Vučić, please stop
Interpol rejected Serbia's request for international arrest warrants against the Novi Sad Six.
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Hope you’re doing well. It’s been a tough week on our end, so unfortunately we’ll have to keep things short with a Ristretto Edition.
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Vučić, please stop
Interpol has rejected Serbia’s request to issue international arrest warrants for six activists from the STAV group, who have been forced into exile from Serbia since March 2025.
BACKGROUND. We wrote extensively about the STAV students here on Balkan Brew last March, on the first anniversary of their exile. The six are still on trial in Serbia for alleged subversion.
WHY? Željko Kočić, one of the defence lawyers for the Novi Sad Six, said on X that Interpol’s refusal rests on a finding that the charges amount to a “political criminal offence”.
Interpol refuses to intervene in cases it deems political. Sometimes controversially.
PLEASE STOOOOP. According to Kočić, the letter also includes a specific request to Serbian authorities to stop sending requests regarding these individuals, since they will not be acted on.
The World Cup may be over, but it is never a bad time to revisit some of the best moments of Serbian football legend Nemanja Vidić. Sadly, he has recently been in the media spotlight for other reasons: an organised campaign of violent intimidation allegedly carried out by the former head of Serbia’s football association, Slaviša Kokeza, after Vidić criticised his leadership. The full story was uncovered by KRIK.
NO DRONES… BIRN Serbia published an investigation documenting more than 25 cases of interference with satellite navigation over Serbia.
In some cases, the false signals were used to bring down drones filming student protests, as happened during the Slavija protests.
NOR MUSIC. Artists who have expressed support for anti-government protests in Serbia say live bookings have dried up as public funds go to performers aligned with the ruling party.
BOWIE FROM SREBRENICA. If you’ve been following us for a while, you know we love a good rock ‘n’ roll story.
That’s why we were thrilled by this documentary released by BIRN.
It tells the story of Samir Mehić, a rock guitarist who remained in Srebrenica after Bosnian Serb forces besieged the town between 1992 and 1995. He was killed in the genocide following the town’s fall in July 1995.
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CLASH. Hundreds of protesters clashed with police in front of the palriament in Tirana, Albania, on Thursday, as MPs convened for their last session before the summer break.
It was a rare violent flare-up in nearly two months of largely peaceful daily protests.
At least one officer and one protester were injured by thrown stones; dozens were affected by chemicals in the water cannon.
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TURKEY VS THE YOUNG. Turkey is planning to impose tougher sentences on minors who commit crimes.
The government says the measures are needed to curb the recruitment of teenagers by criminal gangs.
In recent years, youth gangs have grown significantly in several Turkish cities, fuelled by a boom in the trafficking of synthetic drugs.
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NO PRIDE. The Romanian city of Oradea has refused to allow an LGBT+ Pride march for the fourth consecutive year.
The decision violates the right to freedom of assembly and is another worrying sign of the growing pressure on LGBT+ rights in Romania.
The organisers are planning to go ahead with the march anyway this Saturday.
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LOOKING FOR SUPPORT. On Wednesday, Bulgaria approved the stationing of US aircraft at Bezmer Air Base, which will be used to support US operations against Iran.
Iran warned Bulgaria that the move could be considered a form of complicity in the US attacks and threatened retaliation.
Five mayors from towns around Bezmer Air Base, about 260 km (160 miles) southeast of Sofia, have also filed complaints against the plan, citing security concerns.
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Until next week, take care.
BB