The following media round up on international, legal and foreign policy issues from around the Balkans for the period from 7 July to 13 July 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.
Kosovo – 12 July 2023
The Supreme Court has overturned the conviction of a Serb former minister in the Kosovo government, Ivan Todosijevic, clearing him of inciting hatred for denying that a massacre of Albanian civilians in January 1999 happened. The full article can be found here.
Bulgaria – 12 July 2023
An article from the Russian media Katyusha that was published in September 2019 and promoted homophobic hate speech was republished by one of Bulgaria’s newspapers, Trud(Labour), which has led to the conviction of the portal by the Supreme Court. The full article can be found here.
Kosovo – 12 July 2023
The Kosovo prosecution has charged a former member of Serbian armed forces with involvement in crimes against humanity against ethnic Albanian civilians during the Kosovo war, including killings, torture and beatings. The full article can be found here.
Montenegro – 11 July 2023
High-ranking Montenegrin police officer Jugoslav Raicevic was arrested for alleged abuse of office and for creating a criminal organisation – offences reportedly connected to his alleged links with a drug gang. The full article can be found here.
Bosnia and Herzegovina – 10 July 2023
In the past 12 months, the Bosnian prosecution has only issued one indictment for crimes related to the 1995 Srebrenica massacres - charging a suspect who couldn’t be brought to trial because he lives in Serbia. The full article can be found here.
Albania – 10 July 2023
Prosecutors want parliamentary immunity lifted so that former Deputy PM Arben Ahmetaj can be arrested on charges of corruption and money laundering. The full article can be found here.
Kosovo – 10 July 2023
An ethnic Roma former member of Serbian armed forces was charged in absentia with expelling ethnic Albanians from their homes and looting and burning property during the Kosovo war. The full article can be found here.
Moldova – 10 July 2023
Intelligence agency says it has uncovered a spy network run by two Russian citizens tasked with spreading disinformation on social networks against the country's pro-Western leadership. The full article can be found here.
North Macedonia – 7 July 2023
Draghi Rashkovski and six other defendants received prison sentences in first-instance verdicts for buying overpriced software for the police that was neither needed or used. The full article can be found here.
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