RFE/RL BALKAN REPORT 06.06.2013 A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about the countries of the western Balkans. For more stories on the Balkans, please visit and bookmark our Balkans page . |
 Flash Analysis: Balkan War Crimes Acquittals The UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague has acquitted former Serbian intelligence chief Jovica Stanisic and his deputy Franko Simatovic, both of whom had been charged with committing war crimes in Bosnia and Croatia during the 1990s. Nedim Dervisbegovic, a correspondent for RFE/RL's Balkan Service, discusses the public reaction to the news in Bosnia and Croatia. More An imam and an Orthodox priest have joined efforts to clean a damaged Christian cemetery in Kosovo’s central town of Kosovo Polje and observe reconstruction work. The occasion was symbolic in that Kosovo Polje is the nearest town to the site of a 1389 battle in which Serbian forces were defeated by an invading army of Ottoman Turks. That event has been a pivotal part of Serbian national identity ever since. More  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." More  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 Shoe shiners used to be a fixture on Belgrade street corners, but today only three remain. One of them -- Mustafa Mehmedovic, known as "Muja Shoe" -- says he plays an important role in the city center. Not only does he keep shoes clean, but he also provides tourist information and even personal advice. (Produced by Iva Martinovic, RFE/RL's Balkan Service) More  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. More  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. More In Bosnia, burek is a source of national pride, and locals are eager to share their recipes and opinions on the pastry dish with foreigners. More |