BIRN presents its selection of photos of some of the events and processes that marked a difficult year.
Battle Goes on With Deadly Virus
A medical worker wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) attends a patient at the Covid-19 hospital in Belgrade, Serbia, 18 December 2020. Photo: EPA-EFE/MARKO DJOKOVIC.
Since the first cases of coronavirus were confirmed in the region, all eyes were on the stability of health systems, the numbers of infections and fatalities, as well as the effects of the health crisis on the social and economic situation. The most dramatic scenes, of course, came from hospitals, where people fought fierce battles with the virus.
North Macedonia Becomes NATO’s Newest Member
US NATO military jets fly over North Macedonia’s capital,. Skopje on May 29, 2020, in honour of the country’s admission to the NATO alliance this year. Photo: EPA-EFE/GEORGI LICOVSKI.
Following completion of the ratification procedure, North Macedonia became NATO’s 30th member in March this year, with officials calling membership the most crucial success since independence. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, there was no big celebration. But US NATO jets flew over the capital, Skopje, in honour of the country’s admission to the alliance.
Albanians Protests Alleged Police Misconduct
A lone protester endures tear gas as she approached police to beg them to stop attacking protesters in Tirana, Albania on 13 December 2020. This was the fifth night of protests against the police shooting of an unarmed 25-year-old. Photo: LSA.
The end of the year was marked in Albania by protests after a police officer shot dead 25-year-old Klodjan Rasha, who had apparently refused to stop after being spotted outside his home during the COVID-19 curfew. The officer has since been arrested and is expected to be charged with murder. Despite the resignation of the Interior Minister, Sander Lleshaj, protests continued, with protesters clashing with riot police.
Serbia Sees Continuation of SNS Rule
Serbian President and the leader of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) declares election victory in Belgrade, 21 June 2020. Photo: EPA-EFE/ANDREJ CUKIC.
In parliamentary elections in Serbia on June 21, the ruling Serbian Progressive Party, SNS, led by President Aleksandar Vucic, won an overwhelming majority of seats – 188 out of 250. Mosts opposition parties boycotted the vote, insisting the elections were neither free nor fair. At the end of October, parliament appointed a new government, led by Ana Brnabic, who was prime minister in the previous term.
Croatia Suffers Earthquake Amid Pandemic
A man in a protective face mask passes an art installation, ‘Broken heart’, which Croatian artist Ivona made after the earthquake in Zagreb on 25 March 2020. Photo: EPA-EFE/ANTONIO BAT.
On March 22, amid a partial lockdown, the Croatian capital awoke to scenes of chaos, with rubble littering the streets and frightened residents having to be evacuated from their homes. The 5.3-magnitude earthquake, the worst in 140 years, struck just north of Zagreb. One person died and dozens more were injured. Shortly after, an artist installed a patched woollen heart on a cracked facade of an old Zagreb building, which became a symbol of hope and healing in the city.
Kosovo Keeps Choking on Air Pollution
Smoke rises from power plants in Kosovo over the town of Obilic, covered by smog and pollution, on 11 December 2020. Photo: EPA-EFE/VALDRIN XHEMAJ.
As in previous years, this winter air pollution reached worrying levels across Kosovo. Experts say the main causes are fumes from vehicles and the use of coal to heat homes. Kosovo also produces electricity from coal power plants in the town of Obiliq. Over 700 people die every year in Kosovo from air pollution-related causes according to a World Bank report published in 2019.
Church and State Lock Horns in Montenegro
Serbian Orthodox Church supporters in Montenegro take part in a protest in Podgorica on 29 February 2020. The Church had condemned a new law on religion, which said religious communities could only retain their assets if they produced evidence of ownership. The Church claimed the government would use it to dispute its holdings. Photo: EPA-EFE/BORIS PEJOVIC.
Montenegro saw a major clash between the state and the powerful Serbian Orthodox Church in which Amfilohije Radovic, the senior Serbian Church bishop in the country, played a key role. Amfilohije, who died in October from pneumonia, led large streets protests against a disputed law on religious freedom, putting him in confrontation with President Milo Djukanovic and his ruling party. The cleric was also seen as a key actor in the opposition’s narrow victory in parliamentary elections held on August 30. He had called on supporters to vote against the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists, DPS.
Bosnia’s Migrant Crisis Worsens With no Solution in Sight
Migrants in an improvised shelter not far from the Lipa migrant reception centre in northwest Bosnia. About 2,000 migrants in Bosnia currently have no place in reception centres and sleep in makeshift camps and abandoned facilities. Photo: BIRN/Danijel Kovacevic.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is an increasingly important route for migrants and refugees from the Middle East, Asia and Africa trying to cross the Balkans into the EU member Croatia and beyond. This year, the issue of accommodation was a big problem, as overflowing camps could not accommodate all of them, so many slept on the streets, in abandoned factories or in makeshift tents.
Romania Sees Tensions With Church Over Pandemic
A Romanian woman in a protective mask kisses the plexiglass surroundings of the golden box that contain the relics of St Dimitrie Basarabov, the patron saint of Romania’s capital, at the Orthodox Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest, 25 October 2020. Photo: EPA-EFE/ROBERT GHEMENT.
Restrictions imposed in Romania to limit the spread of the pandemic also affected religious events such as masses and pilgrimages, causing tensions with the powerful Romanian Orthodox Church. The Church hierarchy accused the government of being unjustifiably harsh in limiting pilgrimages, normally attended by believers from all over the country. Some voices sided with the Church while others accused it of undermining the collective fight against COVID-19.
Bulgaria Rocked by Anti-Government Protests
Police patrol an anti-government protest held in front of the parliament in Sofia, Bulgaria, 2 September 2020. Hundreds of demonstrators again gathered in the capital to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and his government. Photo: EPA-EFE/VASSIL DONEV.
The year saw the biggest anti-government protests in recent memory in Bulgaria. Throughout summer, crowds protested against PM Boyko Borissov’s cabinet, associated with widespread corruption, pressures on media freedom and, most recently, with environmental problems. Anger also focused on other personalities associated with the status quo: General Prosecutor Ivan Geshev, Director of National Television Emil Koshloukov, and the MP and oligarch Vesselin Mareshki. After the government ignored protesters’ demands, cases of police violence increased. But as COVID-19 cases rose sharply, the protests started waning.
Moldova Elects New Pro-EU President
New elected President of Moldova Maia Sandu attends a protest in front of the government building at the Great National Assembly Square in Chisinau, 6 December 2020. Photo: EPA/ Doru Dumitru.
In November, the opposition pro-European candidate, Maia Sandu, won the run-off presidential race in Moldova by a landslide, crushing her pro-Kremlin rival, the incumbent, Igor Dodon. The new president will face serious challenges in delivering on her stated intention to clean up the rotten and corrupt political system in Europe’s poorest country.
Turkey’s Doctors Warn of Exhaustion
Turkish doctors wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) hold placards reading ‘You cannot manage, we are exhausted, we die’ during a protest in front of the Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, 15 September 2020. Photo: EPA-EFE/TOLGA BOZOGLU.
As in some other countries, medical NGOs, experts and the opposition in Turkey accused the government of failing to protect medical workers or properly handle the pandemic. In September, doctors organized a protest in front of the Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, telling the government: „You cannot manage, we are exhausted, we die“. According to the Health Ministry, by December 16,256 medical workers had lost their lives to the disease.
Czechs Brave China’s Rage With Visit to Taiwan
Czech Republic Senate President Milos Vystrcil (C) delivers his speech inside the legislature in Taipei, Taiwan, 1 September 2020. Vystrcil led an 89-member delegation to Taipei on 30 August for a six-day visit, despite protest from China. On 31 August, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Vystrcil’s visit to Taiwan was an ‘open provocation’ and he would ‘pay a heavy price’. Photo: EPA-EFE/RITCHIE B. TONGO.
On August 30, an 89-member Czech delegation led by Senate President Milos Vystrcil landed at Taipei for a six-day visit to Taiwan. The visit went ahead despite furious opposition from China that was blamed for the fatal heart attack of the previous Senate chief, Jaroslav Kubera. The Chinese Foreign Ministry warned ominously: “We will make [Vystrcil] pay a heavy price for his short-sighted behaviour and political opportunism.” In the end, the visit, which included Vystrcil delivering a speech in parliament in Taipei on September 1, was a success, raising the profile of the Czech Republic as a country that stands up to bullies and as a staunch defender of human rights and democratic values.
Hungary Mourns Treaty That Still Rankles
People visit the new National Union Memorial Place during celebrations marking the country’s major national holiday in Budapest, Hungary, 20 August 2020. Photo: EPA-EFE/Marton Monus HUNGARY OUT.
A century on, Treaty of Trianon still stirs divided feelings across the region. While some celebrate it as a new beginning, Hungary remembers it only as a tragedy. It lost much of its territory following the collapse of the joint Austro-Hungarian state. The centenary was marked across the country in June, while a huge monument to “national solidarity” constructed for that purpose, located near parliament in Budapest, was unveiled two months later.
Poland Sees Tough Year for Women’s Rights
A woman holds banner saying ‘Liberte, egalite, wypierda’, a wordplay on the French revolutionary slogan including a curse directed at the Polish government – the curse having become one of the main slogans of the women’s protests. Photo: EPA-EFE/RADEK PIETRUSZKA POLAND OUT.
Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal, which has been packed with conservative judges by the rightist government, in October declared abortions, even when the foetus is severely damaged or malformed, to be unconstitutional, effectively outlawing all abortions. This caused outrage across much of Polish society, which doesn’t believe it is right to force women to carry a pregnancy to term only to see the sick baby die soon after.
Slovakia Remembers Murdered Journalist
On the second anniversary of the journalist Jan Kuciak’s murder, Slovaks gathered to commemorate the killing and call for change in the upcoming elections. “Throughout history, we all proved that we can stand dup to defend Slovakia,” the organisers of the protests, ‘For Decent Slovakia’, said. Photo: EPA-EFE/MARTIN DIVISEK.
In September, a three-judge panel at the special criminal court found Marian Kocner, a powerful businessman with close connections to politicians, and his associate, Alena Zsuzsova, not guilty of planning and paying for the murder of the investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée, Martina Kusnirova. As a result, despite the conviction of the three men hired to carry out the murder, those who ordered the contract killing remain free. This case shook the public and in February, on the second anniversary of Kuciak’s murder, Slovaks gathered to commemorate the killing and call for change.
