The following media round up on international, legal and foreign policy issues from around the Balkans for the period from 30 September to 6 October 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.
Bosnia and Herzegovina – 6 October 2022
The latest intervention of the Office of the High Representative, OHR, Germany’s Christian Schmidt, includes changes to the country’s election law, raising the number of representatives in the Federation entity’s House of Peoples and the way they are chosen. The full article can be found here.
Bosnia and Herzegovina – 5 October 2022
The ruling parties are pressing ahead with bringing a so-called 'disinformation' law to parliament, which critics say will increase censorship in traditional and social media. The full article can be found here.
Bosnia and Herzegovina – 5 October 2022
The Cantonal Court in Bihac has confirmed an indictment charging Husein Cejvanovic with shooting a prisoner dead during the conflict between the separatist Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia wartime statelet and the Bosnian Army. The full article can be found here.
Kosovo – 5 October 2022
Council of Europe report on justice systems says that the backlogs built up in Southeast European courts during the pandemic – while courts in Central Europe and Turkey remained efficient. The full article can be found here.
Albania – 4 October 2022
Former prosecutor Besnik Cani, who was dismissed in 2020 by a vetting body set up to scrutinise judicial officials for potential signs of corruption, won his case against Albania at the European Court of Human Rights. The full article can be found here.
Serbia – October 2022
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that no Serbian citizens are connected to espionage allegations at the Romanian branch of Serbia-based energy company NIS Petrol, which is controlled by Russia’s Gazprom. The full article can be found here.
Bosnia and Herzegovina – 3 October 2022
The US Treasury imposed sanctions on the prime minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Federation entity, Fadil Novalic, for misusing pensioners’ personal data and allegedly “undermining democratic institutions and processes” for political gain. The full article can be found here.
Kosovo – 30 September 2022
The prosecution at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague is withdrawing one accusation about alleged war crimes in Ferizaj/Urosevac in Kosovo from the indictment of ex-President Hashim Thaci and his co-accused. The full article can be found here.