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

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Latest Balkan News

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay (file photo)

UN Praises, Chides Serbia On Rights

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay has welcomed Serbia's progress on human rights issues but also outlined areas where more needed to be done. More

Serbia, Kosovo Clear Diplomatic Hurdle

Serbia and Kosovo have exchanged official representatives for the first time since the 1998-99 war in Kosovo and the region's subsequent declaration of independence from Serbia. More

Bosnians Hold Vigil For Baby Who Died Amid ID Debate

Vigil Held For Bosnian Baby

Hundreds of people have kept vigil in front of the Bosnian parliament to commemorate Berina Hamidovic, a three-month-old baby who died after failing to get timely surgery due to the lack of a passport. More

There are still many buried landmines in Bosnia years after the 1992-95 conflict ended. (file photo)

Land Mine Kills Child In Bosnia

A ten-year-old boy has been killed and four other children seriously injured after they accidentally set off a land mine while playing in Bosnia. More

WATCH:Serbia prepares for worsening floods

Serbia Braces Itself For Floods

Serbian authorities and residents of Serbian areas along the Danube River are taking measures to prevent flood damage as the river's water approaches record levels. More

More Balkan News

Latest Blog Posts

A Serbian news report shows a man sleeping precariously on a bridge over the Sava River in Belgrade.

A Bridge Too Far: 'Drunken' Man Stops Belgrade Traffic

Traffic ground to a halt in the Serbian capital Belgrade on the weekend after two fire trucks were called out to deal with a man sleeping precariously on the arches of a bridge over the Sava River. More

The mausoleum of Petar II Petrovic-Njegos, who is revered by most Serbs and Montenegrins.

Petar II Petrovic-Njegos: A Holy Saint Or A Racialist Scholar?

The Metropolitan of Montenegro has raised eyebrows in some circles by announcing that he is going to propose a controversial 19th-century prince-bishop for canonization. More

Blog Archive

Features & Commentary

Bosnian 'Baby-lution' Gains Force As Protesters Unite Across Ethnic Lines

Thousands of Bosnians are gathering in Sarajevo for another day of protests against the government's failure to set aside ethnic divisions and pass a law providing basic identification documents for infants. The so-called "baby-lution" has seen a rare show of ethnic unity among Bosnian Serbs, Croats, and Bosniaks, and has won support throughout Bosnia-Herzegovina and even Serbia.

According to some estimates, there are several hundred Balkan recruits fighting on the rebel side in Syria. (file photo)

Balkan Militants Join Syria’s Rebel Cause

Reports say Muslims from the Balkans are traveling to Syria to help rebels fight President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

Amnesty International says abusive governments can no longer use the issue of sovereignty to justify their actions.

Amnesty Report Notes Worldwide Abuses, As Well As Courage Of Activists

In a new report, the global rights group Amnesty International documents abuses in 159 countries and territories that it says were "inflicted by those in power on those who stand in the way of their vested interests."

The gravestone for Admira Ismic and Bosko Brkic at Sarajevo's Lion Cemetery.

Twenty Years On: The Unfinished Lives Of Bosnia’s Romeo And Juliet

Bosko and Admira, who became known to the world as Sarajevo's Romeo and Juliet, were killed on a bridge in the Bosnian capital 20 years ago.

People hold a banner reading "Kosovo" during a protest against the agreement about the normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo in Belgrade on May 10.

U.S. Congressman Engel Says Serbia, Kosovo Can Now 'Look Forward To Future'

Eliot Engel, the top Democrat on the U.S. House of Representative’s Foreign Affairs Committee, spoke to RFE/RL about the recent normalization agreement between Serbia and Kosovo and the prospects for reconciliation.

Interview: EU's Enlargement Chief Finds Many Ways To Say ‘More Work Needed’

Stefan Fuele, the European Union commissioner for enlargement and neighborhood policy, has called on the EU-hopeful countries of the Eastern Partnership and the Western Balkans to do more to prove their commitment to democratic values. Correspondent Daisy Sindelar spoke to Fuele during his visit to RFE/RL headquarters in Prague on May 9.

U.S. Representative Dana Rohrabacher says a chance has been missed to solve the problem between Kosovo's ethnic Serbs and Albanians permanently.

Interview: U.S. Congressman Says Deal With Serbia Gave Kosovo ‘Nothing'

Representative Dana Rohrabacher, who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is one of the United States' staunchest supporters of Kosovo's independence. In an interview with RFE/RL, he's critical of the EU-brokered agreement reached last month between Belgrade and Pristina, saying it did not create the preconditions for long-term peace and stability in the Balkans.

Serbian Orthodox Bishop Vasilije Kacavenda is implicated in a sex scandal allegedly involving orgies and the rape of underage boys and girls.

Serbian Orthodox Church Rocked By Sex Scandal

The Serbian Orthodox Church has formally removed from duty a powerful 74-year-old cleric bishop implicated in a sex scandal allegedly involving orgies and the rape of underage boys and girls.

An ethnic Serbian boy looks at people demonstrating against the accord on the normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo in the ethnically divided town of Mitrovica on April 22.

Landmark Belgrade-Pristina Deal Faces Hurdles In Northern Kosovo

Belgrade and Pristina’s landmark agreement to normalize their relations is facing difficult hurdles on the ground in the Serb-majority municipalities of northern Kosovo.

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.