Balkan Developments

From protests to the ballot box: students in Serbia register for the vote

Students who have been holding anti-government protests in Serbia for nearly two years submitted documents to participate in the snap parliamentary elections on October 25, BTA reported. They filed far more than the required 10,000 signatures and a list of 250 parliamentary candidates with the Republic Electoral Commission in Belgrade under the name "Student List – Students Win."

The candidates include professors, doctors, artists, activists, and entrepreneurs. The movement claims they were selected through student plenums based on the principles of direct democracy.

The protests began following the collapse of a canopy at the Novi Sad railway station on November 1, 2024, which killed 16 people and left one person seriously injured. Students organised blockades in over 60 university faculties, blamed the authorities for the incident, and put forward anti-corruption demands. In May 2025, they called for snap parliamentary elections and succeeded in securing them.

Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi sentenced to 25 years in prison

The Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague sentenced former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi and three other former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) for war crimes committed during the 1998–1999 conflict. Thaçi and Jakup Krasniqi were each sentenced to 25 years in prison, Kadri Veseli to 18 years, and Rexhep Selimi to 13 years. The court found them responsible for the unlawful detention of 385 people, some of whom were tortured, and the killing of 96 people. Most of the victims were civilians perceived as opponents of the KLA’s political and military objectives, including Kosovo Albanians suspected of ties to Serbian authorities, Serbs, and Roma. The sentences are subject to appeal.

The four men were taken into custody in The Hague on November 4 and 5, 2020. The prolonged detention of the former rebel leaders sparked peaceful protests in their support earlier in the year, while the news of their conviction triggered strong reactions in Albania and Kosovo. A significant segment of the Albanian public and political sphere views Thaçi and the other defendants as symbols of the KLA and the war to liberate Kosovo from the Serbian regime.

Blocked exports drive over 1,000 Romanian sheep farmers to protest

More than 1,000 sheep farmers protested in Bucharest, demanding the resignation of Alexandru Bociu, head of the National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority. They blame him for his handling of the country's outbreaks of sheep plague and sheep pox, which led to a ban on live animal exports and are calling for markets to be reopened and for compensation for the culled animals, BTA reported.

The protest began peacefully amidst heavy police presence but later escalated into clashes. Some demonstrators broke through the police cordon and threw objects at law enforcement officers. Ten officers were injured in the clashes and 47 participants were taken into police custody, Agerpres reported. Authorities say there were provocateurs among the protesters.

In June, the European Commission extended the ban on exports of sheep and goats from Romania until December 31, 2026, due to a new outbreak of peste des petits ruminants. The Commission assessed that there is an elevated risk of the disease spreading, BTA reports.

Baby from 22-year-old embryo brings light back to a Greek home

After a devastating loss, a family in Greece has welcomed a new life. 54-year-old Cristina Rapti‑Tzelepi gave birth to a healthy baby girl in Athens using an embryo that had been frozen for over 22 years. The embryo had been in storage since 2004, when the family had a son following an IVF procedure. In October 2025, the son died in a traffic accident at the age of 21. Months later, the parents decided to use one of the remaining frozen embryos. On September 9, 2026, a baby girl weighing 3.490 kg was born, Medical Xpress reports.

The parents say that the baby girl cannot replace the son they lost, but after a period of unimaginable grief, her arrival has brought "hope and light" back into their home.

Doctors describe the case as a potential international record for a successful birth using an embryo stored for such a long time. The mother's age is the maximum limit allowed in Greece for IVF treatment.

Compiled by: Miglena Ivanova