The following media round-up on international, legal and foreign policy issues from around the Balkans for the period from 26 February to 04 March 2025. 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.
Serbia - 25 February 2025
Using Trump's criticism of USAID as a pretext, police in Serbia have raided several NGOs that received money from the US agency – which they condemned as overt pressure due to their work on protecting human rights. The full article can be found here.
Montenegro - 26 February 2025
President Jakov Milatovic urged parliament in Montenegro to pass a law that would compensate the former inmates of the infamous Goli Otok political prison camp and “recognise their suffering”. The full article can be found here.
Bosnia and Herzegovina - 26 February 2025
Police in Brcko District Centre, an autonomous unit in Bosnia and Herzegovina, said three individuals were arrested on suspicion of child trafficking, human trafficking and neglect or abuse of children. The full article can be found here.
Kosovo - 26 February 2025
Judges in The Hague have upheld the 15-year jail sentence handed down to former Kosovo Liberation Army commander Salih Mustafa for war crimes. The full article can be found here.
Bosnia and Herzegovina - 27 February 2025
The court rejected appeals by former soldiers Bosko Uncanin, Dragan Despot and Marinko Miljevic against their convictions for committing crimes against humanity over their participation in wartime murders in Velagici near Kljuc in 1992. The full article can be found here.
Bosnia and Herzegovina - 28 February 2025
As tensions over the conviction of Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik continue, Bosniak representatives in the Serb-dominated entity’s legislature announced on Friday that they will contest new attempts by Serb lawmakers to challenge the authority of the country’s state-level institutions. The full article can be found here.
Croatia - 3 March 2025
The ruling Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, has regained its slender majority in Croatia’s parliament after Homeland Movement MP Josip Dabro – who is charged with violating the rights of a child and possessing illegal weapons – was released from custody on Monday. The full article can be found here.
Albania - 3 March 2025
Following the arrest of a key ally, Prime Minister Edi Rama has raised concerns over the judiciary and the reform of the justice sector in a bid to turn the tables ahead of May’s elections, experts say. Full articles are available here and here.
Kosovo - 4 March 2025
After a career littered with firsts, retired Kosovo prosecutor Drita Hajdari says the pursuit of justice for the crimes committed during the collapse of Yugoslavia is far from over. The full article can be found here.