News
Troll of the Month: The Radio Television of Republika Srpska
The Balkan Troll of the Month is an individual, a group of individuals or a media outlet that spreads hate based on gender, ethnicity, religion, or other diversity categories. The Balkan Troll is selected based on hate speech incidents identified across the Western Balkans region. July 11th marks the International Day of Commemoration of the …
2024 Olympics: The Hijab Ban for French Athletes Tests the Host Nation’s Brand of Secularism
The French government’s decision to ban French athletes from wearing hijabs at the 2024 Olympics sparked months of criticism from rights groups. France has chosen to maintain the ban, adhering to a strict interpretation of “laïcité,” viewing French athletes as “public servants” subject to national secularism laws. On International Women’s Day, the International Olympic Committee …
EIGHT YEARS IN THE LIGHT (AND SHADOW)
VIOLATION AFTER VIOLATION, THE WALL OF SOCIAL INJUSTICE RISES. 2024 marked the eighth edition of Prishtina’s annual Pride Parade. The week leading up the parade, which took place on June 8, 2024, was filled with diverse artistic and cultural activities, activism and unconventional entertainment. Hundreds participants, including members of the LGBTIQ+ communities, allies and political …
GOOD DAY, BELGRADE!
WILL IT EVER GET BETTER IN SERBIA? On June 27, 2024, I left Prishtina for Belgrade to participate in this year’s edition of the Mirëdita, Dobar Dan! festival, organized by Integra in Kosovo and the Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR) of Civic Initiatives in Serbia. The festival, now in its tenth edition, serves as a platform …
TELEGRAM GROUPS AS VIRTUAL SAFE HAVENS FOR IMAGE-BASED SEXUAL ABUSE OF WOMEN AND GIRLS IN THE WESTERN BALKANS
Mass cases of image-based sexual abuse highlighted the exploitation, intimidation and humiliation of women and girls across the region. Abusers have found a digital safe space to exploit and intimidate women in the comfort of their anonymity and lack of accountability. The feminist organisation OsnaŽene (Empowered Women), based in Serbia, published an article investigating Telegram …
Monthly Monitoring Highlights June: Telegram groups, sexism and homophobia
Throughout June, the RDN monitoring team has detected a range of hateful narratives and discourse. This month, we have seen hatred based on gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity as well as an incident of image based sexual abuse and genocide denial. Image based sexual abuse in Serbia In Serbia, the feminist organisation OsnaŽene (Empowered women) from …
TROLL OF THE MONTH: Media outlet Informer.rs
The Balkan Troll of the Month is an individual, a group of individuals or a media outlet that spreads hate based on gender, ethnicity, religion, or other diversity categories. The Balkan Troll is selected based on hate speech incidents identified across the Western Balkans region. The month of June saw the start of the UEFA …
ARE KOSOVO AND SERBIA IN A COLD WAR?
THE WAR-MONGERING AND VICTIM NARRATIVES LEAVE KOSOVO AND SERBIA BEHIND. The 25th anniversary of the end of NATO’s bombing campaign against Serbian military, police and paramilitary forces, which marked the end of the 1998-1999 war in Kosovo, is approaching. Today, it seems that the citizens of Kosovo are experiencing a cold war with Serbia. The …
Monthly Monitoring Highlights May: sexism and genocide denial
Throughout the month of May, the RDN monitoring team has detected a range of hateful narratives and discourse. This month, we have seen hatred based on gender, sexual orientation, genocide denial, and hatred against political opponents. Sexism in Montenegro, North Macedonia and Kosovo. In Montenegro, during the TV show “Some like it hot” on Adria …