Rape and Minorities

July 23, 2026 Published by: Roma Foundation

Survivors of wartime sexual violence in Kosovo were officially recognized in 2018, significantly later than other war victim categories, following years of advocacy by NGOs for women’s rights.

Over 2,100 victims of wartime sexual violence have been recognized, with 96% being of Albanian nationality, raising concerns about the neglect of minority victims in public discourse.

The story of Šehrije Baljaj, a Romani woman who testified about her rape in 1999, highlights the struggles of minority victims, as she passed away before her application for recognition was processed.

‘Nobody Mentions Us’: Silence Surrounds Wartime Rape of Kosovo’s Ethnic Minorities. In: Balkan Insight. 22.07.2026. https://balkaninsight.com/2026/07/22/nobody-mentions-us-silence-surrounds-wartime-rape-of-kosovos-ethnic-minorities/btj/

Bosnia News Eastern Europe

Bosnian War Crimes

July 13, 2026 Published by: Roma Foundation

July 12 marks the 34th anniversary of one of the most serious and monstrous crimes committed against Roma civilians during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

On the Orthodox holiday of St. Peter’s Day in 1992, members of a paramilitary formation known as “Sima’s Chetniks” carried out a massacre of the inhabitants of the Roma settlement of Skočić near Kozluk, near Zvornik.

After looting, brutal beatings, torture, rape and humiliation, they captured members of Roma families and then took them to the hamlet of Hamzići near Malešić, where they were shot and thrown into a pit.

28 Roma civilians were killed in the crime, including nine children and one pregnant woman. This massacre is considered the largest single war crime against Roma committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Na Petrovdan prije 34 godine: Zločin nad Romima u Skočiću ne smije biti zaboravljen. In: Vijesti. 12.07.2026. https://www.vijesti.ba/clanak/764775/na-petrovdan-prije-34-godine-zlocin-nad-romima-u-skocicu-ne-smije-biti-zaboravljen

Bosnia News Eastern Europe

Roma in Bosnia

March 23, 2026 Published by: Roma Foundation

Three decades after the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Roma still remain outside the institutional memory, justice and reparations system, although, according to new findings, they were exposed to all forms of war crimes, from murders to expulsions and displacement, it was emphasized at the conference on the suffering of Roma in the period 1992-1995.

The conference was held in the building of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina under the title “Through Truth to Justice: Thirty Years of Silence on the Suffering of Roma in the Period 1992-1995”, within the project “Improving Roma Participation in Transitional Justice in BiH”, funded by the Government of the United Kingdom.

Romi u BiH i dalje bez priznanja i pravde: Predstavljen izvještaj o sistemskom stradanju 1992-1995. In: Preprod. 23.03.2026. https://preporod.info/bs/article/71657/romi-u-bih-i-dalje-bez-priznanja-i-pravde-predstavljen-izvjestaj-o-sistemskom-stradanju-1992-1995
Romi u BiH i dalje bez priznanja i pravde – Predstavljen izvještaj o sistemskom stradanju 1992-1995. In: Bosna Info. 23.03.2026. https://bosnainfo.ba/bih/romi-u-bih-i-dalje-bez-priznanja-i-pravde-predstavljen-izvjestaj-o-sistemskom-stradanju-1992-1995/