Balkans

Murder of Zec Family Led to Mercep’s Men, Says Witness

The evidence trail concerning the murder of the Mihajlo Zec family, Croatian Serbs from Zagreb who were killed in December 1991, led directly Tomislav Mercep’s police unit, Antun Gugic testified on Tuesday.At the war crimes trial of Tomislav Mercep, a top advisor in the Croatian wartime Interior ministry, Gugic, who …

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Car Accident Adds to Russia-Romania Strains

Romania’s not-so-friendly relations with Russia are under further strain following a car accident involving a Russian diplomat.Romania on Wednesday asked Russia to lift the diplomatic immunity of a Russian official whose vehicle hit and injured a young woman on a pedestrian crossing in Bucharest. A day earlier, Foreign Minister Titus …

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Bosnia SDP Forces Out SDA Ministers at Last

Social Democrats finally get their way and expel ministers from the Bosniak Party of Democratic Action, SDA, from the state government.Two SDA ministers and a deputy minister were removed from Bosnia’s Council of Ministers on October 22 after the largest Croatian party declined to vote against the proposal. Sulejman Tihic, …

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Montenegro Court Facilities Inadequate, NGO Says

Poor infrastructure and lack of space are some of the biggest problems in the country’s judicial system, an NGO report says.A report on trial monitoring by a Montenegrin NGO, the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, CEDEM, says the principles of publicity, presumption of innocence and right to efficient defence …

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Bulgarian PM Voices Support for Balkan EU Hopefuls

Bulgaria believes that all Balkan countries must join NATO and the EU, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said on a state visit to Tirana on Monday.Borisov spoke during a joint press conference with his Albanian counterpart, Sali Berisha. He stressed that his cabinet and country adhere consistently to a balanced …

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Albania Ex-Political Prisoners Quit Hunger Strike

Six former political prisoners on Monday ended a month-long hunger strike, which aimed to pressure the government to speed up reparations for their suffering under the Communists.“We are tired because of the psychological terror we were subjected too,” Afrim Biturku, one of the strikers, said, ending the strike. “But we …

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