The following media round up on international, legal and foreign policy issues from around the Balkans for the period from 4 February to 10 February 2022.
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.
Croatia – 4 January 2022
Civil rights organisations welcomed Zagreb city council’s decision to add the Zec family, a Serb couple and their daughter killed by Croatian police during the war, to a register of names of people who should have streets named after them. The full article can be found here.
Kosovo – 7 February 2022
German ambassador to Pristina, Joern Rohde, said he is “very concerned” about the renovation of the former house of Kosovo Albanian politician Xhafer Deva, who was interior minister in a Nazi collaborationist regime during World War II. The full article can be found here.
Bosnia and Hercegovina – 8 February 2022
The state court in Sarajevo confirmed a revised indictment charging former Bosnian Serb policemen, Dane Bajic and Mijodrag Knezevic, with participation in illegal detentions, torture and murder in the municipality of Prijedor in 1992. The full article can be found here.
Bosnia and Herzegovina – 9 February 2022
The State court of Bosnia and Herzegovina confirmed an indictment charging nine former soldiers and policemen with committing a crime against humanity in the village of Zijemlje near Mostar, where around 100 Bosniaks, including children, were killed in 1992. The full article can be found here.
Serbia – 9 February 2022
Miroljub Vujovic, who was convicted of one of the most notorious crimes of the Croatian war, has been released after serving just two-thirds of his 20-year sentence. The full article can be found here.
Albania – 10 January 2022
Albania's parliament has voted to extend the mandate of key justice-vetting bodies until December 31, 2024 – a move welcomed by the US embassy and EU delegations in Tirana. The full article can be found here.
Montenegro – 10 January 2022
The mayor of the Montenegrin town of Pljevlja, Igor Golubovic, resigned amid a controversy over his alleged opposition to removing graffiti celebrating Bosnian Serb war criminal Ratko Mladic in his hometown. The full article can be found here.
Bosnia and Herzegovina – 10 February 2022
Novica Tripkovic pleaded not guilty at the Bosnian state court on the 10th of February, denying that he forced two female Bosniak captives to have sex with him in 1992 in the Foca municipality. The full article can be found here.