War and armed conflict almost always go hand in hand with sexual violence – rape, sexual slavery, forced marriage. On occasions when it seems pertinent, such as in the context of the current war in Ukraine, politicians and the media talk about the issue and condemn the violence, but their rhetoric is short on substance.

Gendered disinformation online silences women in the public sphere. The disinformation and democratization expert Nina Jankowicz explains how.   

Countries such as Poland or Hungary frequently face criticism for a lack of media freedom. Their governments dispute that they oppose critical media. Yet, restrictions on media freedom come in many shapes and sizes.

Founded in 2021, the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, Tirana Office, works to build and expand democratic, accessible and diverse public spaces in urban as well as rural areas in Albania.

The Egyptian regime is using COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh to distract from its ongoing crackdown on civil society by touting its sustainability credentials.

Czechia has firsthand experience with a prominent politician controlling his media. Therefore, we must not stay on the sidelines. It is of the utmost importance that Czechia support the creation of this legislation, MEP Marcel Kolaja (Czech Pirate Party, Greens/EFA) says regarding the Media Freedom Act.

The Egyptian military dictatorship hosting this year's COP poses a political challenge for all participants. But upon close inspection, reference points for demanding human rights emerge.

In the run-up to COP27, we note with great concern the human rights situation in Egypt. Therefore, together with other international and German civil society organisations, we have signed the Egyptian Human Rights Coalition's petition to the COP27.

Rich nations must prove they are willing to hold up their end of the climate bargain of the Paris Agreement at COP27.

Tasos Telloglou reports on the surveillance of journalists and politicians, the violation of telecommunications secrecy and his research into spyware.