The following media round up on international, legal and foreign policy issues from around the Balkans for the period from 21 October to 27 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
Albania – 21 October 2022
The Socialist Party-controlled parliament approved legal changes to allow renewed vetting of officials suspected of collaborating with the Communist-era secret police, but blocked a proposal to make all the confidential Sigurimi files open to the public. The full article can be found here.
Serbia – 25 October 2022
A witness at the trial in Belgrade of two former Bosnian Serb soldiers accused of participating in killing 27 Bosniak civilians in 1992 said that that his previous testimony incriminating the defendants was false. The full article can be found here.
Bulgaria – 26 October 2022
Bulgaria’s new parliament, formed after inconclusive elections on October 2, remains at odds over military support for Ukraine, reflecting the country's long-standing left-right, East-West divide. The full article can be found here.
Bosnia and Herzegovina – 26 October 2022
The state court is seeking the arrest of former Bosnian Serb Army soldier Miodrag Mitrasinovic, who was convicted of involvement in abducting 20 passengers from a train at Strpci station in 1993 and then killing them. The full article can be found here.
North Macedonia – 26 October 2022
The President, Stevo Pendarovski and unions have voiced outrage over the assault by masked men on journalist Zoran Bozinovski and are demanding an investigation. The full article can be found here.
Kosovo – 26 October 2022
After gathering data from 900 survivors of wartime sexual assault, the Kosovo Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims concluded that rape was used as a weapon of war during the Kosovo conflict. The full article can be found here.
Serbia – 26 October 2022
Radmila Stevanovic, who worked as medical worker with Bosnian Serb forces in the Visegrad area in 1993, told Belgrade Higher Court that Dragana Djekic, one of the defendants accused of abducting 20 people from a train in Strpci and killing them, was with her on the day that the crime was committed. The full article can be found here.
Czech Republic – 27 October 2022
Last year, the Czech Republic passed a law to compensate Roma women who had been sterilised using coercive tactics. But among thousands of victims, barely a hundred have received any money. The full article can be found here.