The following media round up on international, legal and foreign policy issues from around the Balkans for the period from 16 December to 22 December 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.
Kosovo – 22 December 2022
Reporters Without Borders calls for better protection for journalists reporting from the volatile north of the country, where at least four attacks on journalists have been recorded in five weeks. The full article can be found here.
Montenegro – 22 December 2022
In 2022, the Montenegrin authorities started investigating a retired Yugoslav navy officer and put a Bosnian Serb Army ex-soldier on trial, but there were few other signs of progress towards dealing with the country’s wartime past. The full article can be found here.
Montenegro – 22 December 2022
Montenegro’s former head of the Customs Office, Rade Milosevic, was arrested on Wednesday night on the orders of the Special State Prosecutor’s Office for allegedly creating a criminal organization. The full article can be found here.
Croatia – 21 December 2022
Croatia: ‘Operation Storm’ Case Sparks Fresh Discord with Serbia. Zagreb made progress in 2022 by commemorating a notorious war crime against Serbs, but Croatian and Serbian officials traded barbs again over unprosecuted atrocities from the 1990s conflict. The full article can be found here.
Bosnia and Herzegovina – 20 December 2022
The Bosnian court upheld the five-month prison sentences handed down to three members of a Serb nationalist Chetnik organisation who were convicted of inciting hatred at a rally in the town of Visegrad in 2019. The full article can be found here.
Serbia – 19 December 2022
Serbian’s Trial for ‘Publicly Inciting’ Terrorism to Start in January. Igor Despotovic is accused of public incitement to commit terrorist acts by posting Islamic State-related material on various Instagram accounts and Telegram channels. The full article can be found here.
Moldova – 19 December 2022
A Moldovan media NGO has demanded a full explanation after the authorities took six pro-Russian TV stations off air as part of their efforts to tackle Moscow’s war propaganda. The full article can be found here.
Kosovo – 16 December 2022
The 26-year sentence handed down to wartime Kosovo Liberation Army unit commander Salih Mustafa was condemned by some Kosovo Albanians as an unjust punishment imposed on a man who fought to defend his people. The full article can be found here.
Albania – 16 December 2022
The High Council of Prosecutors chose a new head of the Special Prosecution against Organised Crime and Corruption, in an election which was being closely followed by the US to ensure there was no political interference. The full article can be found here.