Amnesty Report Raps Balkans Countries for Rights Abuses

Freedom of expression, the rights of migrants and refugees to protection, and LGBTI rights remain frequently violated in Balkan countries, according to the latest report by the rights watchdog Amnesty International.

Amnesty's overview, released on February 22, called the Balkans "a dangerous place for investigative journalists", noting dozens of beatings of reporters, law cases against reporters and smear campaigns conducted by pro-government media outlets against independence voices.

Another theme in the human rights report was abuse of the rights of LGBTI people in the Balkans, where it said discrimination and stigmas persist.

Civil society groups documented dozens of cases of harassment of and physical attacks on LGBTI people in Bosnia, while the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Romania had failed to properly investigate an attack on Bucharest Pride back in 2006.

Meanwhile, the migrant crisis continued to see thousands detained in inadequate facilities in several Balkan countries. Migrants and refugees were also illegally pushed back from borders and denied access to proper protection.

Bosnia 

In Bosnia, new anti-discrimination laws were cited as a positive step. However, "growing nationalist rhetoric" surrounding last October's elections, and the refusal of Republika Srpska entity authorities this year to honour a Constitutional Court ruling that said their January 9 holiday discriminated against minorities, were all factors threatening human rights in the country according to the report.

Romania 

In Romania, the Roma minority suffered systematic discrimination, according to the report, including forced evictions. 

It cited figures from the Centre for Advocacy and...