Claudia Ciobanu
claudiabirn.bsky.social
Claudia Ciobanu
@claudiabirn.bsky.social
The Hungarian government banned this year’s Pride parade in Budapest. Yet people still came out in such numbers that the event turned from one of support for the LGBTQ+ community to a direct challenge to Viktor Orban’s rule. Photo story by Bela Varadi for BIRN
balkaninsight.com/2025/06/30/b...
Budapest Pride – Cancelled by the State; Reclaimed by the People
The Hungarian government banned this year’s Pride parade in Budapest. Yet people still came out in such numbers that the event turned from one of support for the LGBTQ+ community to a direct challenge...
balkaninsight.com
June 30, 2025 at 9:03 AM
„Trzeba pamiętać, że państwo prawa istnieje nie tylko po to, by wspierać rozwój biznesu, ale przede wszystkim po to, by chronić obywateli. Deregulacja nie może oznaczać demontażu ochrony” – mówi Norbert Kusiak, dyrektor Wydziału Polityki Gospodarczej OPZZ
oko.press/czy-rzadowy-...
Czy rządowy szał na deregulację zagrozi polskim pracownikom? Rozmowa z ekspertem OPZZ
"Trzeba pamiętać, że państwo prawa istnieje nie tylko po to, by wspierać rozwój biznesu, ale przede wszystkim po to, by chronić obywateli. Nie zgadzamy się na jedną stronę medalu. Deregulacja nie może...
oko.press
June 16, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Reposted by Claudia Ciobanu
W pierwszym powyborczym odcinku podcastu „Pałac Prezydencki” Michał Kolanko rozmawia z Krzysztofem Łapińskim – byłym rzecznikiem prezydenta Andrzeja Dudy i weteranem kampanii PiS. Tematem jest zwycięstwo Karola Nawrockiego oraz jego polityczne konsekwencje dla PiS i obozu rządowego.
Podcast „Pałac Prezydencki”: Polityczne trzęsienie ziemi – zwycięstwo Nawrockiego i jego konsekwencje
ebx.sh
June 5, 2025 at 10:20 AM
There's remarkably little scrutiny in Poland over what a 'deregulation commission' set up in February by Tusk, led by a prominent billionaire, is coming up with. So at BIRN we decided to take a closer look: balkaninsight.com/2025/06/05/c...
Cutting Red Tape or Cutting Corners? Polish PM’s Deregulation Drive Under the Spotlight
Donald Tusk has asked a billionaire to come up with some proposals on how to deregulate Poland’s economy. But how impactful and positive will the suggested changes really be?
balkaninsight.com
June 5, 2025 at 6:37 AM
Reposted by Claudia Ciobanu
With Poland a primary target of Russia’s hybrid war against the West, it has been closely monitoring for signs of interference ahead of Sunday’s presidential runoff.

Numerous threats were identified, but the "Romanian scenario" seems to have been avoided, write Agata Pyka and Claudia Ciobanu.
Fake Emails, Real Threats: Russian Tactics in Poland’s Presidential Election
With Poland ground zero of Russia’s hybrid war against the West, the government has been closely monitoring for signs of interference ahead of Sunday’s presidential runoff. Numerous threats were ident...
balkaninsight.com
May 29, 2025 at 12:44 PM
With Poland ground zero of Russia’s hybrid war against the West, the government has been closely monitoring for signs of interference ahead of Sunday’s presidential runoff. Numerous threats were identified, but the ‘Romanian scenario’ seems to have been avoided. balkaninsight.com/2025/05/29/f...
Fake Emails, Real Threats: Russian Tactics in Poland’s Presidential Election
With Poland ground zero of Russia’s hybrid war against the West, the government has been closely monitoring for signs of interference ahead of Sunday’s presidential runoff. Numerous threats were ident...
balkaninsight.com
May 29, 2025 at 9:13 AM
We’re going to need to add Trzaskowski to the lengthening list of centrist politicians who found out the hard way that when u try to compete w radical right on their issues someone benefits from the extra salience this gives those issues & it isn’t u @benstanley.eu
balkaninsight.com/2025/05/19/l...
Liberal Candidate Takes Unconvincing Lead into Poland’s Presidential Runoff
Rafal Trzaskowski of the PM’s Civic Coalition will face Karol Nawrocki of the opposition PiS in the second round of Poland’s presidential race on June 1.
balkaninsight.com
May 19, 2025 at 7:12 AM
Ukrainian women working as carers for elderly people in Poland have started unionising and recently demanded of the govt to help them get proper contracts & working conditions
balkaninsight.com/2025/04/28/u...
Ukrainian Care Workers in Poland and Czechia Demand Rights and Recognition
Increasing numbers of Ukrainian women are working as carers for elderly people in Poland and Czechia - and they are now organising and demanding better working conditions.
balkaninsight.com
April 28, 2025 at 9:55 AM
Reposted by Claudia Ciobanu
Kurt Vonnegut man
April 10, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Reposted by Claudia Ciobanu
This is an excellent thread of even better investigation into the human rights record of Frontex leadership 👇
In this investigation for Balkan Insight, we review the human rights record of @frontex.bsky.social's director Hans Leijtens-two years after he vowed to end the agency's complicity in violent pushbacks. Amidst lawlessness at Europe's borders, is he fighting a losing battle?
tinyurl.com/bddvh7f5

🧵👇
Poisoned Chalice: Is Frontex Director’s Clean-Up Operation Doomed to Failure?
Dutch former gendarmerie commander Hans Leijtens took the reins of Frontex with a vow to renew the EU border agency’s commitment to the rights of migrants. With Europe’s leaders taking a hard line on ...
balkaninsight.com
April 9, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Reposted by Claudia Ciobanu
Excellent reporting on the challenges confronting FRONTEX as it seeks to deal with member states' abuses of migrants
Poisoned Chalice: Is Frontex Director’s Clean-Up Operation Doomed to Failure?
Dutch former gendarmerie commander Hans Leijtens took the reins of Frontex with a vow to renew the EU border agency’s commitment to the rights of migrants. With Europe’s leaders taking a hard line on ...
balkaninsight.com
April 9, 2025 at 8:22 AM
Reposted by Claudia Ciobanu
Leijtens said the Greeks had implemented some of their measures only “in a formalistic manner”; cameras, for example, were installed on coast guard vessels to record potential abuses, but they weren’t turned on - as was the case in the #Pylos #shipwreck.
April 10, 2025 at 9:27 AM
Reposted by Claudia Ciobanu
Reposted by Claudia Ciobanu
Nog geen halfjaar nadat Nederlander Hans Leijtens aantrad als topman van @frontex.bsky.social kreeg hij het advies om zich terug te trekken uit Griekenland, wegens alle pushbacks. Hij deed het niet. Frontex bleef, net als de pushbacks. Onderzoek BIRN & Pointer pointer.kro-ncrv.nl/hoe-nederlan...
Hoe de Nederlandse Leijtens hervormingen bepleit bij Frontex, maar het geweld niet kan stoppen
Terwijl de Nederlandse Hans Leijtens als Frontex-directeur probeert schoon schip te maken, worden aan de Europese buitengrenzen de rechten van migranten nog altijd geschonden. ||Terwijl de Nederlandse...
pointer.kro-ncrv.nl
April 8, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Reposted by Claudia Ciobanu
In this investigation for Balkan Insight, we review the human rights record of @frontex.bsky.social's director Hans Leijtens-two years after he vowed to end the agency's complicity in violent pushbacks. Amidst lawlessness at Europe's borders, is he fighting a losing battle?
tinyurl.com/bddvh7f5

🧵👇
Poisoned Chalice: Is Frontex Director’s Clean-Up Operation Doomed to Failure?
Dutch former gendarmerie commander Hans Leijtens took the reins of Frontex with a vow to renew the EU border agency’s commitment to the rights of migrants. With Europe’s leaders taking a hard line on ...
balkaninsight.com
April 8, 2025 at 10:06 PM
Reposted by Claudia Ciobanu
Αποκλειστική συνέντευξη του διοικητή της #Frontex σε BIRN, Solomon, Pointer.

Ο Χ. Λέιτενς ανέλαβε να αποκαταστήσει την φήμη της Frontex μετά τις αποκαλύψεις για συγκάλυψη παράνομων επαναπροωθήσεων στην Ελλάδα.

Τρία χρόνια μετά, οι βίαιες επαναπροωθήσεις σε Ελλάδα, Βουλγαρία, Σερβία συνεχίζονται.
April 9, 2025 at 9:50 AM
Reposted by Claudia Ciobanu
“Leijtens is committed to the law but he inherited a poisoned chalice... As European leaders are preoccupied with being tough on migration, Leijtens has no leverage to really push member states on fundamental rights... And lawlessness and impunity continues at Europe’s external borders.”
Dutch former gendarmerie commander Hans Leijtens took the Frontex reins with a vow to renew the EU border agency’s commitment to rights of migrants. With Europe’s leaders taking a hard line on migration, is he fighting a losing battle? Our latest BIRN investigation balkaninsight.com/2025/04/08/p...
Poisoned Chalice: Is Frontex Director’s Clean-Up Operation Doomed to Failure?
Dutch former gendarmerie commander Hans Leijtens took the reins of Frontex with a vow to renew the EU border agency’s commitment to the rights of migrants. With Europe’s leaders taking a hard line on ...
balkaninsight.com
April 8, 2025 at 8:27 AM
Dutch former gendarmerie commander Hans Leijtens took the Frontex reins with a vow to renew the EU border agency’s commitment to rights of migrants. With Europe’s leaders taking a hard line on migration, is he fighting a losing battle? Our latest BIRN investigation balkaninsight.com/2025/04/08/p...
Poisoned Chalice: Is Frontex Director’s Clean-Up Operation Doomed to Failure?
Dutch former gendarmerie commander Hans Leijtens took the reins of Frontex with a vow to renew the EU border agency’s commitment to the rights of migrants. With Europe’s leaders taking a hard line on ...
balkaninsight.com
April 8, 2025 at 7:11 AM
Reposted by Claudia Ciobanu
💥🪧Happening right now in Budapest:

🇭🇺 Anti-government protesters have occupied four bridges, opposing Viktor Orbán’s crackdown on freedom of assembly under the guise of “child protection.”

🗣️ Though aimed at the Pride march, Orbán’s law threatens banning any kind of protests or rally.
April 1, 2025 at 7:14 PM
Two journalists from BIRN in Serbia were the targets of a failed attempt to install the powerful Israeli spyware Pegasus on their phones, a forensic analysis conducted by Amnesty International has confirmed. balkaninsight.com/2025/03/27/t...
Two BIRN Journalists in Serbia Targeted with Pegasus Spyware
Two journalists from BIRN in Serbia were the targets of a failed attempt to install the powerful Israeli spyware Pegasus on their phones, a forensic analysis conducted by Amnesty International has con...
balkaninsight.com
March 28, 2025 at 10:17 AM
Reposted by Claudia Ciobanu
Jeszcze dziś wieczorem rząd przyjmie rozporządzenie zawieszające prawo do składania wniosków o azyl. Tak jak zapowiadałem - bez chwili zwłoki.
March 26, 2025 at 5:53 PM
In a challenge to Poland’s government, which has failed to legalise abortion despite its election promises, activists have opened a clinic in the centre of Warsaw where women can receive support when taking abortion pills.
balkaninsight.com/2025/03/10/a...
Activists Open Abortion Clinic Opposite Polish Parliament
In a challenge to Poland’s government, which has failed to legalise abortion despite its election promises, activists have opened a clinic in the centre of Warsaw where women can receive support when ...
balkaninsight.com
March 10, 2025 at 8:12 AM