldova, Civil Society Stands Up to ‘Big Brother’ Law
Pressured by civil society, Moldovan legislators debating whether to amend the flawed surveillance-enabling legal changes, called the "Big Brother" Law, or to demand a completely new proposal by the government.
Russian Police Lose an Easy Way to Trap ‘Internet Extremists’
On Tuesday, by revising one of its default privacy settings, the Russian social network Vkontakte significantly reduced the number of shared photographs publicly visible on individual account pages.
Russia Says No to Political Crowdfunding by Individuals
Russia's version of PayPal is shutting down the transfer of money to individuals collecting funds for political purposes—a decision that will undermine one presidential bid to challenge Putin in 2018.
‘Most Efficient Trial in History’ Fines Serbian Magazine for Defamation of Interior Minister
"How can a journalist be 'unauthorised' to do their job: gathering information and suggesting conclusions based on the gathered evidence?"
The Best and Worst of Russia's New Year's Laws
Every year, the Russian State Duma schedules laws to come into effect on January 1st. RuNet Echo marks the highlights and lowlights of the 2017 New Year's laws.
