Marissa Zupancic is JURIST’s Washington DC Correspondent, a JURIST Senior Editor and a 3L at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. She’s stationed in Washington during her Semester in DC. Georgetown University hosted a conference on Monday covering the 75th anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a military alliance of more than 30 [...]
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European Parliament adopts Media Freedom Act in move to protect journalists
The European Parliament on Wednesday adopted the Media Freedom Act to protect journalists and press freedoms. The new law was adopted with 464 votes in favor, 92 against and 65 abstentions. The act forbids EU member states from compelling journalists to disclose their sources and deploying surveillance spyware against journalists. A new European Board for [...]
Bulgaria bans two Russian nationals on allegations of espionage
Bulgarian authorities announced Monday that they had imposed an entry ban on two Russian nationals, alleging that they had set up false identities in order to engage in espionage. In the statement, they said that Vladimir Nikolayevich Gorochkin and Tatiana Anatolievna Gorochkina have been banned from entry and residence in the territory of any member [...]
Czech Republic senate rejects Istanbul Convention on violence against women
The Senate of the Czech Republic has voted against ratifying the Istanbul Convention, a convention from the Council of Europe (COE) intended to curb domestic violence and violence against women. Czech Minister for European Affairs Martin Dvořák expressed his frustration with the failed vote Thursday on X (formerly known as Twitter) calling it an “international disgrace.” [...]
The War Crimes of Hamas: Hostage-Taking in International Law
On October 7th, 2023, the State of Israel was brutally attacked by the terrorist organization known as Hamas, instigating an all-out war. In the early morning of October 7th, Hamas terrorist fighters made their way into Israel from the Gaza Strip, invading and occupying Israeli towns, cities, and military bases. This surprise attack in Israel [...]
ECHR hears landmark lawsuit brought by youth climate activists against 33 governments
In a nearly five-hour long hearing on Wednesday, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) heard a landmark case brought by six youth plaintiffs against 33 European governments to spur stronger climate change mitigation measures. Duarte Agostinho and Others v. Portugal and 32 Others featured six plaintiffs from Portugal: Catarina, 23, Cláudia, 24, Martim, 20, [...]
North Macedonia police arrest 10 suspected members of international people smuggling ring
The Police of North Macedonia announced Monday they arrested ten men who are suspected members of an international people smuggling ring. The arrests were the culmination of an investigation that lasted from July 2021 to May 2023. Macedonian police stated that the group is part of an international migrant smuggling channel and consists of 17 members in [...]
EU ratifies Istanbul Convention to prevent and combat gender-based violence
The European Parliament voted in favor of EU accession to the Istanbul Convention, which aims to prevent and combat violence against women. The convention was originally signed six years ago, but the refusal of some member states prevented it from being ratified. However, a recent opinion from the EU Court of Justice found that the [...]
Bulgaria makes first voluntary contribution to war crimes victims' fund
The government of Bulgaria Monday made its first ever voluntary contribution to the Trust Fund for Victims (TFV) in the amount of €20,000 announced. The donation demonstrates Bulgaria’s support of the TFV and its belief in advancing restorative justice. Bulgarian Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands Konstantin Dimitrov delivered remarks regarding the contribution, saying: [...]
EU dispatch: Croatia's entry into the Schengen Zone presents problems as well as opportunities
Mykyta Vorobiov is a student at Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, Ukraine. He is currently in Zagreb, Croatia. As a Ukrainian correspondent for JURIST now studying at the University of Zagreb, I have observed many differences and similarities between the Balkans and Eastern Europe. The region’s political life has fascinated me since I arrived, and [...]