Balkan Legal News

The following media round up on international, legal and foreign policy issues from around the Balkans for the period from 3 December to 01 December 2021. Guernica 37 will provide weekly media updates with a focus on Bosnia and Herzegovina, 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.

Bosnia and Herzegovina – 3 December 2021

Seven former Bosnian Serb police officers were arrested on suspicion of involvement in the murder of 22 Bosniak civilians in a village near Bijeljina in 1992. The prosecution said that the suspects were arrested in several different towns in Bosnia and Herzegovina and will be handed over to the prosecutor for questioning. The full article can be found here.

Bosnia and Herzegovina – 6 December 2021

The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network will hold an exhibition and publish a book that commemorates journalists and media workers who were killed during and immediately after the violent break-up of Yugoslavia. The full article can be found here.

Montenegro – 6 December 2021

In a joint statement, the Centre for Civic Education, CGO, Human Rights Action, HRA, and Documenta – Center for Dealing with the Past said prosecuting those responsible for war crimes is a state obligation under both domestic and international law. “We expect justice to be provided for the victims of war crimes, court proceedings to be initiated, and appropriate verdicts to be passed for Montenegro to relieve itself of the burden of collective responsibility,” the NGOs’ joint statement said. The full article can be found here.

North Macedonia – 6 December 2021

The North Macedonian government agreed to its new coalition partner’s demand for an international investigation into several ethnically charged terrorism trials. This decision has raised more questions than it answers. Some legal experts and observers met this news with scepticism, asking why Zaev’s government did not seek an investigation previously, while the cases were still open. The full article can be found here.

Kosovo – 6 December 2021

The leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army’s War Veterans Organization, Hysni Gucati, and the deputy leader, Nasim Haradinaj, are on trial for war crimes before the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague. Hysni Gucati told the Court he had been “set a trap” when he was given two tranches of confidential case files from the Specialist Court. The full article can be found here.

Bosnia and Hercegovina- 7 December 2021 A group of Bosnian Serbs, former wartime detainees and relatives of some of those still missing from the war, protested outside the Bosnian State Court. The demonstration was about a lack of action concerning war crimes committed against Serbs during the 1992-95 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The full article can be found here.

Kosovo – 9 December 2021

A Serbian citizen, named only as D.A., was arrested in Kosovo on suspicion of having committed war crimes against civilians during the Kosovo war, the Kosovo Special Prosecution announced. Police said the suspect was arrested at the border crossing between Kosovo and Serbia in Jarinje and taken into custody on a court order. The full article can be found here.

Bosnia and Hercegovina- 9 December 2021

Bosnia's state prosecution has filed an indictment against Milomir Djuricic 'Djure', and Vukadin Spasojevic, also known as 'Mico' and 'Era', charging them with crimes against humanity in Bosnia's eastern Visegrad area. The full article can be found here.