Balkan Insight

29/01/2025

Disrespect for the rule of law was one of the main criticisms aimed at the previous conservative P*S government, including from opposition politicians. Now in power, the coalition’s attitude to international law also appears selective.

29/01/2025

Disputes over control and ownership of Kosovo’s Brezovica ski resort have starved it of much-needed investment, despite the massive potential it offers for winter tourism and as a model for Serb-Albanian collaboration.

29/01/2025

The Croatian journalist, theologian and human rights activist has spent his life considering questions of faith, identity and doubt, from the Falklands War to the collapse of Yugoslavia and since.

28/01/2025

After two failed attempts to sent migrants and asylum seekers to camps in Albania for processing under a controversial scheme instigated by Italian premier Giorgia Meloni, Italy sent a third ship that reached Albania on Tuesday.

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After two failed attempts to sent migrants and asylum seekers to camps in Albania for processing under a controversial scheme instigated by Italian premier Giorgia Meloni, Italy sent a third ship that reached Albania on Tuesday.

28/01/2025

Amid a 24-hour peaceful blockade of a major traffic interchange in Belgrade amid ongoing student protests about official culpability for a fatal infrastructure collapse, students in the city of Novi Sad reported that four of them had been attacked overnight in two separate incidents.

In the first incident, two Faculty of Medicine students were assaulted while drawing stencils calling for protests in Novi Sad on a bin in front of a ruling Serbian Progressive Party office.

Their colleagues claimed hat the same two men attacked another group of students and that one female student was seriously injured in the incident. According to students, she was kicked and hit with baseball bats, and was hospitalised.

The Autokomanda blockade continued through the night until 10am Tuesday morning. Student protesters were supported by teachers, professors, farmers, bikers and other members of the public.

Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic resigned on Tuesday morning amid ongoing student protests over the deadly collapse of a canopy at Novi Sad railway station on November 1 – and also over the government and ruling party’s aggressive response to public attempts to commemorate the victims.

Read more: https://balkaninsight.com/2025/01/28/serbian-students-report-attacks-in-wake-of-mass-highway-blockade/

28/01/2025

Amid continuing protests and political crises, polarisation and fatal incidents were exacerbated by online violations, BIRN’s digital rights monitors in ten countries in South-East Europe found in December and January.

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Turkey carried out arrests after disaster victims’ data was stolen, while Serbia and Albania faced crackdowns over misinformation and online violence, BIRN’s digital rights monitors found in December and January.

28/01/2025

With Albania's parliamentary elections set for May 11, the ruling Socialist Party is targeting Albanians abroad through a major online campaign.

Subscribe to the Balkan Insight premium to read the full investigation.

An Albanian businessman based in Italy is pulling the strings of a major online ad campaign to secure the votes of Albanians abroad for the ruling Socialist Party in upcoming elections. He also just got the green light for a major real estate development in Tirana.

28/01/2025

Serbian arms exports to Israel topped 42 million euros in 2024 as Belgrade shrugged off widespread accusations of Israeli war crimes in Gaza and calls from UN experts for a halt to the delivery of deadly weapons.

Read the full investigation by BIRN and Haaretz.com:

Between 2023 and 2024, the value of Serbian arms sales to Israel soared from 1.4 million euros to 42.3 million, unaffected by widespread allegations of Israeli war crimes in Gaza.

28/01/2025

Students supported by farmers, bikers and other citizens are protesting today in Novi Sad. The protest started in front of the local HQ of the Serbian Progressive Party, SNS, after which students went for a protest walk around the city.

The protest comes after the attack on group of students on Monday night. When resigning earlier today Serbian PM Milos Vucevic confirmed the attackers came from his party premises.

Some professors are in the front rows at today’s protest, trying to shield protesting students from possible renewed attacks.

28/01/2025

Kosovo's deputy premier says he hopes the new EU special envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue process, Peter Sorensen, will take a fair approach to both sides when mediating implementation of the stalled 2023 deal on normalisation.

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Kosovo's deputy premier says he hopes the new EU special envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue process, Peter Sorensen, will take a fair approach to both sides when mediating implementation of the stalled 2023 deal on normalisation.

28/01/2025

Serbian police arrested four people on suspicion of attacking five students, participants in ongoing protests in the country, near ruling party offices in Novi Sad on Monday evening. The suspects have been remanded in police custody for up to 48 hours.

While a 24-hour blockade of a major traffic interchange in Belgrade was held amid ongoing student protests about official culpability for a fatal infrastructure collapse, students in the city of Novi Sad reported that four of them had been attacked.

28/01/2025

At 93, Agnes Darvas still has an excellent memory. Sometimes she wishes she didn’t. “I can never forget, nor forgive the atrocities we suffered,” she tells BIRN.

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At 93, Agnes Darvas still has an excellent memory. Sometimes she wishes she didn’t. “I can never forget, nor forgive the atrocities we suffered,” she tells BIRN.

28/01/2025

Amid a 24-hour peaceful blockade of a major traffic interchange in Belgrade amid ongoing student protests about official culpability for a fatal infrastructure collapse, students in the city of Novi Sad reported that four of them had been attacked overnight in two separate incidents.

In the first incident, two Faculty of Medicine students were assaulted while drawing stencils calling for protests in Novi Sad on a bin in front of a ruling Serbian Progressive Party office.

Their colleagues claimed hat the same two men attacked another group of students and that one female student was seriously injured in the incident. According to students, she was kicked and hit with baseball bats, and was hospitalised.

The Autokomanda blockade continued through the night until 10am Tuesday morning. Student protesters were supported by teachers, professors, farmers, bikers and other members of the public.

Supporters brought food and beverages, while students organised sports tournaments and staged musical performances. Many drivers passing below the Autokomanda interchange, on the Belgrade-Nis highway, sounded their horns in support.

Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic resigned on Tuesday morning amid ongoing student protests over the deadly collapse of a canopy at Novi Sad railway station on November 1 – and also over the government and ruling party’s aggressive response to public attempts to commemorate the victims.

Vucevic said his decision was triggered by violent attacks on groups of students in Novi Sad on Monday evening.

He condemned the attack but also sought to downplay it, saying that “someone was scribbling on the party premises” and that people inside the office “felt that they should defend it”.

Vucevic announced also that Novi Sad mayor Milan Djuric will resign as well.

Read more: https://balkaninsight.com/2025/01/28/serbian-students-report-attacks-in-wake-of-mass-highway-blockade/

28/01/2025

🏆 In addition to the EU Investigative Journalism Award, last year, our Kreshnik Gashi from BIRN Kosovo/Kallxo.com received the Association of Journalists of Kosovo's annual award for the best conflict reporting. 👏

He was awarded for his documentary "Putin Calling: Russia's Disinformation Flows Unchecked Through Balkans," which was produced in Bosnia, Kosovo, and Montenegro and explores the scale of Kremlin-backed disinformation in these countries and its dangerous influence on the public: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1wLGH98BDs

Well done! 🥳

28/01/2025

Amid growing public discontent over the handling of the Novi Sad railway station tragedy, Milos Vucevic announced on Tuesday that he was stepping down as prime minister.

28/01/2025

Amid a 24-hour peaceful blockade of a major traffic interchange in Belgrade amid ongoing student protests about official culpability for a fatal infrastructure collapse, students in the city of Novi Sad reported that four of them had been attacked.

Read more:

Amid a 24-hour peaceful blockade of a major traffic interchange in Belgrade amid ongoing student protests about official culpability for a fatal infrastructure collapse, students in the city of Novi Sad reported that four of them had been attacked.

28/01/2025

Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic announced his resignation on Tuesday morning amid ongoing student protests initially sparked by a fatal infrastructure collapse in Novi Sad in November and exacerbated by the government’s response to the demonstrations.

Amid a 24-hour peaceful blockade of a major traffic interchange in Belgrade amid ongoing student protests about official culpability for a fatal infrastructure collapse, students in the city of Novi Sad reported that four of them had been attacked.

28/01/2025

After two failed attempts to sent migrants and asylum seekers to camps in Albania for processing under a controversial scheme instigated by Italian premier Giorgia Meloni, Italy sent a third ship that reached Albania on Tuesday.