Editing Defamation (section)

====Central and Eastern Europe====
Since 2014, use of criminal defamation and insult laws increased. New [[legal obligation]]s were imposed on [[ISP]]s to monitor content, as a matter of national security{{snd}}particularly in the [[Commonwealth of Independent States]] (CIS) sub-region.<ref name="UNESCO Central and Eastern Europe Report 2018"/>

Since 2012, more countries in the [[South-East Europe]] sub-region decriminalized defamation. Of the {{clarify |text=eight countries |reason=Which countries were classified as part of "the SEE sub-region"? This seems very inaccurate. |date=August 2023}}, three repealed all general provisions on criminal defamation and insult, {{clarify |text=four |reason=Which four? There seem to be less than four. This seems inaccurate.|date=August 2023}} retained criminal defamation offences but without the possibility of imprisonment, and {{clarify |text=one |reason=Which one? There seem to be more than one, no matter which classification was used. This seems very inaccurate.|date=August 2023}} retained imprisonment as a possibility. Defamation of public officials, state bodies, or state institutions was criminalized in {{clarify |text=one |reason=Which one? There could be more than one, depending on the classification used; and the provisions seem to be split between them (i.e. they're not all encountered in the same country). This seems inaccurate.|date=August 2023}} country. Other forms of criminal offences existed in some countries: insulting public officials, harming the reputation and honour of the head of state, insulting or defaming the state.<ref name="UNESCO Central and Eastern Europe Report 2018"/>

Civil laws to protect the reputation of individuals or their privacy were increasingly used. There was an increase in the number of cases where [[politician]]s turned to the courts, seeking relief for reputational injuries. Civil defamation lawsuits by politicians limited press freedom, in at least one country of the CIS sub-region.<ref name="UNESCO Central and Eastern Europe Report 2018"/>