Freedom of expression

"He is the first, because the notion of whistleblower did not exist in the Strasbourg Court's vocabulary until then," Vitalie Zama, one of the lawyers in Guja's case, told BIRN.

"And the first question that was asked was whether or not to protect the whistleblowers; whether freedom of expression exists for them or not."

'I suffered the consequences'

A colourful cast of characters brings an added dose of zest and intrigue to this week's collection of Premium stories as we look at the travails of modern-day sultans, American envoys, local whistleblowers or prime ministers in waiting.

Muslims are subjected to hate speech the most, the Turkish president has said.

"The threats to Zana Cimili, as to other N1 journalists, are not only threats to the individual reporters but also to freedom of speech and of the media as fundamental democratic rights," said the channel, which has reporters in countries across the former Yugoslavia.

The Balkan region is no exception, and while Vojtehovski received a measure of justice, others say they see little point in complaining to employers or the police given what critics say is a systematic failure to punish the perpetrators, according to the findings of a BIRN analysis.

The mufti's office in Tuzla on Friday condemned what it described as a series of attacks on Islamic Community property in the towns of Zvornik and Bijeljina in recent weeks.

Unidentified persons destroyed four gravestones and caused considerable damage at the Kazanbasca Muslim cemetery in Zvornik during the night of June 7, the Tuzla mufti's office said.

President Klaus Iohannis told journalists on May 3, World Press Freedom Day, that he fully supports them, underscoring that journalists help promote transparency and political accountability. "Today we celebrate the journalists who devote their lives to finding the truth and who, through their hard work, help impose transparency and governmental accountability.

Minister Delegate for European Affairs George Ciamba had a meeting in Geneva on Thursday with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, in which he voiced Romania's firm commitment as holder of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union to promote respect for human rights, to combat hate speech, anti-Semitism, racism, and intolerance.

The European Federation of Journalists, European Centre for Press & Media Freedom, PEN International and Reporters Without Borders criticised on Wednesday new restrictive laws on online media in Albania.

The laws were proposed by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama as part of his drive against "defamation".

A BIRN report on the media in Serbia, presented on Wednesday, emphasises a decline in freedom of expression and media pluralism, citing an absence of social, political and economic conditions conducive to the development of a professional and sustainable media sector.