Balkan Legal News – 8 November 2024

The following media round-up on international, legal and foreign policy issues from around the Balkans for the period from 31 October 2024 – 7 November 2024. 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 - 7 November

A witness who was compelled to testify in the trial of former President of Kosovo, Hasim Thaci, before the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague has told the tribunal that Thaci and three other accused KLA veterans did not hold positions that enabled them to give operational orders. Shukri Buja, an ex-KLA commander stated that Thaci held the main political responsibility at the time, while his co-accused Jakup Krasniqi was the spokesperson for the KLA, while Kadri Veseli was responsible for intelligence and counter intelligence but did not give orders, and as such their positions did not give them the ability to make operational orders. See here.

Bosnia and Montenegro - 7 November

11 people have been arrested as suspects in a tobacco smuggling and money laundering operation which involved a lorry load of smuggled cigarettes crossing the Montenegrin border into Bosnia every week for several years. The Interior Ministry of the Republika Srpska which was responsible for the investigation made the interception after gathering evidence from Sky ECC, an encrypted chat program utilised by criminals. See here.

  Serbia – 6 November

Several people have been arrested in Serbia for rioting after unrest at a mass protest in Novi Sad in relation to the deadly collapse of the railway station which killed 14 people and injured several others. The station had recently been renovated as part of a Chinese-led upgrade of Serbia’s railway infrastructure. See here.

Montenegro - 4 November

The former President of the Supreme Court of Montenegro has been convicted of abuse of office and sentenced to 6 months in prison. The conviction related to an allegation that Medenica had allowed a Basic Court Judge to continue working and receiving a salary when he should have been temporarily suspended from duty as he was under criminal investigation.

However, Medenica was first arrested in April 2022 after messages were discovered on an encrypted messaging app (Sky ECC) between her son and a police man arranging the purchase of cocaine and smuggled cigarettes, with her son claiming in the messages that she was aware and would protect them. See here.

Croatia – 7 November

Ivan Zvonimir Cicak, the Croatian dissident and human rights advocate has died at the age of 78 in Zagreb. During his life he was a vocal advocate for human rights and reform, bringing him into conflict with both the Yugoslav authorities, as well as the first President of independent Croatia, Franjo Tudjman. He also carefully documented war crimes committed on the territory of Croatia, regardless of which side had carried them out. See here. Bosnia – 7 November

The Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik held a cocktail party in celebration of the election of Donald Trump. He stated that "For Republika Srpska and me personally, Trump's victory symbolizes a return to values we hold dear family, freedom of choice, and the right to preserve one's traditions". Last year Dodik said that a Trump presidency would mean a better geopolitical situation for Republika Srpska, and stated he regretted not declaring independence from Bosnia during Trump's last presidency. See here.