FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION France continued to pursue the dissolution of several NGOs without due process. Türkiye intensified the use of intrusive NGO audits. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska passed a law creating a registry of foreign-funded NGOs. In Hungary the government introduced a new law to limit foreign funding for NGOs. The space for all to exercise the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly must be protected from state overreach. HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS Human rights defenders working on women’s or migrants’ rights were frequent targets of repression. In Andorra, an activist faced steep fines after speaking out against the abortion ban. In Poland, Justyna Wydrzynska received eight months of community service for assisting a woman to access abortion pills. In Greece, migrants’ rights defenders Sarah Mardini and Séan Binder were indicted for four felonies. Latvian authorities opened criminal proceedings against two defenders for humanitarian work at the Belarus border. Türkiye upheld the conviction of Osman Kavala, defying judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). Governments should protect human rights defenders and recognize their crucial role, rather than stigmatizing and criminalizing their activities. RACIAL DISCRIMINATION Racial profiling by law enforcement remained common. The French Council of State acknowledged discriminatory police checks but proposed no action. The Netherlands border police were found guilty of racial profiling. In the UK, a report flagged institutional discrimination in London’s Metropolitan Police. Germany reported record rates of hate crimes. The ECtHR again condemned Bosnia and Herzegovina for discriminatory electoral rules. In Latvia and Lithuania, some citizens of Russia faced the loss of residence permits. Roma faced discrimination, segregation and social exclusion. The European Committee on Social Rights found Italy had violated Roma housing rights, while courts in Slovakia found that segregated classes for Roma pupils were discriminatory. The Bulgarian equality body investigated denial of entry for Roma to swimming pools. In North Macedonia, a Roma man died after being denied treatment due to the lack of an ID card; in Romania, a pregnant deaf Roma woman was denied medical care at a hospital and gave birth on the pavement. In France, Muslim women were especially targeted for restrictions in sport and education. Antisemitic and anti-Muslim discriminatory speech and hate crimes spiked across the region as horrific events unfolded in Israel/OPT. In the aftermath of the February earthquakes in Türkiye, civilians and state actors targeted migrants and refugees helping search and rescue with racist abuse. LGBTI PEOPLE’S RIGHTS Latvia recognized civil partnerships, while Lithuania failed to do so. The ECtHR condemned Bulgaria and Romania for failing to recognize same-sex couples. Discrimination persisted against LGBTI people. In Croatia and North Macedonia, Prides faced threats and discriminatory speech from both public officials and private individuals. Norwegian police found LGBTI meeting places to be at ongoing risk of violent attacks. In Türkiye, politicians used discriminatory rhetoric against LGBTI people. Although Hungary faced legal action in the Court of Justice of the EU for its propaganda law, the authorities fined a bookstore for violating this legislation and the Media Council barred a TV The State of the World’s Human Rights 57