Monday Briefing from the Balkans: February 3, 2025
Source: Balkan Insight
Bosnian Serb leader says ‘foreign agents law’ looming
The president of Bosnia’s Serb-dominated Republika Srpska entity, Milorad Dodik, announced on Sunday that the foreign agents’ bill, which was previously shelved, “will be voted on at the next session of the National Assembly”.
Dodik told the media that President Donald Trump’s suspension of US foreign aid sent “a signal to Republika Srpska to vote their own law on non-governmental organisations”.
The so-called foreign agents law would restrict non-profit organisations from engaging in “political activities”, mandate their enrolment in a special registry and subject them to increased legal oversight.
“It will be stricter than the one we proposed when we wanted to reach a compromise, but since you did not want a compromise and thought you could control things, now you will get a strict law,” Dodik said.
Serbian protesters block bridge in second city
Serbian students staged a 27-hour blockade of the Freedom Bridge in Serbia’s second city of Novi Sad over the weekend, three months after the collapse of the city’s railway station canopy left 15 people dead. People from all over of Serbia came to support the students’ protests and their demands.
Protests on Sunday were held also in the city of Nis and in dozens of towns across the country. Lawyers meanwhile said they would halt work for a month in support of the students’ demands.
Croatian students show solidarity with Serbian protests
Croatian students from Split, Zagreb and Osijek gathered at 11:52 am on Saturday to support the student protests in Serbia that have been going on for over two months. In Split, the gathering took place on Matejuska, in Zagreb, a rally was held on the city’s European Square and in Osijek, it was on the Pedestrian Bridge.
They carried various banners to show their support for students in Serbia. “Solidarity with students”, “What no one can do, you can do” and “One world, one fight” were some of the slogans shown in Zagreb.
Domagoj Fuk, a political science student, said that people wanted to express solidarity with colleagues in Serbia. “What the students want to say to their colleagues is that solidarity knows no boundaries and we are all in this together,” Fuk said.
North Macedonians honour victim of reckless driver
Thousands attended a protest march on Sunday in the capital, Skopje, demanding justice for a young woman who was run over last week by a speeding car, and systemic law changes to prevent similar cases of reckless driving.
They paid tribute to the victim by observing a three-minute silence at the place where she was run over, at Partizanska Boulevard, as well as in front of parliament and the Palace of Justice.
Frosina Kulakova, 22, was run over four days ago by a 20-year-old driver under the influence of alcohol, without a driver’s license. He ran a red light at high speed while she was crossing a pedestrian crossing on the boulevard.
Montenegrins to block roads in protest over mass shooting
The informal group of students Where Tomorrow (Kamo Śutra) announced that from Monday they will block one road every day as a sign of protest over their unfulfilled demands related to the recent mass shooting in the town of Cetinje.
They held several protests in the capital, Podgorica, saying that they will not give up until their demands for the dismissal of Minister of Interior Danilo Saranovic and Deputy Prime Minister for Security and Defense Aleksa Becic are met.
On the first day of 2025, Aco Martinovic killed 12 people in Cetinje, including two children, while one wounded person died eight days later. It was the worst mass shooting in the history of Montenegro.
Greece closes schools as quakes shake islands
Over the last 48 hours, more than 200 earthquakes have been recorded between the Greek islands of Santorini and Amorgos. On Saturday, 85 earthquakes were recorded and on Sunday, 78; seven measured more than 4 on the Richter scale.
Vasilis Karastathis, director of the Geodynamic Institute, on Sunday told the media that since January 24 a great increase in seismicity has been observed in the maritime area between Santorini and Amorgos, with over 380 earthquakes recorded, adding that they “are clearly of tectonic origin”.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis held a meeting with scientists, while the authorities have been put on alert, reflecting increased concern over the intense seismic activity.
On Monday, schools will remain closed on the islands of Santorini, Anafi, Ios and Amorgos. The authorities warned the islanders to avoid gatherings and abandoned buildings – and not to approach some ports on the islands.
The original article: belongs to Balkan Insight .
