Balkan News

A court refused to grant early release to former Serbian paramilitary commander Dragan Vasiljkovic, alias Captain Dragan, convicted of war crimes against Croatian civilians and prisoners of war in 1991.

Macedonia said it hopes Hungary will not harbour its fugitive former prime minister – who fled the country to evade serving a two-year prison sentence – and will soon send a formal request for his extradition.

Former Croatian Defence Council fighter Zeljko Maric was arrested on suspicion of war crimes against captured Bosniak civilians and Bosnian Army soldiers in the Vares area in 1993.

As Europe marks the centenary of the armistice which ended “the war to end all wars” in which the Balkans played a prominent part, the region is still struggling to cope with its own conflicts and divisions, big or small. 

The state court confirmed an indictment charging four former Bosnian Serb Army soldiers and policemen with crimes against humanity over attacks on Bosniak villages in the Vlasenica area in 1992.

Romanian police say raids have uncovered a scam under which crime gangs sold fake addresses in EU-member Romania to thousands of Moldovans.

Whatever their differences, the illiberal leaders of Southeast and Eastern Europe all have an interest in ensuring each other’s survival.

The Zagreb County Court's Judicial Council has said Ivica Todoric, former owner of the indebted food giant Agrokor, can avoid pre-trial prison with bail of a million euros – though questions remain about whether he can raise that sum. 

Croatia’s state attorney charged a former Bosnian Serb Army officer with involvement in violence against prisoners of war detained at the Manjaca camp in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992.

Time has not stood still for Kosovo Albanian immigrant Rexhep Rexhepi – whose latest trophy watch was acclaimed at this year's Baselworld fair, winning him fame and fortune.

From world-class architecture to tasty food and cafés galore, Ljubljana is much more than just a stepping-stone to the country’s famous lakes.

Romanian photographer Mihai Tutu travelled across Transylvania to document a newly-established long-distance trail that winds its way through a picturesque Carpathian mountain landscape.

The Bosnian Serb strongman has used his strong election results to purge or punish remaining opponents, break up the opposition bloc and further extend his power over Bosnia’s Serb-majority entity.

Distrust of Romania’s government is so high that the country risks being excluded from key decision while running the EU Council presidency in the first part of 2019, experts warn.

While Bulgaria's government expresses pleasure over the latest annual progress report on its anti-corruption and judicial reforms, critics accuse Brussels of letting the government off far too easily.

The immediate fate of Macedonia’s fugitive ex-PM now rests with Hungarian strongman Viktor Orban – whose relations with the fallen Macedonian leader go beyond a common nationalistic outlook.

EU spokesperson's office says Brussels is following the case of the fugitive former prime minister of Macedonia – and it should not be politicised.

Croatian citizens who were taken to prison camps in Serbia after the fall of the town of Vukovar in November 1991 are filing lawsuits for compensation, said the first plaintiff, who heads an ex-detainees’ association.

Moldova's intelligence service said it had broken up a paramilitary group that was illicitly recruiting fighters for the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

An appeals court upheld the verdict acquitting former Kosovo Liberation Army commander Fatmir Limaj, who is now deputy prime minister, clearing him of responsibility for the murders of two ethnic Albanian civilians in 1998.