Balkan Legal News

The following media round up on international, legal and foreign policy issues from around the Balkans for the period from 10 February to 17 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.

Albania – 10 February 2022

Albania’s parliament has voted to extend the five-year mandates of the Independent Qualification Commission, KPK, and Public Commissioners, to vet judges and prosecutors. The full article can be found here.

Serbia – 11 February 2022

Islamist extremism in Serbia is decreasing but far-right extremism is on the rise, according to research by the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy, BCBP, and the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia. The full article can be found here.

Bosnia and Herzegovina – 11 February 2022

The National Assembly in Bosnia’s Serb-dominated Republika Srpska entity backed a draft law to establish the entity’s own High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council, challenging the authority of the Bosnian state’s top judicial institution. The full article can be found here.

Albania – 14 February 2022

A new documentary entitled ‘Tirona’s Unyielding Gentlemen’, which tells the stories of the suffering of some of the Albanian capital’s most prominent figures during the Communist period, was screened for the first time. The creator of the documentary, Admirina Peci, said that its purpose was to reveal a history kept silent and often distorted by Communist propaganda. The full article can be found here.

Albania – 14 February 2022

A new plan has been drafted to drastically reduce the number of courts in Albania. This is to address the shortage of judges caused by the vetting process and the overload of the justice system. This has brought out criticism from rights watchdogs, which say it will reduce access to the courts. The plan is to close 19 out of 39 courts. The full article can be found here.

Bosnia and Herzegovina – 16 February 2202

Parts of skeletons , believed to be Bosniak victims of the war who disappeared in 1993, have been unearthed from a burial site in the Mostar area in the hopes of identifying them. The full article can be found here.

Montenegro – 17 February 2022

Montenegro’s Special State Prosecutor, Milivoje Katnic, said his early retirement was the result of a political vendetta waged by parties in the current government. The full article can be found here.

Croatia – 17 February 2022

Police have identified the hacker into Croatian Tele Operator A1’s database, exposing some user data, as a 14-year-old school pupil. The police also said that he had an accomplice, who was not from Croatia and who did not participate in the hacking itself. The full article can be found here.