The following media round up on international, legal and foreign policy issues from around the Balkans for the period from 27 January to 1 February 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.
Croatia – 1 February 2023
Croatia's president Milanovic - who has often crossed swords with his own government - has been added to a Ukrainian website listing Ukraine's enemies following his latest pro-Russian outbursts on the war in the country. The full article can be found here.
Kosovo – 1 February 2023
Minority Serbs in Kosovo already enjoy considerable rights under the country’s constitution. Creating an association of Serb-majority municipalities will only further entrench the ethnic divide. The full article can be found here.
Moldova – 31 January 2023
The Moldovan Orthodox Church, which is subordinate to the Russian church, urged the government not to recognise same-sex partnerships or adopt legislation to protect LGBT couples’ rights in line with a European Court ruling. The full article can be found here.
Serbia – 31 January 2023
Latest Transparency International report on perceived levels of public corruption gives Hungary, Bosnia, Serbia and Albania the thumbs down – but notes progress in Kosovo, North Macedonia and Moldova. The full article can be found here.
Albania – 30 January 2023
As Albanian police continue their drive to dismantle security cameras illegally erected by organized crime gangs, experts voice concern about the gangs' apparent 'superiority' over state institutions. The full article can be found here.
Slovenia – 30 January 2023
Slovenian media reports say two citizens of South American nationality have been arrested and charged with spying for Russia. The full article can be found here.
Montenegro – 27 January 2023
The state prosecution said it failed to create a database of Montenegrin citizens who were members of paramilitary units during the 1990s wars because of a lack of cooperation from other former Yugoslav countries. The full article can be found here.
Bosnia and Herzegovina – 27 January 2023
Husein Mujanovic’s sentence for abusing Serb civilian prisoners held in inhumane conditions in a Bosnian Army military prison in Hrasnica near Sarajevo in 1992 was reduced to four-and-a-half years on appeal. The full article can be found here.