South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Latest Balkan News

Russia's President Vladimir Putin (right) and Serbia's President-elect Tomislav Nikolic in Moscow on May 26.

Putin Promises Millions To Serbia

Russian President Vladimir Putin has promised to release $800 million in loans to Belgrade as he received Serbia's president-elect Tomislav Nikolic in Moscow. More

Kosovo Organ-Dealing Suspect Arrested

The EU's police mission in Kosovo says a suspect in a human-organ-trafficking scandal that came to light in 2008 has been arrested in Israel. More

A Bosnian woman stands by the graves of her two sons, who were among some 8,000 men and boys massacred by Bosnian Serb forces in Srebrenica in 1995.

Two Men Jailed For Srebrenica Massacre

Two former Bosnian Serb senior police officials have been sentenced to more than 30 years in jail for their roles in the killing of some 1,000 Muslim men near Srebrenica in July 1995. More

Dejan Radojkovic (left), a former Bosnian-Serb police commander wanted in his native country for alleged atrocities at Srebrenica, is seen in Las Vegas during his deportation on May 23.

War Crimes Suspect Sent To Bosnia

A former Bosnian Serb police chief has arrived in Sarajevo, where he faces charges of participating in the killing of Muslims in Srebrenica in 1995 in what's widely regarded as the worst atrocity in Europe since World War II. More

Ratko Mladic attends his trial in The Hague on May 16.

Mladic's Trial To Resume June 25

The United Nations war crimes tribunal says the trial of former Bosnian Serb military chief Ratko Mladic will resume on June 25. More

More Balkan News

Blogging The Balkans

Ukrainian drag queen Verka Serduchka (center) whose nutty ditty ""Dancing Lasha Tambai" flabbergasted Eurovision audiences in 2007.

Ten Memorable Eurovision Moments

As the Eurovision final draws near, the Internet is awash with "best of" and "worst of" lists featuring songs from the contest over the past seven decades. More

Serbian Elections: Making An Ass Of The Voter?

Serbians go to the polls on May 6 for local, parliamentary, and presidential elections on the same day. Reason enough for voters to be confused. But as Serbian political cartoonist Corax suggests in the picture above, Serbian voters have a bigger problem than that -- they have two frontrunners offering similar choices More

Features & Commentary

Serbian President-elect Tomislav Nikolic (foreground) celebrates his election victory with supporters in Belgrade.

Serbian Nationalist's Surprise Presidential Win Raises Uncertainty

The surprise win of nationalist Tomislav Nikolic in Serbia's presidential polls on May 20 throws the country into fresh political uncertainty. Nikolic, a one-time ally of late Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic, may now ask his party to form a new government and break an existing deal on a new ruling coalition headed by Boris Tadic's Democratic Party. Nikolic's election also casts serious doubt on Serbia's attempts to join the European Union.

Demonstrators are reflected in a souvenir shop window in Chicago, Illinois, as peace activists march through the street demanding an end to NATO violence ahead of the summit.

NATO Gathers To Discuss Afghanistan, Missile Defense, And Its Own Future

NATO leaders meet in Chicago this weekend for a summit that will focus largely on the alliance's combat-force withdrawal from Afghanistan and its postmilitary role. But contentious plans for a European missile-defense system and the alliance's future vision will also be up for discussion.

Mejra Dzogaz watches the TV broadcast of the court proceedings of former Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladic at her home in Potocari, Bosnia. Mejra

Mladic Genocide Trial A Big Story Everywhere, Except Serbia

As the long-awaited trial of Ratko Mladic began in The Hague on May 16, one country was not watching. Serbia.

Socialist leader Ivica Dacic could hold the balance of power in the new Serbian parliament.

Ambiguous Serbian Vote Puts Spotlight on Socialists

The results of Serbia's parliamentary and presidential elections on May 6 show a country almost evenly divided between pro-Western and nationalist camps. With none of the front-runners winning a decisive victory, the new focus is on the parliamentary contest's third-place finisher -- the Socialist Party of late strongman leader Slobodan Milosevic.

WATCH: Serbians go to the polls in parliamentary and presidential elections on May 6.

As Serbia Votes, A Sense Of Deja Vu

Serbs go to the polls on May 6 for simultaneous presidential, parliamentary, and local polls. But many voters see little new in their choices.

European Parliament President Martin Schulz: "Before I threaten people, I try to convince them, and I will try to convince them that it is the interest of Ukraine to [work with] the European Union on all different levels."

Interview: European Parliament Chief Says Tymoshenko's Treatment 'Unacceptable'

Martin Schulz, who became president of the European Parliament earlier this year, has described Ukraine's treatment of jailed former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko a "disgrace" to the country.

Youth Art Groups Struggle To Build Cooperation Between Serbia, Kosovo

Attempts by young Serbian and Kosovar artists to bridge the gap between their countries and communities are being thwarted due to lingering fears and entrenched animosities.

A mourner lights a candle for the victims of the Smiljkovci murders as security forces look on in Skopje on April 16.

Macedonia On The Brink As Leaders Try To Calm Ethnic Tensions

Macedonian leaders are trying to curb the threat of renewed ethnic violence in their country amid speculation over recent killings that has fueled tensions.

Burned trams and cars in the center of Sarajevo after heavy shelling by Bosnian Serb forces in May1995

Sarajevo Notebook: For Journalists, The Story Of Their Lives

Amid the drinks and chatter of a correspondents’ reunion at Sarajevo's Holiday Inn – which 20 years ago served as the main base for foreign journalists covering the war -- it soon becomes clear that there is only one Sarajevo.

“Sometimes, when the bombs weren’t falling nonstop, there were times when we could go out," remembers Skender Basic, a native of Sarajevo who as a baby was the subject of an iconic photograph taken during the siege of Sarajevo.

Sarajevo, 20 Years Later: The Baby In The Picture, All Grown Up

Sarajevo-born photographer Rikard Larma is responsible for capturing some of the most memorable images from the nearly four-year siege of the Bosnian city. Now, as Sarajevo marks the 20-year anniversary of the start of the siege, RFE/RL speaks to 21-year-old Skender Basic, the subject of one of Larma’s most famous photographs.

RFE/RL's Balkan Service promotes the values of democracy, human rights, and freedom of expression in a region where genuine media freedom remains elusive and where many media outlets remain divided along ethnic lines.