Czech EU citizens. Legislation banning abortion in Malta was amended but access remained highly restricted. Andorra was the only country with a total ban. Governments must urgently combat all forms of gender-based violence and address their root causes. RIGHT TO PRIVACY Several cities and cantons in Switzerland adopted bans on facial recognition in public spaces. In France, however, a new law authorized mass biometric surveillance for the 2024 Olympics. Amnesty International revealed that the Intellexa Alliance of companies traded Predator spyware to many countries, including Austria, Switzerland, and Germany, and uncovered Predator use against a Berlin news site, European institutions, and researchers. In Spain, at least 65 people, mostly in Catalonia, were targeted by Pegasus spyware. RIGHT TO A FAIR TRIAL AND EROSION OF JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE Hungary, Poland and Türkiye continued to undermine judicial independence. Hungary took steps to limit the powers of the judiciary. In Poland, the government targeted critical judges. In Türkiye, the Court of Cassation refused to implement a Constitutional Court ruling, accusing its judges of overreach. Governments must stop the slide to surveillance societies, respect the right to a fair trial, and end the erosion of judicial independence. FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION Attacks against journalists were recorded in countries across the region. Türkiye continued to arrest or detain many journalists for bogus terrorism-related offences. Politicians and businesses used strategic litigation against public participation (SLAPP) suits to silence journalists or activists in Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, North Macedonia and Serbia. While Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina criminalized defamation, Bulgaria reduced fines for defamation against public officials and Croatia adopted a plan envisaging the early dismissal of SLAPPs. With few exceptions, states across the region proposed or adopted measures to disproportionately restrict views, including online, critical of Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza and in support of Palestinian human rights. FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY As the climate emergency deepened, peaceful protests increased, prompting harsh responses by authorities. Climate protesters engaging in peaceful acts of civil disobedience faced mass arrests, prosecution for harsh crimes and smear campaigns. Many countries enacted disproportionate restrictions on assemblies. In the Netherlands, police used unlawful ID checks as a surveillance tool against protesters. In France, Italy, Serbia and Türkiye, among others, law enforcement often engaged in unlawful use of force as well as discriminatory policing. Many governments imposed unlawful restrictions on protests in solidarity with Palestinians. Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Switzerland and others pre-emptively banned such protests, citing vague risks to public order or national security. Media and politicians frequently used rhetoric that dehumanized Palestinians, spread racist stereotypes and conflated Muslims with terrorists. France invoked counterterrorism legislation to ban peaceful protests and carried out arbitrary arrests. During the Prides, Turkish police implemented blanket bans, used unnecessary force, and arrested 224 people. The UK passed a bill expanding police powers, creating protest banning orders and allowing civil injunctions. 56 The State of the World’s Human Rights