Russia: persecution of missionaries
20 Aug 2020
Individuals of almost every religious affiliation continue to face prosecution under Russia’s ‘anti-missionary legislation’ for exercising their right to freedom of religion and belief. Despite a 2018 constitutional court decision which offered some clarification of what…
Russia: vaccine approved for use
13 Aug 2020
Vladimir Putin said a vaccine for Covid-19 has been given regulatory approval after less than two months’ testing on humans. It has passed all the required checks, and he added that his daughter had already been…
Albania: ‘take more care of people’
13 Aug 2020
Monsignor George Frendo, chair of Albania’s interfaith council, has appealed for the country to take more care of its people’s health. ‘Have we reconciled with the coronavirus? Or are we afraid that more restrictions will create…
Germany: attack on anti-Semitism commissioner
06 Aug 2020
The government-appointed commissioner to combat anti-Semitism, Felix Klein, was criticised in an open letter to Angela Merkel from sixty academics, authors and artists in Germany and Israel. They warned the Chancellor concerning ‘provocative, factually and legally…
UK citizens relocate after Brexit vote
06 Aug 2020
Research has found that the number of British nationals emigrating to other EU countries has risen by 30% since the Brexit referendum, with half making their decision to leave in the first three months after the…
Russia: anti-Putin protests
30 Jul 2020
Sergei Furgal, governor of the far eastern city of Khabarovsk, was interrogated and ordered to be held in jail for two months. Thousands of demonstrators have been gathering in the streets for three weekends to show…