Latest News from Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia’s Troubled Lipa Camp Set Alight on Closure Day
The troubled Lipa migrant and refugee camp near Bihac in northwest Bosnia was set on fire on Wednesday as it was due to close.
The camp has been at the centre of a battle between the local authorities and the International Organization for Migration, IOM, which has long threatened to close the camp if the authorities do not improve winter conditions.
Ethnic Parties Reassert Grip on Bosnia’s Mostar at Landmark Election
The first, partial results of Sunday's local elections still offer no clear indications as to who will be forming the new local government in Bosnia and Herzegovina's south-western city of Mostar, famous for its Old Bridge and infamous for its vicious fighting during the country's 1992-95 war, as well as for its post-war ethnic divisions.
Online Media in Balkans ‘Need Regulation, Not Censorship’
Experts told an online debate hosted by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network on Tuesday that the current regulation systems for online media in the Western Balkans are not good enough, but efforts to curb the publication of hate speech and defamatory comments must not tip over into censorship.
Bosnia Succumbs to Pressure to Adapt Tent Camp for Winter
After ignoring warnings for months that the Lipa migrant tent camp in northwest Bosnia is not adequate for hosting people over winter, the government of Bosnia, the Council of Ministers, on Monday agreed to convert it into an official "container camp for the accommodation for 1,500 migrants".
Bosnian Serb Opposition Demand Dodik’s Resignation Over Icon Scandal
A three-centuries-old gilded icon, presented to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov by Milorad Dodik, Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, will be returned amid a row over its origins, the Russian Foreign Ministry told the Russian media.
Holiday Traffic Jams along Balkan Borders Despite Restrictions
Balkan citizens leaving Western Europe to go home for the holidays created huge traffic jams at border crossings Saturday despite coronavirus restrictions that seek to discourage travel over Christmas and New Year's.
Suing to Silence: Lawsuits Used to Censor Bosnian Journalists
Jasarspahic won the case, but the damage was done. Dozens of other journalists face similar challenges every year, sued for their reporting mainly by public officials in what media bodies say is a strategy of censorship, bogging down reporters in lengthy, costly court proceedings that make many think twice about digging into the affairs of prominent people.
Delo says Slovenia paying high price for legal battles
Ljubljana – The newspaper Delo says in Friday’s front-page commentary that Slovenia’s lost battles at the European Court of Justice are a defeat of the country as a whole, especially its diplomacy, politicians and legal experts.
IOM Closes Migrant Camp After Bosnia Ignores Warnings
The International Organization for Migration, IOM, has acted on warnings that it would close a migrant camp, saying Bosnian authorities had ignored its repeated appeals to help supply basic services.
Why is Madeleine Albright the best solution for Serbia?
Although she is a woman who said "disgusting Serbs", which automatically ranked her among the most hated world figures in Serbia, there is a cynical thesis that Madeleine Albright is currently the best American solution for Serbs and Serbia, Sputnik writes.
Montenegro Axes Former Ruling Party Officials from Administration
New Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic (L) and former PM Dusko Markovic (D) at a meeting in Podgorica. Photo: Government of Montenegro
Bosnian Serb Leader Angers Ukraine, Donating Icon to Lavrov
Ukraine's embassy in Sarajevo has asked Bosnia's Foreign Ministry for detailded information about an icon that it says is part of Ukrainian heritage, which the Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik on Monday presented to Russia's Foreign Minister.
Montenegrins Listed as War Suspects in Files Sent from Hague
Montenegrin Special Prosecutor Milivoje Katnic (centre) at a press conference in Podgorica. Photo: PR Centar.
"It is based on suspicion that they were committed by Montenegrin citizens," said special prosecutor Sanja Jovicevic.
Yugoslav-Era Caricaturist Honoured in Montenegro
The unveiling of the plaque in Herceg Novi. Photo: BIRN.
The plaque was installed near the former Herzegovina café in the centre of Herceg Novi where Dzumhur used to sit for hours talking to friends and acquaintances.
Final Verdict in Ratko Mladic’s Trial Set for May 2021
The president of the UN's International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals in The Hague, Carmel Agius, told the UN Security Council on Monday evening that the final verdict in the case against wartime Bosnian Serb military chief Ratko Mladic is due in May next year.