They risk imprisonment of 23 to 58 years. They are minors and Kurds. They are awaiting trial for their participation in the protests against the Turkish government last October. The debate concerns minors involved in political protests and violations of the rights of children by police and the judiciary
The government of Skopje is trying hard to pay respect to diversity. Some analysts argue that, despite a difficult start, Macedonia remains the only viable example of successful ethnic co-existence in the Balkans. This may also be an exaggerated statement, but it is worth thinking about it
For the first time in German history, an ethnic Turkish son of a gastarbeiter migrant worker, will lead a political party. Cem Özdemir, 42 years old and a former MP in the German Bundestag, is the new German Obama. With 80% of the party convention vote in his favour, he will lead the German Greens together with Claudia Roth
It was a witch hunt, or more exactly, a hunt of the "other". The first queer festival in Sarajevo ended before it had even begun. Fifteen persons were injured or were subject to threats by hooligan gangs and Wahhabi groups. In addition, Iggy Pop cancelled his upcoming concert in Sarajevo
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the exodus of the "refugee children" from Aegean Macedonia (Northern Greece). They fled their homes amidst a civil war and when they became adults, could not return to their homes nor claim their land. For the first time ever, the Macedonian government endorsed their demands
Public and private space. The latter eats up the former, chewing away bits of freedom and identity. The collective dimension overwhelmed by traffic and private property. A sociological reflection on urban planning in Tirana
After seven years of legal odyssey, 16 Macedonian journalists won a civil case against the state last month, claiming damages for being subject to systematic wiretapping. The day of the verdict, although greeted in moderate spirit, is still something to rejoice
There are 54.000 Roma in Macedonia (a questionable piece of statistics as the identity declaration of Roma can be quite ambiguous). Of them, 17.000 are unemployed and 14.000 cannot afford the basic necessities. Another statistics says that 85% of the Roma in Macedonia receive social welfare
The most traumatic case in Macedonian judicial history, the "Rastanski Lozja" case, came to an end. The senior members of the Macedonian intelligence and police, accused of murdering six Pakistani and one Indian in 2002, to present it as an act against international terrorism, have been all acquitted
