A Serbian court has granted approximately €3,300 in reparation to the former mayor of the Kosovo municipality of Suva Reka for suffering caused by Serbian police during conflict in Kosovo.The First Basic Court in Belgrade has ruled on Friday that Serbia is responsible for the torture of Mustafa Kolgeci, an …
Read More »Opposition Mounts Against Macedonia Defamation Law
NGOs, human rights groups and the media have demanded changes to a draft Law on Civil Liability for Defamation, arguing that it will introduce extensive censorship on the internet.Critics united in a joint front against the draft say that if the law is enacted without change, the internet in Macedonia …
Read More »Serbia’s Troubled TV Avala Gets New Owners
The turbo-folk production house, Grand Production, along with another Serbian company, Beohemija, have taken over the indebted broadcaster TV Avala.After two months of consultations, Grand Production and Beohemija became major owners of TV Avala after obtaining the shares of media mogul Zeljko Mitrovic, Serbian businessman Danko Djunic and the Economic …
Read More »Albania Ex-Political Prisoners Vow Fast to Death
A group of eight communist-era political prisoners who have been on strike for 23 days vowed on Sunday to fast to death if the government keeps ignoring their demand for faster reparations.“We will fast to death and will not let the sacrifice of our two friends who set themselves on …
Read More »Komsic To Form Own Party in Bosnia
Bosnian Presidency member Zeljko Komsic has announced he is working on forming a new party after quitting the ruling Social Democratic Party.The Croat member of Bosnia’s tripartite Presidency on Thursday said he was starting a new party which, according to him, will be ready to fight for real changes in …
Read More »NGOs Criticize Serbian President for Genocide Denial
Serbian right groups have condemned a recent statement of the Serbian president that the massacre in Srebrenica, while a horrible crime, was not genocide.Seven Belgrade based human rights organisations issued a joint statement saying that President Tomislav Nikolic’s claims that the crimes committed in Srebrenica were not genocide offended the …
Read More »US Urges Progress on Macedonia Name Deal
The US Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, Michael Hammer, on Friday urged Macedonia and Greece to step up activities leading to a solution to the long-standing ‘name’ dispute.”The United States would like to see the issue resolved so that Macedonia joins NATO as soon as possible. Again, we …
Read More »Croats Demonstrate Against Spending Cuts
About ten thousand Croatian teachers, university professors and nurses demonstrated on Thursday in Zagreb against austerity measures and cuts in wages and healthcare.”You betrayed us” and “You protect the wealthy” were among the angry slogans held up at the protest in Zagreb organised by the union of public service workers. …
Read More »Serbia Progressives Threaten Election Over Corruption
Serbia’s ruling Progressive Party says it will intensify the fight against corruption even if it leads to the fall of the coalition government and a new election.Nebojsa Stefanovic, speaker of parliament and deputy president of the ruling Progressives, said his party would risk a new general election if it felt …
Read More »Kosovo, Serbia Pledge Action on Border Control
Kosovo and Serbia working groups, dealing with implementation of the Integrated Border Management deal, on Thursday agreed in Brussels to put what they had agreed into action.Kosovo and Serbia vowed to honour a deal reached earlier on Integrated Border Management under the auspices of the EU-facilitated dialogue and agreed to …
Read More »