The following media round-up on international, legal and foreign policy issues from around the Balkans for the period from 8 August 2024 to 15 August 2024. Guernica 37 will provide weekly media updates with a focus on Bosnia and Hercegovina, 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/Serbia – 15 August 2024
Kosovo rejected a request from Serbia’s prosecution to provide details of the investigations into businessman Milan Radoicic, who led an armed group in an attack in northern Kosovo last year, insisting he surrender to the Pristina authorities instead; see here.
North Macedonia – 15 August 2024
North Macedonia confirmed that a former Kosovo Liberation Army fighter arrested on a warrant from neighbouring Serbia, accusing him of war crimes, has absconded; see here.
Croatia – 15 August 2024
At a workshop in June 2023, investigative journalists and representatives of civil society organisations discussed Croatia's grey-listing by the Financial Action Task Force; see here.
Bulgaria – 15 August 2024
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has signed into law a recently adopted amendment banning LGBT "promotion" in schools despite calls to veto it from Bulgarian intellectuals as rights groups staged a protest against the measure on August 15; see here.
Kosovo/Serbia – 14 August 2024
The Ministry of Justice of Kosovo has said on Wednesday that Serbia's request to provide information about the attack in Banjska in Zvečani, a year ago, is contrary to several points of the Law on international legal cooperation; see here.
Croatia – 15 August 2024
Over the past month, fake articles using logos similar to those of legitimate media, including BIRN’s Reporting Democracy site, were used as part of a cryptocurrency scam, while Croatia was subjected to widespread cyberattacks affecting critical infrastructure; see here.
Romania – 13 August 2024
Prince Paul’s lawyer welcomed a “historic” ruling by a Maltese court against the royal’s extradition to Romania, where he is wanted to serve a jail sentence for corruption; see here.
Romania – 13 August 2024
A major conflict of interest could be brewing in the decision surrounding the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s ruling to strip gymnast Jordan Chiles of her Olympic bronze medal and award it to Romanian Ana Barbosu; see here.
Serbia – 11 August 2024
Thousands of people in Serbia have protested in Belgrade against plans to mine one of Europe's largest deposits of lithium - a crucial raw material for electric car batteries; see here.
Montenegro – 11 August 2024
Relatives of people killed in the worst mass shooting in Montenegrin history marked the second anniversary with a fresh call for new gun control legislation; see here.