Size of text
| Russia's policy towards Kaliningrad |
| HITS: 290 | 18-02-2003, 21:28 | Comments: (0) | Categories: Russia , Political science, Political leaders | |
The official view is that Russia has ‘fought all the way’ to preserve its sovereignty and protect the rights of Kaliningrad’s inhabitants. As negotiations between Russia and the EU over the transit issue dragged on during 2002 the rhetoric coming from Moscow was uncompromising. The EU’s visa plans for Kaliningrad were “worse than the Cold War” and would “divide the sovereignty of Russia”. Mr. Putin, whose in-laws come from Kaliningrad oblast, “flatly rejected the visa plan” and Russia “will do its utmost to guarantee totally the rights of its citizens living in Kaliningrad”.[1] |
|
| Read more |
| Hungary 2001: The Hungarian Media Today |
| HITS: 209 | 12-03-2002, 19:35 | Comments: (0) | Categories: Hungary, Media World, Politics | |
A new report by the International Federation of Journalists is highly critical of the media situation in Hungary. BHHRG considers the allegations behind the report and asks whether the Czech scenario could be repeated in Budapest.
Introduction Following the successful rebellion at the state television in the Czech Republic (see BHHRG report Turmoil at Czech Television) there have been numerous suggestions that similar disruptions will follow in Hungary. In particular, the International Federation of Journalists, which supported the rebels in Prague, has issued a report harshly criticising the state of the media there ("Television on the Brink: the political and professional crisis of public broadcasting in Hungary"). As the sudden flare-up in Prague shows, events can occur very quickly and their speed helps to obscure the real issues at stake. BHHRG representatives, therefore, travelled to Budapest to investigate the media situation in Hungary. In the Czech republic, the sudden way in which the rebellion against the appointment of George Hodac as the new director of Czech TV broke out managed to obscure the fact that the real issues at stake were different from that which was reported in the Western media. As the BHHRG report shows, it owed little to any urge to ensure free speech and instead a lot to the desire to prevent restructuring of Czech TV and a proper financial audit being conducted into its rambling financial affairs. In Prague, there was also the additional ingredient of President Havel, who supported the strikers and whose penchant for "non-political politics" helped to change the system by which the TV council is composed, removing representatives nominated by political parties. These two elements - unclear finances and the role of political parties in the TV and radio councils - are both present in Hungary. This is why the forces who supported the putsch against Hodac in Prague may also think that similar results can be obtained in Budapest. |
|
| Read more |
| Bosnia Herzegovina 2001: The International Community and the Bosnian Croats |
| HITS: 634 | 24-05-2001, 21:37 | Comments: (0) | Categories: Bosnia Hercegovina , Global Events, War and peace | |
Mostar in Bosnia Herzegovina to investigate the stand-off between the international community and the Bosnian Croats. This report reveals the ongoing problems with the implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement five years on.
Bosnia Herzegovina 2001: the international community versus the Bosnian Croats On 6th April 2001 a well-planned international operation which included SFOR troops and masked security operatives closed down 6 branches of the Hercegovacka bank in Bosnia Herzegovina (BiH). The incident was just the latest in a series of assaults by the High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch and his office (OHR) on the Croat community in Bosnia and on the leading Croat political party, the HDZ. The British Helsinki Human Rights Group’s representatives visited Mostar, the capital of the Herzegovina region of Bosnia, soon after the bank raid. They talked to leading local politicians, journalists, administrators and the deputy high representative, Colin Munro. They also visited the pilgrimage town of Medjugorje whose local branch of the Hercegovacka bank had been raided on 6th April. |
|
| Read more |
business, Cameron, campaign, communism, crisis, election, elections, Euthanasia, George Bush, government, human rights, independence, Karimov, KFOR, Kosovo, law, Lukashenko, media, NATO, NGO, parliament, parliamentary elections, parties, party, policy, politics, polling stations, polls, population, post-communism, president, referendum, refugees, revolution, Saakashvili, senate, Shevardnadze, suicide, TRNC, voting
Show all tags
|
