Turkish Government to Return Seized Property to Religious Minorities

ny times

By SEBNEM ARSU

Published: August 28, 2011
ANKARA, Turkey — The Turkish government said it would return hundreds of properties that were confiscated from religious minorities by the state or other parties over the years since 1936, and would pay compensation for properties that were seized and later sold.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan made the announcement on Sunday to representatives of more than 150 Christian and Jewish trusts gathered at a dinner he hosted in Istanbul to break the day’s Ramadan fast. The government decree to return the properties, bypassing nationalist opposition in Parliament, was issued late Saturday....more...
read more: ny times
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/29/world/europe/29turkey.html?_r=1&ref=europe

Serbia's Draft Media Strategy Worries Minorities

balkan insight
14 JUL 2011 / 09:48

Minorities in Serbia have slated a long-awaited draft strategy on the media, saying the proposals imperil the future of minority-language broadcasting.
Bojana Barlovac Belgrade

Serbian parliamentarians from minority parties have expressed dissatisfaction with a draft media strategy that envisions the privatisation of all media except for the national public service broadcaster, RTS, and the regional public service broadcaster for Vojvodina, RTV....more...
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/serbian-minorities-stand-against-draft-media-strategy

Romanian Hungarians Snub Plan For Eight Regions

balkan insight
27 JUN 2011 / 08:09

Coalition in Romania may break up as ethnic Hungarians reject government's plan for regional re-organization.

Marian Chiriac Bucharest
“The administrative reorganization [of Romania] has to be done carefully and not accordingly to the plans proposed by the President and Prime Minister." So said Kelemen Hunor, president of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians from Romania, UDMR, on Saturday. “If there is no need for us to stay in the ruling coalition we should leave it, that is no problem,” he added....more....
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/hungarians-oppose-romania-s-administrative-organization-plan

Serbia Urges Autumn Vote for Bosniak Council

se times
27 JUN 2011 / 07:34

As Minorities Minister recommends re-run elections for Bosniak National Council before winter, the Bosniak Cultural Community, BKZ, led by Muamer Zukorlic, gives cool response

Bojana Barlovac Belgrade

Serbia's new Minister for Human and Minority Rights says fresh elections for the Bosniak National Council, representing the country's Muslim community, should take place by the end of 2011. ...more...
read more: se times
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/serbian-ministry-announce-new-bosniak-council-vote

Albania: Greek Minority Leader Sentenced to Prison

balkan insight
09 JUN 2011 / 16:43
An ethnic Greek leader in the southeastern city of Korca was sentenced to one year in prison on Thursday, after a judge found him guilty of desecrating ethnic Albanian graves.


Besar Likmeta Tirana

Naum Disho, the head of the Greek minority organisation Omonia in Korca, was tried together with two local workers from the village of Boboshtice, Alqi Koroveshi and Luan Zace, who were each handed a 18-month suspended sentence....more....
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/albania-greek-minority-leader-sentenced-to-prison

Romanian Hungarians Plan Own Office in Brussels

balkan insight
30 May 2011 / 07:24

Plan by ethnic Hungarians in Transylvania to open a representative office in Brussels angers Romanian politicians.

Marian ChiriacBucharest
Three ethnic Hungarian members of the European Parliament from Romania have annoyed Romanian officials by announcing plans to open a representative office for the mainly Hungarian Szekler region in Brussels on June 1....more....
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/disputes-over-romanian-hungarians-planned-representation-at-eu

Serbs in Croatia safe, says council president

b92.net
Region

Tuesday 26.04.2011
11:23
Source: Tanjug, Večernje novosti

ZAGREB -- Serb National Council in Croatia President Milorad Pupovac says there is potential to harm "both Serbs and Croats, as well as the entire region on its EU path".
His comments came in the wake of the recent Hague Tribunal ruling which found former Croatian generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markač guilty of war crimes committed against the country's ethnic Serbs 1995 during Operation Storm....more...
read more: b92.net
http://www.b92.net/eng/news/region-article.php?yyyy=2011&mm=04&dd=26&nav_id=74004

Bosniak Council elections postponed

b92.net Politics Wednesday 30.03.2011 17:02

Source: B92, Beta BELGRADE -- The Serbian authorities have decided to postpone elections for the Bosniak (Muslim) National Council, previously set to take place on April 17. This was announced on Wednesday in Belgrade by Local Administration and Human and Minority Rights Minister Milan Marković....more...

read more: b92.net

http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2011&mm=03&dd=30&nav_id=73521