Balkans

Nineteen organisations from Southeast Europe have joined forces in a newly-established network that aims to advance the protection of digital rights and address the growing challenges posed by the widespread use of advanced technologies in society.

The Ministry for Veterans' Affairs of Sarajevo Canton told BIRN that it set aside 2,680,000 Bosnian marks (1,370,000 euros) from 2013 to 2020 to help mainly Bosniak former Bosnian Army soldiers and police officers who are on trial for war crimes and their families.

The appointment last month of Drasko Milinovic to head the Communications Regulatory Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina has sparked criticism because of his controversial record in charge of RTRS, the public broadcaster in Bosnia's Serb-dominated Republika Srpska entity.

The trial of Mile Ujic, who is accused of persecuting Bosniak civilians during a widespread and systematic attack in the Rogatica area, opened at the Bosnian state court in Sarajevo on Thursday.

Serbia's war crimes prosecutor said in his closing statement to Belgrade Higher Court on Thursday that all the evidence showed that Husein Mujanovic was guilty of abusing Serbs held at a wartime prison that he commanded in Hrasnica.

Prosecutor Mioljub Vitorovic said the evidence "indisputably established that Husein Mujanovic committed the criminal act with which he is charged".

According to him, he believes that it is questionable whether international forces and internal Kosovo-Albanian divisions will enable that.
He points out that the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, is the only person in the region who has the strength and desire to reach a good solution to this problem.

Despite harsh words, the Bosniak-Croat power tandem of SDA and HDZ is expected to survive a corruption scandal involving Chinese ventilators, analysts say.

The Institute of Public Health of Montenegro told Antena M that they are in compliance with the EU recommendations that the relaxation of measures and the opening of borders must be done gradually and on the basis of scientifically based evidence and facts.

He added that NATO also helps through the Alliance's support for the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, under the auspices of the EU.

As the EU's refusal to open accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia reverberated throughout the Western Balkans, the "mini Schengen" scheme launched in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad took on extra significance.