Balkan News

Bosnia Failed to Investigate Wartime Deaths, Says NGO

In a letter to the UN Human Rights Committee a Swiss NGO has criticised a failure of the Bosnian authorities to investigate the murder of two elderly Bosnian Serb women during the war.The Swiss organisation Track Impunity Always, TRIAL, has asked the UN Human Rights Committee to request from the …

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Albania Former Political Prisoners to Hold Rally

A group of communist-era prisoners of conscience will hold a rally in front of the parliament on Thursday to protest their treatment by the government.A number of former prisoners started a hunger strike in Tirana on September 25, requesting the government to pay out the compensation that is owed to …

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Bosnian Serb Entity and Serbia To Build Bridges

The governments of Serbia and the Serb-dominated entity have agreed series of joint projects, including building three bridges over the river Drina.The governments of Serbia and Republika Srpska, one of the two of Bosnia’s entities, agreed on several projects in the fields of energy, transport, construction and economy, on Tuesday …

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EU Urges Serbia to Improve Witness Protection

The EU has urged Serbia to transfer control of the witness protection unit from the police to the Ministry of Justice, as the witnesses are often threatened by those responsible for their safety.According to Jelko Kacin, the European Parliament’s rapporteur for Serbia, the Ministry of Interior’s Witness Protection Unit, WPU, …

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Alleged Murder Sparks Anti-Greek Sentiment in Macedonia

Unconfirmed reports of the murder of a young ethnic Macedonian in Greece have raised tensions in Macedonia.The Macedonian government has called for restraint and condemned “all attempts to manipulate this sensitive and serious issue,” following unconfirmed reports in Macedonia’s media that a young ethnic Macedonian has been killed in Greece.

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Belgrade DJ Investigated For War Crimes

The Serbian authorities are investigating the involvement of a Belgrade DJ in war crimes allegedly committed in Bosnia by paramilitaries known as Arkan’s Tigers.On the request of the Serbian War Crime Prosecutor’s Office, Belgrade police is investigating the role of Srdjan Golubovic, a Belgrade DJ, into war crimes committed in …

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US Calls for Reform of Bosnia’s Federation Entity

The US Ambassador to Bosnia, Patrick Moon, has called for reform of the Bosniak-Croat Federation entity, but said he would not propose any solutions.The US embassy in Sarajevo said that in the past six months, the ambassador Patrick Moon has been encouraging individuals, political leaders and NGOs to start a …

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Equal Rights for Chetniks Unconstitutional, Rules Court

The Serbian Constitutional Court has ruled that some aspects of the law that gives the same rights to both the Partisans and the Chetniks are not in accordance with the constitution.Serbia’s Constitutional Court has quashed a number of clauses within the 2005 Law on the Equalisation of Chetniks and Partisans, …

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Romania Cancels Privatisation of Chemical Plant

The Romanian government has cancelled the privatisation of the country’s largest chemical company, Oltchim.The bid to privatise Romania’s state–owned chemical producer, Oltchim, had been cancelled, Prime Minister Victor Ponta announced on Monday evening, after the previous bid winner, Dan Diaconescu, failed to pay for the majority stake. “We have to …

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