Democracy and Human Rights

The uproar raised in the general public by the rare attempts, even in the critical media,to move the events at Košare from the mythical framework into the field of political discussion, indicates that the dominant narrative about this event corresponds to the needs of significant parts of society, as well as that it goes beyond the public’s views of the current regime. In this sense, one can speak of the constitution of a new political myth that relies on the already existing cultural framework and political discourses.

This publication is a Report on illegal actions against queer people in 2022, which Da se zna! has documented during this period. The structure of the documented illegal actions still shows that safeguarding the right to physical and psychological integrity remains the queer community's greatest challenge, while the scope of discrimination has reduced, or the need to report it has lessened. 

After the devastating wars on the territory of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, in recent decades, we have observed that the (re)construction of national historiographies is also driving societies further and further apart. Despite the gloomy picture drawn in this publication, coming to terms with the region’s traumatic history could be an essential contribution to European unification. With this publication, we hope to provide an impulse to that end.

 This publication is a report on illegal incidents aimed against queer persons which took place in 2021, which Da se zna! has registered during this period. The Report segregates data from reports on these incidents so as to include an analysis of: the source of the incident report; the location where the incident happened; the type of injury sustained by the survivor, their personal characteristics and their intersection, as well as the status of the reported incident in process before the authorities.

Recommendations and expectations for German and European policy. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has direct and significant implications for the Western Balkans. The lack of a consistent and convincing EU perspective and U.S. engagement in the region opened up space for other actors and scenarios aimed at recomposing the Western Balkans as well as promoted regressive tendencies throughout the region.

In addition to detailing instances of hate-motivated incidents against LGBT+ people in Serbia between 2017 and 2020, this report also provides a legal and social context for the Serbian judicial system's treatment of these issues (or lack thereof).

For the past three decades, Western Balkan countries have been going through a dynamic period of consolidation of new states, economic transition and transformation of social values. This process of regional and internal consolidation is unfinished and the legacy of conflict is still powerful; yet the outlook of EU accession is the one positive project offering a perspective to societies and economies while settling the wounds of the past.

In 2020, a number of international conferences and talks marking the 25th anniversary of the Dayton Accords brought the country back into the international spotlight. On this occasion, the Heinrich Böll Foundation's office in Sarajevo captured numerous voices on how to deal with the dysfunctional system.