Weekly update: 19 May – 25 May 2023

The following media round up on international, legal and foreign policy issues from around the Balkans for the period from 19 May to 25 May 2023.

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 – 25 May 2023

Bosnians Commemorate Tuzla Massacre, Demanding Justice for Victims. “I’m afraid that Kapija will remain a place where parents, while the last one is still alive, will suffer while waiting for justice, for someone to be held accountable for the massacre,” said Hilmo Bucuk. The full article can be found here.

Serbia – 25 May 2023

A leaked proposal by Hungary’s MVM Group that would see Serbia cede much of its hydropower resources has been seized on by the Serbian opposition and energy experts as another damaging consequence of the close ties between the countries’ leaders. The Full article can be found here.

Croatia – 24 May 2023

Croatia’s Catholic Church Goes Public on Child Abuse Cases. As Church goes public on clerical child abuse cases for the first time, Ombudsperson expresses concern about the protection of children and prosecution of alleged perpetrators. The full article can be found here.

Albania – 24 May 2023

Albania Agrees to Host 200 Albanian Prisoners From UK. Albania says it has agreed to take back 200 prisoners from the UK, which will cover the entire cost of their remaining sentences in Albanian jails. The full article can be found here.

Romania – 23 May 2023

The European Court of Human Rights ruled that Romania is breaching the rights of same-sex couples by refusing to legally recognise their relationships. The full article can be found here.

Kosovo – 23 May 2023

The latest witness in the Hague war crimes trial of former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and three co-defendants claimed he suffered physical and psychological consequences after an assault by Kosovo Liberation Army fighters. The full article can be found here.

Kosovo – 19 May 2023

A Serbian former police force reservist has been indicted for the wartime rape of a Kosovo Albanian man – the latest in a series of Serbian war crime suspects that Kosovo prosecutors want to be tried in absentia. The full article can be found here.

Kosovo -18 May 2023

At the end of Naser Kelmendi's retrial, Pristina Basic Court on Thursday jailed him for four years and eight months for drug trafficking, which his lawyer said he will appeal. The full article can be found here.