We are delivering the winter issue of the online journal V4 Human Rights Review, which reports on developments in the areas of human rights and democracy in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.

We start with a report from the V4 conference on democracy, rule of law and human rights written by Pavel Doubek. The main focus of the conference was on judicial independence, as well as on hate speech and discrimination. What are the opinions of each country’s experts on recent developments in these areas? 

In the Czech section, Eliška Hronová discusses the gender pay gap, as the Czech Republic is one of the countries with the highest gender pay gap in Europe. In her article she focuses on how pay transparency could contribute to the reduction of pay inequality.

In the Hungarian section, Péter Kállai explains the recent developments with regard to the disruption of the largest Hungarian news portal. What are its consequences for media freedom in Hungary?

In the Polish section, Łukasz Szoszkiewicz provides an insight into the situation of the LGBT+ community. The matter gained attention this summer after an LGBT+ activist was arrested, which triggered various reactions not only in Poland.

In the Slovak section, Erik Láštic reflects on how the judges of the Constitutional Court are selected and focuses on events that took place over the last two years, including the recent developments that give rise to optimism.

We hope you enjoy this issue!