The index compiled by Reporters without Borders shows clearly that media freedom is rapidly receding behind the Iron Curtain of old. In fact, as you quote Miklos Haraszti, a media-watcher at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, a human-rights watchdog: “The Iron Curtain is still there” (“Shut Up or Be Sued,” October 24, 2009). It surely is. For my sins, I am in court for libel in Croatia, whose ranking has dropped by thirty-three points since last year—a record for Central and Eastern Europe. I wrote on my website of literary character and in English language that the mayor of my town and several others in my municipality are in a conflict of interests regarding the sale of land for golf development. One would think that this would be rather innocuous in a country notorious for corruption and organized crime, but that would be wrong. Libel is a criminal offence in Croatia, and it is so defined in law that the defendant has practically no chances in court. Not surprisingly, the media thus tend to skirt real issues and focus on trivia. This would be a dream of old communist leaders—censorship without censors.