Social Sciences for Democracy - SOS4democracy

👉We are pleased to announce that the conference programme for the 3rd SOS4Democracy conference: “Resilience, Resistance, Renewal: Rethinking Democratic Politics in Times of War and Emergency” is now available online!

To help you prepare for your trip to Istanbul, we have also published a practical guide and detailed panel instructions for presenters and session chairs.

🔗https://www.sos4democracy.eu/program-2026/

At the ICON-S Central and Eastern European Chapter Conference hosted by the Faculty of Law, University of Ljubljana (14–15 May 2026), Prof. Dr. Damir Banović from the University of Sarajevo – Faculty of Law and the SOS4Democracy team presented his research on “The Judiciary’s Role in Protecting Democratic Values, Principles, and Rights – The Context of the Western Balkans.”

🔎The presentation explored how constitutional courts and the ECtHR contribute to safeguarding democratic principles, particularly in times of democratic backsliding and growing populist pressures. Special attention was given to the role of the judiciary in protecting political rights, constitutional order, and the resilience of democratic institutions in the Western Balkans.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞? 🎙️

In the fourth episode of the SOS4Democracy podcast, journalist and project team member Jure Kosec speaks with Amina Izmirlić and Marija Ćosić from Zašto ne — one of the leading civil society organisations in Bosnia and Herzegovina and a regional pioneer in fact-checking, disinformation debunking, and political accountability.

The conversation explores the development of Istinomer.rs, Serbia's and the Western Balkans' first dedicated fact-checking platform, as well as the evolution of Razkrinkavanje, which expanded fact-checking efforts across the region.

The episode also addresses the broader societal impact of disinformation and discusses what is needed to strengthen democratic resilience in increasingly complex information environments.

🎧 Listen to the latest SOS4Democracy podcast episode: https://www.sos4democracy.eu/interview-with-amina-izmirlic-catovic-and-marija-cosic-form-why-not-one-of-the-most-prominent-bosnian-ngos/

A federal court in Washington has issued a temporary injunction to halt sanctions that have significantly interfered with the private and professional life of Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Palestine. 𝐉𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐋𝐞𝐨𝐧 emphasized in his ruling that sanctions in practice mean punishing and silencing opinions that are inconvenient or politically undesirable for the administration.

❌The sanctions have severely restricted Francesca Albanese's life and work. She has faced a freeze on her assets in the United States, a ban on entering the country, and the inability to conduct banking transactions.

Read more in the article (in Slovenian) 🔗 https://www.delo.si/novice/svet/francesca-albanese-si-lahko-zacasno-oddahne

𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬: 𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

💡 A post-election survey showed that Péter Magyar’s electoral success was driven more by a general desire for change than by support for a specific political agenda. Only eight percent of respondents said they supported Tisza Party because of its political programme, while even fewer cited Magyar’s leadership as their main reason for support.

The study also found that voters’ expectations are primarily focused on domestic issues, with rising prices, corruption, and economic growth ranking among the top concerns. Foreign policy issues, including relations with the European Union, remain of secondary importance.

Read more in Delo 🔗

Ukrajina ostaja ločnica med Brusljem in Budimpešto Magyar ima močen mandat za reforme, toda nasprotujoči si odnosi s Kijevom lahko še naprej zaostrujejo odnose med Madžarsko in EU, kaže raziskava ECFR.

𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐎𝐒𝟒𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟑𝟕𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐣𝐞𝐯𝐨 📚

Almina Selimbašić attended the 37th Book Fair in Sarajevo, where she presented the key objectives of the SOS4Democracy project, including the importance of researching illiberal practices and engaging all segments of society in this work.

Damir Banović, a member of the SOS4Democracy team from the University of Sarajevo – Faculty of Law, recently presented his research and findings at Université Lumière Lyon.

In his lecture »Human Rights Challenges in Bosnia and Herzegovina«, he highlighted how the post-war constitutional framework continues to produce structural discrimination, particularly against those outside the ‘constituent peoples.’ He also addressed the ongoing marginalization of minorities that weakens the rule of law.

☝️The discussion emphasized that meaningful progress depends on both constitutional reform and a stronger institutional commitment to equality and human rights.

Dozens of ships were supposed to set sail from Barcelona for Palestine, but unfortunately, the departure was postponed due to bad weather.

❗️Despite the delay: the organizers predict that additional vessels will join the flotilla along the way, and in total, about a hundred ships with about a thousand activists from 70 countries are expected to participate in the largest humanitarian expedition of this kind.

Article in Slovene available on Delo website🔗 https://www.sos4democracy.eu/new-article-in-delo-newspaper-a-new-even-larger-flotilla-towards-gaza/

When the law is not enough, what is our responsibility? 💡

Last week, our team member Almina Selimbašić participated in the conference "Criminological Perspectives on Palestine: Legal Responses and Academic Complicity in Times of Genocide" organised by the Institute of Criminology at the Faculty of Law Ljubljana and the Faculty of Law UL.

In her presentation, Almina discussed the specificity of academic boycotts within the legal academic community, highlighting their conceptual and practical connection to the understanding of law itself.

📢 Her study shows that legal academic boycotts are not just symbolic—they are part of the ethical responsibility of legal scholars and can serve as both a moral and political tool when the law alone is not enough.

🖋📰 Instead of integrating immigrants into society, the right-wing government of Giorgia Meloni has been creating conditions that push them into invisibility, social marginalization, and forms of work that often resemble modern slavery.

Read more in the reportage written by Gašper Završnik 🔗https://www.delo.si/sobotna-priloga/visoka-cena-poceni-paradiznikov