Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina

State Investigation and Protection Agency police arrested Radovan Paprica, also known as Papro, and Slavko Ognjenovic, alias Macak, on Sunday on charges of the multiple rape and sexual abuse of Bosniaks in the Foca area of eastern Bosnia in 1992.

The two former Bosnian Serb Army soldiers have been charged with committing a crime against humanity.

They warn that years of political divisions, zero-sum games, distrust and poor communication between local leaders, as well as growing tensions among key regional and global actors, have left Bosnia a ticking time-bomb that could go off at any moment, leading to the collapse of the remaining joint institutions or even the breakup of the country.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry has issued a protest note about recent comments made by the Serb member of Bosnia's state presidency in support of Russia's annexation of Crimea.

Earlier this week, Milorad Dodik stated in his interview to Russkiy reporter that he "considers Crimea to be Russian", and that Bosnian recognition of this unilateral annexation was "necessary".

The Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals on Wednesday denied Radovan Karadzic's motion for an appeal chamber to be appointed at the Hague court to decide on his request to review a previous decision that rejected his appeal against the final verdict in his trial sentencing him to life in prison.

Turbulence Ahead

The deep summer season is not yet over, but with Presidential elections due in November in Romania, political life is heating up. With the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE) having quit the Social Democratic Party (PSD) led government, the PSD now finds itself without an absolute majority in Parliament.

An extraordinary session of the Bosnian presidency intended to finally form a new state-level government, known as the Council of Ministers, was cancelled on Tuesday as the country's political crisis deepened further.

What followed was a maelstrom of confusion: Dodik and the SNSD explicitly claimed to have buried the matter, while the Bosniak nationalist Party of Democratic Action, SDA, vacillated.

The Appeals Chamber of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina has confirmed a verdict under which Bosnian Serb former soldier Zdravko Lubarda was sentenced to six years for participation in the persecution of Bosniak civilians in the eastern Rogatica area and former police reservist Ozren Planojevic was acquitted.

Under a first instance verdict in July last year, Dragan Marjanovic, Sasa Gavranovic, Vitomir Devic and Zoran Sljuka were each sentenced to 17 years in prison for the murders. Dragomir Kezunovic was sentenced to 14 years.

The Appeals Chamber revised the prison terms for Marjanovic to 14 years, and for Gavranovic, Devic and Sljuka to 15 years each.

Bosnia's Intelligence-Security Agency, OSA, has dismissed reports that the university degree of General Director Osman Mehmedagic could be annulled.