Latest News from Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnians Commemorate Tuzla Massacre, Demanding Justice for Victims
Relatives of the victims, local residents and politicians were among hundreds of people who gathered on Thursday to mark the anniversary of the massacre in the Kapija area of Tuzla, known as the 'crime against Tuzla's youth' - one of the deadliest attacks on civilians during the 1992-95 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Bosnia Data Contradicts Croatian Claim about Migrant, Refugee ‘Readmissions’
According to the Service's figures, 3,433 people have been 'readmitted' since 2017, the year that migrants and refugees mainly from the Middle East, Asia and Africa began crossing Bosnia in any great numbers. That does not include the thousands returned illegally, so-called 'pushbacks' across the border that fly in the face of the internationally-guaranteed right to seek asylum.
US Senate: Kosovo-Serbia Dialogue Remains Key Issue in Western Balkans
The Kosovo-Serbia dialogue remains one of the main issues of concern in the Western Balkans, the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Thursday heard.
State Department Counsellor Derek Chollet warned: "We are not seeing great effort on the implementation of this agreement by either party."
Week in Review: Hopes and Expectations
Waiting for Spring
A couple walks under a poster of the Turkish presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), the day after the general election, in Ankara, Turkey, 15 May 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE/SEDAT SUNA
Kosovo Court Jails Naser Kelmendi for Drug Trafficking
Pristina Basic Court found Naser Kelmendi guilty on Thursday and sentenced him to four years and eight months of imprisonment on drug trafficking charges.
Torrential Rain Overflowing Rivers, Cause Chaos in Bosnia, Croatia
A state of natural disaster has been declared in Una-Sana Canton, one of ten cantons in Bosnia's Federation entity, after heavy rain.
"Our citizens have had a sleepless night, the situation is extremely difficult," Una-Sana Canton's Prime Minister, Mustafa Ruznic, said, N1 reported.
Many roads have been flooded, cutting off towns from the rest of the country. Photo: N1
Turkish Citizens in Balkans Give Majority of Votes to Erdogan’s Rival
In most Balkan countries excluding Bosnia and Kosovo, where Turkish state influence is stronger, a majority of Turkish expatriate citizens voted for President Erdogan's rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu and for opposition parties at the weekend's elections.
Migrant Numbers Increase Despite Decline of ‘Balkan Route’ to EU
New data published by European border security agency Frontex on Monday showed that detections of irregular border crossings at the EU's external borders reached a total of nearly 80,700 in the first four months of 2023.
Serbian Wartime State Security Chiefs’ Appeal Verdict Due on May 31
The UN's International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals in The Hague announced on Tuesday that the verdict on Jovica Stanisic and Franko Simatovic's appeal against their conviction for war crimes in Bosnia will be handed down on May 31.
Bosnians Mourn Journalist Whose War Reports ‘Promoted the Truth’
Salih Brkic, a doyen of journalism in Bosnia and Herzegovina who was known for his coverage of the 1992-95 war, died on Friday in the city of Tuzla after a short illness.
Bosnian Pupils Taken on Religious March ‘for the Unborn’
High school pupils in the city of Mostar in south-west Bosnia and Herzegovina were taken by their school on Thursday on a 'Walk of Love for the Unborn', a Catholic religious march through the city, media reported.
It was not clear from the media reports if the pupils' consent or that of their parents was sought for their participation.
Bosnian Ministers Approve Controversial Gas Pipeline from Serbia
Bosnian Council of Ministers, the country's state-level executive government, voted on Thursday in favour of a construction of a new gas pipeline from Serbia.
The so-called Eastern Interconnection will bring natural gas to cities and towns in the Serb-dominated Republika Srpska entity.
LGBT Watchdog Chides Balkan, Central Europe Countries for Rights Setbacks
Europe's leading LGBT rights organisation, ILGA-Europe has criticised Serbia and Turkey for their handling of LGBT community rights in its latest Rainbow Map and Index.
The report says the pushbacks LGBT communities are facing in these countries "can also be seen in the challenge to freedom of assembly amid the rise of anti-democratic forces".
Bosnian Canton’s Move to Penalise ‘Fake News’ Worries Critics
The government of Sarajevo Canton, one of ten in Bosnia's Bosniak- and Croat-dominated Federation entity, has introduced a new draft Law on Public Order and Peace that would impose penalties of up to 2,100 Bosnian marks, around 1,000 euros, for spreading fake news.
Politicians in Bosnia’s Federation ‘Glorified’ War Criminals, Victims Claim
Two war victims' associations in Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday urged the prime minister of the Croat- and Bosniak-dominated Federation entity, Nermin Niksic, to condemn statements made by the Federation's president Lidija Bradara and minister of culture and sport, Sanja Vlaisavljevic, claiming that they expressed support for convicted war criminals.