Balkan Legal News – 25 February 2026

The following media round-up on international, legal and foreign policy issues from around the Balkans for the period from 18 February to 24 February 2026. 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.

Guernica 37 Balkan Legal News

Kosovo – 24 February 2026

The Basic Court of Pristina on Tuesday sentenced Driton Gashi, former chief of Kosovo’s Intelligence Agency to four years and eight months in prison for the controversial deportation of six alleged “Gulenists” to Turkey in March 2018. This is the second time the court has ordered such a sentence for Gashi for the deportations of the alleged supporters of cleric Fethullah Gulen, who was accused by the Turkish government of attempting a coup. The appeals court overturned the original May 2023 verdict in the Gashi trial, ordering a retrial. The full article is available here.

North Macedonia – 24 February 2026

After the Criminal Court in Skopje on Monday night accepted a prosecution proposal of house detention for arrested former Deputy PM Artan Grubi, the main ruling VMRO DPMNE party on Monday said it understood feelings of public outrage over this mild measure. The party deflected claims that it was behind this move, instead blaming the judiciary, which it said had been corrupted by its predecessors in power, the opposition Social Democrats. “That time is over, and the criminal and embroiled Artan Grubi will be held accountable”, the party wrote in a press release. The full article is available here.

Kosovo – 23 February 2026

Pristina Basic Court on Monday sentenced former Serbian police officer Dusko Arsic to 13 years of imprisonment on war-crime charges for involvement in Serbian police units committing murders and mistreating Kosovo Albanian civilians during the 1998-99 war in Kosovo. But charges of his personal involvement in expulsion, robbery and burning houses in the Pristina area were dropped. A similar first-instance verdict two years ago was overturned by the Court of Appeals in January 2025 on “essential violations of the provisions of criminal procedure”. The full article is available here.

Croatia – 23 February 2026

While Defence Minister Ivan Anusic was on an official visit to Israel on Monday, Croatia’s President, Zoran Milanovic, reiterated that he had previously ordered an end to all cooperation with the Israeli army. “Due to the unacceptable behaviour of the Israeli army and the unprecedented violation of international humanitarian law [in Gaza], in May last year I ordered the cessation of all cooperation between the Croatian Armed Forces and the Israeli army, which applies to all members of the Croatian Army”, Milanovic said. Meanwhile, Anusic on Monday met Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, and discussed defence cooperation. The full article is available here.

Turkey – 20 February 2026

Deutsche Welle (DW) and media rights groups on Friday called on the Turkish authorities to immediately release DW’s arrested Turkish investigative journalist, Alican Uludag. Uludag, a well-known investigative reporter with DW, was arrested on charges of “insulting the President”, “disseminating disinformation” and “insulting the Turkish nation, state and institutions”. More than 30 police officers detained Uludag at his home in Ankara in front of his family while his residence was searched and his electronic devices seized.  The full article is available here.

Greece – 19 February 2026

An Athens court on Wednesday confirmed the guilty verdict in the trial of Fr Antonios Papanikolaou, founder of the children’s shelter Kivotos tou Kosmou (Ark of the World), upping the sentence to nine years and six months, almost double the initial sentence. Fr Antonios was found guilty of grievous bodily harm to minors, instigation of dangerous and simple bodily harm and instigation of threatening behaviour. The court also found four of his associates guilty of grievous bodily harm, dangerous bodily harm, simple bodily harm, threats and exposure. Among those found guilty are a former member of the board of directors of the shelter, the former head of educators and the former director of the facility, located in Volos, Magnesia. The full article is available here.

Kosovo – 18 February 2026

The three-year war crimes and crimes against humanity trial of former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, former parliament speakers Kadri Veseli and Jakup Krasniqi, and former MP Rexhep Selimi ended last week at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague. The four senior wartime officials of the Kosovo Liberation Armyaddressed the court at the end of their lawyers’ closing statements. One after the other, they emphasised their innocence and that their involvement in the armed struggle of Kosovo Albanians for freedom i the 1998-99 war was just. Thaci said that “there is only one truth: the charges do not stand. I am completely innocent”. He added that “I sympathise and express regret for all the victims who have suffered in Kosovo, regardless of their ethnic background”. The full article is available here.

Western Balkan – 18 February 2026

A delegation from the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs, led by German MEP David McAllister, concluded a fact-finding visit on 18 February 2026 to Montenegro and Albania — the two most advanced EU accession candidate countries — to assess their progress toward EU membership. The visit came amid broad EU political support for enlargement, with EU Council President Antonio Costa praising both nations as “frontrunners” showing the way for others. Montenegro has opened all 33 negotiating chapters and recently closed several more, with the EU hoping its accession treaty drafting can begin soon, while Albania is targeting the conclusion of negotiations by 2027. The full article is available here.