The following media round-up on international, legal and foreign policy issues from around the Balkans for the period from 12 January 2024 to 19 January 2024.
Guernica 37 will provide weekly media updates with a focus on Bosnia and Hercegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. Should you wish to contribute or submit a media summary, opinion piece or blog, please send to Ned Vucijak at nenadv@guernica37.com for consideration.
Croatia - 18 January 2024
Journalists’ union and opposition slate government’s push for MPs to vote on controversial law at the same time as an uncontroversial law on femicide, calling it a 'cowardly' move; see here.
Â
Bosnia - 18 January 2024
Former Security Minister Selmo Cikotic, who was a Bosnian Army officer during the war, is charged with failing to prevent the torture and murder of Croat military prisoners in Bugojno in 1993; see here.
Â
Albania - 18 January 2024
Albania’s constitutional court is reviewing the asylum deal signed with Italy. Under the agreement, claims for asylum in the European Union will be processed externally on Albanian soil; see here.
Â
Greece - 18 January 2024
Greek police have identified seven people suspected of involvement in the murders of leading members of the Greek mafia in what looks like a bloody inter-mafia feud; see here.
Â
Kosovo - 18 January 2024
Two police investigators told the trial for the assassination of opposition politician Oliver Ivanovic that they didn’t see any evidence-tampering after they arrived at the crime scene in North Mitrovica in January 2018; see here.
Â
Bosnia - 18 January 2024Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
After watching South Africa’s case against Israel at the UN court last week accusing the state of committing genocide in its military campaign in Gaza, Bosnian war survivor Arnesa Buljušmić-Kustura felt compelled to act; see here.
Â
Bosnia - 18 January 2024
Secretary of State Blinken accuses Bosnian HDZ leader Dragan Covic of putting important natural gas pipeline with Croatia at risk – saying his 'obvious corruption and self-dealing could jeopardise Bosnia and Herzegovina's EU path'; see here.
Â
Kosovo - 15 January 2024
In 1999, two UK forensics experts were asked to make a secret trip to examine the bodies of a Kosovo Albanian family allegedly killed by paramilitary boss Zeljko ‘Arkan’ Raznatovic. On the 24th anniversary of Arkan’s own murder, the crime remains unsolved; see here.
Â
Bosnia - 15 January 2024
Marketing company Mania designated under the UK’s Bosnia and Herzegovina sanctions regime for activity which threatens peace and stability. Mania were awarded a lucrative contract to organise illegal celebrations for Republika Srpska Day in direct contravention of the country’s constitution and court rulings; see here.
Â
Serbia - 12 January 2024
When Serbian opposition politician Nikola Sandulović posted a video apologising for his country’s war crimes in Kosovo, secret police arrested him and beat him up, according to his lawyers and family; see here.