Global Voices » Croatia

Former Croatian PM Tweets on Parliament's Discussion on Marriage

Danica Radisic — Wed, 29 May 2013 02:02:49 +0000

Jadranka Kosor, former Croatian Prime Minister and current representative in the Croatian Parliament, decided to use her Twitter account on Tuesday evening to express her dissatisfaction with debate in Parliament over adding a definition of marriage to the country's constitution.

As in many other European countries, same-sex marriages have recently been a hot topic in Croatia's overwhelmingly Catholic society as well. Many users on Twitter and Facebook have related Jadranka Kosor's tweet from last evening to the matter of same-sex marriage, but it seems Ms. Kosor had somewhat different thoughts on her mind.

Around 6 PM on May 28, Jadranka Kosor tweeted [hr]:

Kako bi bilo da u Ustav ugradimo zabranu političarima (osobito demokršćanima) da imaju ljubavnice? Onima koji su u braku, jasno.

How about we install a ban for politicians in the Constitution (in particular for demochristians) from having mistresses? For those who are married, of course

Jadranka Kosor. Photo by Roberta F., Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Ms. Kosor later gave a statement [hr] to the Croatian news site Dnevnik, confirming that the tweet was indeed hers and explaining that she was merely expressing her “thoughts at a moment when certain changes to the Constitution were being discussed, while the state has much bigger and more important problems.”

Her tweet stirred up quite a bit of support and some trouble on Twitter nevertheless.

Twitter user @Nena_Nic said [hr]:

@_jadranka_kosor opa jadranka,pravo u centar

@_jadranka_kosor wow jadranka, straight on the bullseye

With over 50 retweets in some six hours, many on Twitter supported Kosor's statement, even those who obviously haven't shared her political views in the past, like @hajdarovicm [hr]:

@_Jadranka_Kosor Ne vjerujem sam sebi da cu ovo napisati, ali bravo zastupnice Kosor!

@_Jadranka_Kosor I can't believe myself what I am about to write, but bravo representative Kosor!

User @Implantologia_ says [hr]:

@_Jadranka_Kosor pa kad već predlažu blesave izmjene ustava idemo do kraja, stvarno svaka čast na izjavi…………:)

@_Jadranka_Kosor well since they're already suggesting silly amendments to the constitution let's go all the way, really every respect for the statement………….:)

Others weren't so supportive and questioned Ms. Kosor's motives and intentions. User @anikahahn echoes the sentiment of some other users [hr]:

@_Jadranka_Kosor Vaša ogorcenost sto nemozete biti vise nikome ljubavnica nije dovoljan razlog da mijenjate zakon ili ? Zar se ne sijecate

@_Jadranka_Kosor Your bitterness because you can no longer be anyone's mistress isn't reason enough to change the law or ? Don't you remember

Twitter user @Jela911 poses the question [hr]:

@_Jadranka_Kosor Gospođo Kosor, zašto Vama smeta to što će u Ustavu brak biti određen kao zajednica jednog muškarca i jedne žene?

@_Jadranka_Kosor Mrs. Kosor, why does it bother you that marriage will be defined in the Cosntitution as the union of a man and a woman?

In the end, there are also those who seem to have understood exactly what Ms. Kosor claims to have been thinking when she wrote this tweet, and they are wondering when other topics, like the current economic state of the country will be discussed in Parliament. @CountessBezuhov asks [hr]:

@_Jadranka_Kosor Kako bi bilo da se gradjani i političari u Hrvatskoj počnu baviti ekonmskim pitanjima, umjesto što se bave brakovima?

@_Jadranka_Kosor How about citizens and politicians in Croatia start working on economic matters, instead of working on marriages?

As Croatia Marches Towards the EU, Skepticism Meets Excitement in the Balkans

Danica Radisic — Fri, 24 May 2013 10:37:47 +0000

As Croatia prepares to enter the European Union officially on July 1 of this year, and Serbia awaits to finally receive a date to begin talks about EU entry, citizens of both countries express mixed feelings about European Union (EU) integration.

Some young Croatian citizens are looking forward to being able to seek employment in EU countries and to the economic benefits some say the EU promises to bring. Twitter user @Tash from Zagreb says [en]:

@EszterLzr haha i know, bad timing for EU and here ppl have mixed feeling ab it..and i just want to be able to go to work somewhere else

Others, like Aleksandar Holiga from Zagreb, look forward to traveling with more freedom to other EU countries [en]:

Flying to London tomorrow. For the last time ever required to fill that form and speak to immigration officer on the non-EU airport booth.

The majority, however, seems to be taking entry into the EU with a grain of salt. Goran Saravanja, a Croatian economist who blogs for Vecernji List daily, begins and ends his thoughts on the matter with simple, objective conclusions in a post titled “Facing Change: Croatia in EU” [hr]:

Prosječna osoba neće primijetiti veliku razliku u svom svakodnevnom okruženju na dan pristupanja Hrvatske EU. No, važne promjene nastupit će ubrzo. [...] Pristupanje EU samo po sebi neće automatski poboljšati kvalitetu domaćih institucija, kao ni razne politike niti njihovu provedbu. Ukoliko želimo da nam rast bude konstanta, nezaposlenost smanjena, a izvoz povećan, mi sami moramo provoditi reforme i (ne samo) ekonomsku politiku na kvalitetan način.

An average person won't notice a large difference in their everyday surroundings on the day of Croatia's entry into the EU. However, important changes will come quickly. [...] Entry into the EU in and of itself won't automatically improve the quality of domestic institutions, nor various political standpoints or their execution. If we want our growth to be constant, our unemployment lowered, and exports to grow, we must implement reforms ourselves and (not only) economic policy in a quality manner.

While Mr. Saravanja lists many of the benefits and opportunities that EU membership will bring Croatia, Zarko Plevnik in an editorial for Glas Slavonije [hr] (Slavonia is a Croatian region) questions how Croatian products will fare in the EU market because most are “unprotected”:

Gledajući i slušajući vijesti iz Hrvatske o tome kako svaki dan pronalazimo neki novi problem vezan uz naš ulazak u Europsku uniju, između ostalog, nameće se pitanje – što smo mi zaštitili od naših proizvoda prije ulaska u EU?

Watching and listening to the news from Croatia about how every day we encounter a new issue related to our entry into the European Union, among other things, the following question arises – what have we protected [trademarked] of our products prior to entry into the EU?

An article on the same site, titled “And This Is the European Union,” shows a picture of Greek farmers giving away fresh vegetables to their “class allies” [hr], or, rather, government employees.

Most social media users from Croatia seem to be skeptical about the benefits of EU membership.

Twitter user @ruzniuzorak says [hr]:

smorena sam ko europska unija

I'm bummed out like the European Union

User @nxyassa from Croatia comments [hr]:

Glupost nema granice evo naprimjer EUROPSKA UNIJA

Stupidity has no limits [borders] for example the EUROPEAN UNION

User @cromarko from Zagreb quotes an article and adds his own opinion [hr]:

“Najvece priznanje ulaska RH u EU je sastanak s kraljicom”. Priznanje hah, sve sto cu reci je Sjeverna Irska! #freeireland #oneireland

“The greatest acknowledgement of [Croatia's] accession in the EU is a meeting with the Queen.” Acknowledgement hah, all I will say is, Northern Ireland! #freeireland #oneireland

In Serbia, social media users, bloggers and many journalists are just as skeptical. Considering the recent history of Serbia and Croatia, one might wonder at the lack of perhaps expected envy that might come from Serbia towards Croatia, as Croatia enters the EU, while Serbia is still on hold and waiting for talks on membership. Serbs, however, seem to be much more concerned with their own fate.

Twitter user @na_preporciju from Serbia says [sr]:

Evropska unija nam se pokakila na demokratiju i slobodu,
a naši Slepci ne znaju da povuku vodu.

The European Union pooped on our democracy and freedom, while our Blind Men don't know how to flush.

User @m2aja echoes [sr] what many Serbs are saying:

Britanc žele da napuste Evropsku uniju, a Srbija bi da ide…

Britons want to leave the European Union, while Serbs want to enter…

Even users like @luminous_pg from Montenegro, which began EU accession negotiations a year ago, view EU-related matters [sr] sarcastically:

Muče vas bolovi u vratu? Imate problema sa zglobovima? Zaboravite na vaše neprilike, uskoro ulazimo u EVROPSKU UNIJU!

Neck pain bothering you? Have problems with your joints? Forget all your troubles, we're entering the EUROPEAN UNION soon!

User @na_preporciju also comments [sr]:

Kad uđe Hrvatska Evropska unija zaključava vrata – od robijašnice.

When Croatia enters, the European Union will close the door – of the work camp.

Some, like the Beograd Cafe blog, see positives economic opportunities for Serbia in Croatia's entry into the EU [sr], reporting from the recent “CEFTA After Croatia's Entry Into EU” trade conference, where all of the regional countries’ representatives met to discuss the Central European Free Trade Agreement:

Ulazak Hrvatske u EU doneće Srbiji niz prednosti, kao što su dominantan položaj u CEFTA regionu i povećanje suficita u razmeni sa okolnim zemljama, a očekuje se i više investicija…

The entry of Croatia into the EU will bring Serbia several advantages, such as a dominant position in the CEFTA region and a larger sufficit in trade with surrounding countries, while more investments are also expected. [...]

A blog from Bosnia and Herzegovina also writes about the subject [bs] in a post titled “Due to Exiting CEFTA, Croatian Companies to Move Production to Bosnia and Herzegovina?”.

In general, both in Croatia and Serbia, people seem to have an “it is what it is” attitude about the European Union in general. Perhaps the tweet of one user, @Darac42, sums it up best [hr]:

Da da, bit ce taj EU hard landing za hrvate.. niti ne zasluzujemo bolje..

Yes, yes, that EU will be a hard landing for Croats.. and we don't deserve better..

Running 1,000 Miles for Europe's Trafficked Children

Veronica Khokhlova — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 01:01:59 +0000

This month, Rob Martineau, Tom Stancliffe, and Guy Hacking are running 1,000 miles from Odessa to Dubrovnik, via Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Croatia, as part of the Run For Love 1000 campaign, whose aim is to raise funds for Love146, a UK charity that “gives care and hope to trafficked children, and to raise awareness of the scale of human trafficking across Europe.” Follow their run on the RFL1000 website, on Facebook, and on Twitter; support the runners by donating here (215 donations have been made so far, with nearly £12,500 raised).

Croatia's Sports Lesson for Ukraine

Veronica Khokhlova — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 01:19:00 +0000

Ukraine, with its population of 45 million people, has much to learn from Croatia, population just over 4 million, in terms of organizing affordable and accessible sports activities for children.

This is one of the conclusions that Denis Oleinikov, a Ukrainian businessman who lives in Croatia with his wife and two children, has recently shared in a Facebook post [ru] comparing the attitudes towards sports in Ukraine and in Croatia. Oleinikov received political asylum in Croatia – which he now calls his “new, cozy and friendly home” – following the 2011 crackdown on his goods-on-demand company that had been printing t-shirts with slogans mocking the Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.

First, Oleinikov compared the demographics and financial resources of the two countries:

[...] Ukraine has a much higher level of urbanization. We live predominantly in large cities – which means that it is possible to build [sports facilities] that would accommodate [...] hundreds of thousands of people. [...]

In Croatia, people live mainly in small towns. [...] Our town's population is 10,000 people. There are only about 30 kids my son's age there – [in Kyiv], there'd be more kids his age in just two streets [of any given neighborhood].

In Ukraine, there are [large industrial corporations] that fund not just professional clubs, but also “corporate” sports facilities of a rather high quality. My daughter [played tennis] a couple of times at the gym that belongs to the [Odessa-based] Shustov Cognac Factory – they have tennis courts and a swimming pool there, and all is up to the mark. The whole Croatian region doesn't have a swimming pool [that could compete with Shustov's].

Local [Croatian] oligarchs are poor beggars compared to their Ukrainian counterparts. [...]

Next, he did a quick assessment of how the two countries fare against each other in sports:

[...] Football, FIFA rankings: Croatia – 9, Ukraine – 48.
Basketball, men: Croatia – 16, Ukraine – 50.
Basketball, women: Croatia – 21, Ukraine – 61 (shares this position with Rwanda and Madagascar).
Handball, men: Croatia – 10, Ukraine – 28.
Handball, women: Croatia – 18, Ukraine – 22.

Ukraine is ahead of Croatia only in winter sports, which isn't surprising as much of Croatia lies in the subtropics :). And not in all winter sports, too – Croats are ahead of us in alpine skiing. [...]

Oleinikov kept wondering about Croatia's enviable athletic achievements. Then, when his little son got a chance to spend a week at a free-of-charge sports camp organized by his school during spring break, he understood what the key to Croatia's success must have been:

[...] We would drop our son off at 8 AM and pick him up at 3 PM.

The city provided sports facilities and lunch [...]. Sports federations provided the coaches [...]. A children's sports psychologist was invited from [Croatia's capital] Zagreb.

And FOR A WHOLE WEEK the kids have been joyfully trying different types of sports, for free: football, basketball, volleyball, handball, tennis, ping-pong, karate, fencing (!!!), yachting (!!!), bocce… that's it, I guess.

[...]

In our “village” (by Ukrainian standards, it wouldn't even be the biggest one), 100 percent of children are involved in extracurricular sports activities. [...]

Oleinikov sees a lesson for Ukraine here – and for Ukraine's opposition politicians, too:

[...] It shouldn't cost too much to reproduce it all in Ukraine. [...] Schools and some municipal organizations could provide gyms. Dinners can be organized somehow as well.

What's needed is that someone has the need to do this. Even if the state doesn't give a damn.

Enthusiasts, volunteers, activists.

Finally, one camp like this would bring five times more loyal supporters (from the parents’ ranks) to the respected opposition politicians than ten protest rallies would. Only this camp has to be organized every six months for five years in a row – and not just once three months before the election [...].

Some of Oleinikov's readers (and he has over 2,750 Facebook friends and followers) weighed in on the situation with sports in Ukraine – showing little or no optimism, however.

Aleksandr Yaremenko wrote [ru]:

Denis, children's sports barely exists in our country now. It is either the “elite” types of sports that parents pay huge amounts of money for [...], or it's pure enthusiasm of [state-funded] coaches who survive on peanuts from the not-so-rich parents.

Alex Gureev wrote [ru]:

People in the well-to-do Europe tend to forget the Ukrainian realities a bit too quickly. Here, people are busy just trying to SURVIVE! They cannot be bothered with sports and other attributes of the well-to-do West… We've had more than one attempt to apply the [theory of "small deeds"] – and, in most cases, these attempts failed after just a couple of months… ((

‘Good Morning Earth!': Tweets from Space

Veronica Khokhlova — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 00:16:00 +0000

Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield), a Canadian astronaut “currently living in space aboard ISS as Commander of [Expedition 35],” has been tweeting his amazing photos of the Earth daily since Dec. 2012.

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RIP Nora Šitum, “Brave Little Lion” Who United Croatia

Veronica Khokhlova — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 03:58:28 +0000

In early February, thousands of Croatian citizens managed to raise enough money in just over a week to make it possible for Nora Šitum, a 5-year-old Croatian girl, to travel to the United States to receive treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Nora passed away a month and a half later, on March 20, 2013, and again the whole country was united, grieving the loss of this mali hrabri lav, a brave little lion – or strašni lav, a scary lion, as the girl liked to call herself.

Nora's story became widely known in Croatia on Feb. 1, when local papers published this appeal for help [hr] written by her mother, Djana Atanasovska, and netizens helped share it [hr]:

Nora Šitum is 5 years and 8 months old. She’s one special and very unusual human being. Those who know her will confirm this. And those who don’t know her… well, you should meet her!

Her short and carefree childhood ended abruptly on Dec. 1, 2010, when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. On that day, our lives were turned upside down. On that day, our lives were turned into hell. On that day, our struggle began. The struggle for life.

We started the lengthy and excruciating therapy, which lasted nine long months, at the pediatric hematology department of the Rebro Hospital in Zagreb. From the very beginning, nothing was going smoothly: on the 27th day of her treatment, Nora went into a coma, which lasted 11 days, and that's when she was [said to have no chances of recovery].

But she woke up! And began her life from scratch. Learned to walk, talk and eat again… An extraordinary human being. A little creature with a big heart and an even bigger strength! She was through with her therapy, and we went home to recuperate. Slowly, we were returning to life. With a lot of pills, numerous blood tests and checkups, but we were at home, we were together and she was almost healthy! And this is how it was for ten months, when the damn disease returned.

[...] And… it all began anew! Again, the hospital. Again, the shock. Again, the long-term chemotherapy. For six months. [...] Things were going well… and then again! The disease returned again. Three times up till now!

Eighty percent of the children with leukemia recover. They all [...] go through their suffering, but one day, luckily, all is left is an ugly memory. Nora, unfortunately, is among the 20 percent. But she is strong as a lion. Or, a scary lion, as she says it.

There is no more cure for her. Her doctors, children's hematologists at Rebro, are wonderful people. The did all they could. For my lion and for the rest of the children. But they are only humans, not gods. They have nothing more to give her. The disease has become resistant to everything.

But as there's always a little light at the end of the tunnel, we learned about a new method of treatment at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, which was in the news a lot a month and a half ago. Just when Nora got to the last line of defense. [...]

That is our only and last chance. That or to wait helplessly by the hospital bed, counting hours and days until my little lion's life ends. What parent is capable of that, knowing that there is hope somewhere?

We got in touch with the hospital in Philadelphia [...]. They are waiting for us, and time is our worst enemy [...]. In this condition, without therapy, she cannot live long.

In the next eight days we have to board a plane that will take us into our new struggle. The most important one, the last one. [...]

The problem, as always, is money.

The treatment costs $575,000. About 3.3 million [Croatian] kuna. This amount is making us dizzy. We don't have it. Please help us! [...] For every child who, God forbid, may end up in this situation. Let's move the boundaries together!

And when we return, you'll meet our Nora. She's an amazing human being, I'm telling you… You'll see for yourself. We will win! Definitely… WE HAVE TO! [...]

Vratimo osmijeh Nori na lice (“Let's return the smile to Nora's face”), a Facebook page with over 137,600 fans, became the chief engine of the unprecedented fundraising and support initiative – Nora u ♥ (Nora u srcu – “With Nora in heart”) – and one of the main citizen media sources of news on Nora's struggle.

An update posted on Feb. 9 on Vratimo osmijeh Nori na lice page said [hr] that Nora and her parents were already in the United States, and that her condition was stable. But time was not on her side.

On March 20, the day Nora died, her mother wrote [hr] to the community of the little girl's supporters:

[...] We were with her until the last moment. She left peacefully and quietly. Beautiful as ever. [...]

We love you and thank you for your unconditional and selfless support during this time! [...]

P.S. I'll add that heaven is big enough for her energy and hyperactivity. Here, she didn't have enough space :-) !

Later, a message [hr] from Nora's father, Ivica Šitum, appeared:

[...] At 0:20, or 5:20 AM our time, our little soul has left her battered body. Mama's and papa's scary lion left and joined her pack of little lions, who have gone before her. She departed for her little friends with bald heads and sad, tired eyes – hopefully, into a better and happier world. [...]

She is forever free. No injections, no medicines, no tears and no pain. She died in our arms and next to our hearts, which, until the end of days, will be filled with love and memories of her. Rest in peace, our little, tired, scary lion. Mama and papa love you.

Also on March 20, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia posted this statement [en] on its Facebook page:

[...] We are very sorry for the loss of Nora Situm, and express our deepest sympathies to her parents, family, and many friends and supporters in Croatia. During the time Nora was in our care we were in awe of the tremendous courage and spirit displayed by her and her parents.

While we were all hopeful that Nora might benefit from the T-cell therapy trial, unfortunately she passed away before she was able to receive T-cell therapy. We believe that every child deserves a chance and Nora’s parents and supporters went to extraordinary lengths to give that chance to her. We hope that her family, her supporters, and the people of Croatia find comfort in knowing they did all they could for this remarkable little girl. [...]

With Nora in their hearts, people continue [hr] to offer condolences online.

And many netizens were posting messages on the Croatian government's Facebook page [hr]. Here is one [hr], by Ivica Šegović:

May her death be a warning to you! If you have money to buy [1,742 vehicles worth 265.5 million kuna], then there has to be the money to treat a sick child who has just begun to live! We are not blaming you for her death, but we want to draw attention to the fact that these angels must be provided with treatment. R.I.P. little angel ♥

Another message to the Croatian government, by Maja Maček [hr] of Varaždin, reportedly [hr] received some 27,000 like and 755 comments, and was shared by many netizens:

I don't know if you've heard of the little girl Nora, we called her [Nora the scary lion]. She wasn't yet 6, the sad-eyed girl, the girl who has today put you all to shame – the whole government and all the politicians, and do you know why? – because she has done what you never will – she has united the whole country, regardless of the name, ethnicity, village, town, county… She has united children, young people, adults, old people, and with her childlike, innocent simplicity she has entered into the hearts of each of us and of all she has made one great heart that was beating in sync. That night, when it turned out that money had to be raised to save her life – everyone gave as much as they could, for all of us time stopped, everything became irrelevant except for whether we have collected enough. [...] One girl showed you that love is stronger than anything, and it is something that you are lacking!

E-Journal on Balkan History and Archaeology

Vasilka Dimitrovska — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 20:44:02 +0000

Haemus journal Vol.1 (2012)
http://haemus.mk

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Protesting Cyrillic, “Collectivising Guilt” in Croatia

Veronica Khokhlova — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 00:31:12 +0000

Balkan Anarchist weighs in on the protests against the use of the Cyrillic script in Vukovar‘s public spaces:

[...] I believe that we, decent and honest Serbs, should be ashamed of what was done in the name of Serbdom during the '90s and condemn it all unequivocally! And I also agree that it's wrong that most Serb war crimes suspects have yet to be apprehended; it should not stay like that any longer. However, it's one thing to seek justice for serious offences that were committed in wartime, and a completely different thing to deny every sign of another culture and language in peace time, just because some dispicable members of that community did something horrible to you or a loved one. [...]

Parallels Between Religious and Copyright Wars

Filip Stojanovski — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 13:54:28 +0000

Rick Falkvinge, the founder of Pirate Party, reinterprets the wars of religion that devastated Western Europe in the XVI and XVII centuries in terms of the current struggle to control information through overbearing legislation related to copyright and freedom of expression:

The religious wars were never about religion as such. They were about who held the power of interpretation, about who controlled the knowledge and culture available to the masses. It was a war of gatekeepers of information.

Reflections on the Croatian Generals’ Acquittal

Veronica Khokhlova — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 00:10:15 +0000

Alan Jaksic of Balkan Anarchist posts a follow-up to his initial comments on the Nov. 16 reversal of the convictions of the Croatian generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markač:

[...] So do I still consider last month’s acquittal at the Hague a “disgraceful acquittal”, an “outrage” and an “insult to all the Serbs from the fallen Krajina…”, and most importantly a “mockery of justice”? Well, I was upset by this vindication initially [...]. [...] However, I do concede that I lack the qualifications to brand any verdict a “mockery of justice” as an expert could; I am not qualified to use that term in any case and I regret using it in my previous article. I’ll end this post with what I sincerely believe is right:

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Croatia's EU Negotiation Model: A View From Turkey

Veronica Khokhlova — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 23:24:26 +0000

At BlogActiv.com, Kader Sevinç shares highlights [en] from her interview [hr] with the Croatian daily Slobodna Dalmacija, in which she talked about Turkey’s accession to the EU and the Croatian model for the EU negotiations – “a multi-party model overcoming deep political fractures over the EU membership target.”

Regional Bloggers Attend Blogomanija Conference in Serbia

Veronica Khokhlova — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 23:47:15 +0000

Dozens of bloggers [sr] from Serbia, as well as from Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovenia, attended Blogomanija [sr], a regional blogging conference that was held in Serbia on Dec. 7-9. Among other things, they discussed [sr] the impact of blogs and social networks on social and political life in Serbia and the region.

Croatian Senior Generals Acquitted of War Crimes

Veronica Khokhlova — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 00:45:56 +0000

Eric Gordy of East Ethnia comments on this Friday's UN appeal court's judgment acquitting Croatian generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markač of war crimes:

[...] Some people are delighted with the judgment and other people are outraged, with divisions following predictable political lines. The appeals chamber itself is no less divided. The five judges on the panel made most of their decisions by a 3-2 vote. [...] So consensus about the law and the facts of the case is not any greater among the members of the appeals chamber than it is in the public. This gives us a result that does not settle controversies, but keeps them burning for a good long time. [...]

Albania: Balkans Beyond Borders Short Film Festival

Veronica Khokhlova — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 23:35:44 +0000

A poster for the Balkans Beyond Borders Short Film Festival 2012.

The Balkans Beyond Borders Short Film Festival 2012 opens in Tirana today. This is the third time that the festival is being held; this year's theme is “TALK TO ME – multilingualism and communication”; the program of the three-day event is here.

The Netherlands: Balkan Snapshots Festival 2012

Veronica Khokhlova — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 22:13:02 +0000

A promo poster for the Balkan Snapshots Festival 2012.

Balkan Buro, a Dutch non-profit “dedicated to providing a platform for artistic and cultural encounters between Western and Southeastern Europe,” announces the Balkan Snapshots Festival 2012, which will take place in Amsterdam on Sept. 21-23: “three nights of music, creativity, movies and inspiring debates!”

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