While the world watches Egypt, another similar struggle is underway in a country that could not be more different — Belarus, sandwiched between Russia, Poland and the Baltic states, and facing a similar struggle for an independent media and freedom from an authoritarian regime.

One of the most protracted and violent struggles for freedom of the press in Europe since the fall of the Soviet Union is unfolding in Belarus, where a presidential election widely viewed as rigged has sparked protests and a brutal crackdown.

A question comes this week from the UK: Should the press be patriotic? Plus, protests erupt over the brutal beatings of Russian journalists.

Journalists in Russia have long faced often brutal retaliation for their reporting into organized crime and the corruption of public officials. Now that violence appears to be hitting journalists reporting on one of the country’s most high-profile environmental battles—over the government’s plan to pave a highway through one of the last remaining pristine forests in western Russia.

This week’s Global Digest looks into a side effect of Europe’s integration: sham marriages. Also, Iceland declares itself the world’s first official “safe haven” for whistle-blowers and investigative journalists.

Here at CIR’s Global Digest, it’s been heartening to see what amounts to a boom in nonprofit journalistic enterprises around the world. We’ll be having a look at some of their work over the coming months.