Author: Georgio Konstandi
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‘They are trying to divide us’: Bosnian anti-corruption activists speak out against ‘ruling party’ tactics
REPORT The last month has seen a flurry of protests across Bosnia and Herzegovina. Peace protests first unfolded at the end of October as Serb nationalist rhetoric threatened to destabilise the fragile peace in the country. More recently, miners from across Bosnia have gone on strike in protest of government plans to restructure indebted coal…
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‘The Serbian state supports the glorification of war criminals’: an interview with the organisation fighting to remove Mladić murals
CN: war, genocide triumphalism VIDEO In July this year, a mural honouring convicted war criminal Ratko Mladić was painted on a building in central Belgrade. This had occurred on the same day that Bosnia’s outgoing High Representative, Valentin Inzko, imposed changes to Bosnia’s Criminal Code that would prohibit the denial of genocide and glorification of…
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‘Clarifications are not good enough’: Poles demand abortion law U-turn after pregnant woman dies
CN: death It seems to be a never-ending epic in Poland. Though one without a comforting victory. Once again, Poles are marching against the near-total abortion ban that came into effect a year ago. Protesters have linked the death of a 30-year-old pregnant woman named Izabela, who died of sepsis 22 weeks into her pregnancy,…
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‘Today, we fear for our lives again’: co-organiser of Sarajevo protests calls on peace implementers to act
CN: genocide, war, trauma INTERVIEW The ongoing security crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina shows no sign of abating. Bosnian-Serb leader, Milorad Dodik, continues to peddle a secessionist rhetoric that is yet to provoke meaningful repercussions for the politician. Now, documents accessed by regional press indicate the nationalist leader seeks to create a parallel judiciary, armed…
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‘We are afraid’: Polish queer families feel no safer since the repealing of ‘LGBT-free zones’
INTERVIEW Almost a month has passed since the first of four Polish regions repealed their infamous ‘LGBT-free zone’ declarations. This came after the EU put on hold millions of euros of funding to the regions. Hailed as a ‘great success’ by activists, the tide may already be turning for Poland’s queer community. Warsaw is now…
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‘Lebanon needs help’: an interview with filmmaker, Nada Raphael
INTERVIEW Two weeks ago partial power was restored to Lebanese homes. It is a victory as anticlimactic as it sounds. A twenty four-hour nationwide blackout had brought a flurry of media attention to the situation on the ground. After the partial restoration of electricity, all has gone quiet again. Are we to assume life is…
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Serbian parliament refuses to debate resolution on the genocide in Srebrenica
CN: genocide, war REPORT On Tuesday, Serbian MPs voted against debating three proposed resolutions relating to the 1990s Yugoslav Wars. One of these resolutions included condemning the genocide committed by Serb forces against Bosniaks in Srebrenica. The resolution sought to ban the denial of the genocide in Srebrenica that saw over 8 000 Bosniaks (mainly…
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‘This rhetoric has resulted in genocide’: Bosnian community speaks out against Dodik’s speech in Budapest
CN: this article contains discussion of genocide, war, Islamophobia, xenophobia, misogyny and violence REPORT Last week at the Fourth Budapest Demographic Summit, the Serb member of Bosnia’s Presidency, Milorad Dodik, called for European leaders to protect a “Christian Europe” from “migrants from the Middle East”. The Bosnian-Serb leader also claimed that “Muslims will never leave…
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Montenegro’s struggle for sovereignty ‘was never an internal issue’: an interview with political analyst, Ljubomir Filipović
INTERVIEW Up to 40 citizens were left injured after riots erupted in Montenegro earlier this month. Protesters sought to prevent the inauguration of Bishop Joanikije as the new head of Montenegro’s branch of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC). The decision to hold the Bishop’s inauguration in Cetinje – Montenegro’s old royal capital that is considered…
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‘Hope is in humanity’: an interview with the activist raising thousands for Beirut’s queer civilians
CN: this interview contains detailed discussion of queerphobic violence, abuse, trauma and persecution VIDEO On 4 August 2020, nearly 3 000 tons of ammonium nitrate exploded at the Port of Beirut in Lebanon. The explosion killed over 200 people and displaced an estimated 300 000. Within the broader humanitarian crisis that ensued, there exists another…
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