By Kyle Herda

Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

STOCKHOLM, Sweden – Over the past twelve months there have been 14 attacks on mosques in Sweden, with three arsons alone in the past week. With no suspects and praise online, it appears that these recent attacks fall in line with a rising “Islamophobia” sentiment in Sweden.

In addition to the recent arsons, there have also been several accounts of vandalism with racist remarks and symbols attached to mosques and even cars of Muslims. Muslim women claim that they are harassed on the streets on The Swedish Democratic Party, a popular nationalist political party, has also increasingly been adding fuel to the anti-immigrant movement. Sweden Democrats have pushed for a 90% reduction in asylum seekers allowed into Sweden due to the fact that roughly 16% of Sweden’s population is foreign-born, many from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria. Sweden accepts more asylum seekers per capita than any other nation in Europe, and expects over 100,000 asylum applications this year; Sweden Democrats aim to change that.

While Sweden Democrats aim to make change through political means, others have taken matters into their own hands. On Thursday, a mosque in Uppsala was attacked with a petrol bomb, although the building did not catch fire. Not long before, however, arson at a mosque in Eskilstuna injured five people. Social media praise claims that these attacks intend to intimidate and scare away Muslims. Some of the anti-Muslim sentiment comes from the fact that Sweden has one of the highest rates of ISIS recruits in Europe and reports of sleeper cells within Sweden.

In response to the rising Islamophobia, Muslims have staged a rally in Stockholm to raise support for Muslims across the nation. Further, the rally aims to solidify the validity of a Muslim political acceptance in Sweden, essentially affirming the high asylum rate and combatting Sweden Democrats’ proposed changes.

For more information, please see:

NDTV – In Sweden, the Land of the Open Door, Anti-Muslim Fervor Finds a Foothold – 3 January 2015

The Sydney Morning Herald – Sweden hit by third mosque arson attack – 2 January 2015

Vox – Thousands of people in Sweden show the right way to respond to Islamophobia – 2 January 2015

BBC – Sweden protest after three mosque fires in one week – 2 January 2015

The Local – Sweden’s Islamophobia is getting stronger – 2 January 2015

By Kyle Herda

Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

VILNIUS, Lithuania – In what may be a move of defiance against Russia, Lithuania is moving to the Euro. This comes in light of recent events over the past several months involving Russian aggression directed towards a number of NATO countries, particularly Lithuania and other Eastern European nations.

Lithuania has only 6% of its population who are Russian speakers, despite the much higher percentages in many bordering countries and also its proximity to Russia. Even so, Russia continues to show aggression that has found some landing in Lithuania. The waters off Lithuania have seen recent Russian military exercises just off Kaliningrad that have involved up to 9,000 troops and 55 ships.

In addition, NATO has had to scramble jets to intercept Russian aircraft over 400 times this year, already more than three times the amount as last year. The number of instances involving Russian jets flying with their radars off and coming close to commercial airlines continues to increase as well and has many worried that a mid-air collision is imminent. This is all in addition to the Russian incursion in Eastern Ukraine and the questionable Russian annexation of Crimea in Southern Ukraine earlier this year.

While not obligated to defend Ukraine from a military invasion due to the lack of protection for Ukraine under Article 5 membership, NATO has answered Eastern Europe’s worries about Russia by creating a rapid response task force should Russia invade a country near Ukraine with Article 5 membership that requires military aid. For Lithuania, however, this new task force is taking too long to take effect, and so Lithuania has created its own fast response task force. While Lithuania’s active military of roughly 8,000 does not size up well to Russia’s military of over one million, Lithuania would like to be prepared to respond within a day of any Russian invasion of the Baltics, Poland, or Romania. “We would go into action in the initial, self-defense phase to buy some time until NATO can get here,” says General Tamosaitis.

Even a Lithuanian archbishop has spoken out about the Russian threat to Lithuania, fearing that “the front could move forward if the international community fails to stand firm.” Archbishop Gintaras Grusas further went on to say that “the information and propaganda war which preceded the military action against Ukraine is very much underway here, too.”

For more information, please see:

Reuters – Russia growls across the border as Lithuania readies for euro – 21 December 2014

The New York Times – Ukraine Crisis in Mind, Lithuania Establishes a Rapid Reaction Force – 19 December 2014

Catholic Herald – Lithuanian archbishop fears Russia attack on Baltic states – 16 December 2014

Business Insider – Lithuania’s Military Is On Alert After Russian Activities In A Baltic Sea Exclave – 10 December 2014

Reuters – Lithuania may supply weapons as part of military aid to Ukraine: minister – 26 November 2014

By Kyle Herda

Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina – 15 people have been detained in Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina for their alleged involvements in the torture-murder of 19 people in Bosnia back in 1993. The 15 were detained via a joint effort by law enforcement in both countries.

More than 20 years ago, a train traveling from Belgrade, Serbia to Montenegro, passed through Bosnia and was stopped at the Strpci depot by Bosnian Serb militia members. 18 Bosnian Muslims and a Croat were removed, beaten, and taken by truck to a school gym where they were subsequently stripped, tortured, before being again ushered to a house along the Drina River where they were ultimately shot. The bodies were dumped into the Drina River after, and only three have since been recovered (all in 2010 when Peruac Lake was drained to repair a dam). Only one low-level soldier has previously been convicted for part in this massacre.

Last Friday, a joint operation led to the arrest of 5 Serbs and 10 Bosnians for their alleged involvement in the 19 murders; three names of the 15 detained are of particular importance. First, Luka Dragicevic was a Bosnian general in charge of military operations in the area at the time of the massacre. Second, Gojko Lukic, brother of Milan Lukic, was also detained. Milan Lukic was a Bosnian Serb warlord who is regarded as the mastermind of the ethnic-cleansing that allowed for this massacre, and Milan Lukic was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2009 by the United Nations war crimes tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. Third, Boban Indjic, a former close associate of Gojko Lukic, was also among the 15 arrested.

These new arrests are the result of a year-long investigation into the massacre. Many have blamed the political systems for failure to arrest those responsible for over 20 years, and now the arrests are met with praise by many. Some, however, are protesting the arrests. Milovan Markovic, father-in-law of “Momir,” claims “[h]e did nothing, no war crimes.” Further, some Serbians may still see the killers as war heroes, and some of the responsible parties have since been involved in business, politics, police, and the army. However, Vladimir Vukcevic, Serbia’s war crimes prosecutor, Bruno Vekaric, Serbian deputy war crimes prosecutor, and Goran Salihovic, Bosnia’s chief prosecutor, all are praising the arrests of these 15 individuals for their alleged involvement in the massacre.

For more information, please see:

The Denver Post – Serbia, Bosnia make 15 arrests in Balkan war massacre – 6 December 2014

The Wall Street Journal – Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina Arrest 15 People for Suspected War Crimes – 5 December 2014

Deutsche Welle – War crimes arrests in Bosnia and Serbia – 5 December 2014

The New York Times – 15 Serbs Are Arrested in Connection With 1993 Massacre – 5 December 2014

By Kyle Herda

Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

ATHENS, Greece – Protests in Athens have erupted into violent clashes with police today on the anniversary of an unarmed teenager being killed by a police officer.

On December 6, 2008, 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos was shot and killed in Athens. Grigoropoulos and a friend were arguing with two police officers and one officer went back to his patrol car to get a gun, then returned and shot Grigoropoulos dead. Violent protests lasted for two weeks following the killing. Epaminondas Korkoneas, the police officer who killed Grigoropoulos, is serving a life sentence for the murder. Vasilis Saraliotis, the other police officer involved in the incident, is serving a 10 year sentence for accessory to murder.

Now, nearly 6,000 people are protesting in Athens again to mark the anniversary, and around 18,500 police officers are ready for the protests. Marches turned violent as protesters broke into a clothing store and stole clothes to burn in the street. The neighborhoods of Exarchia and Thessaloniki have held most of the fighting, with police firing tear gas and pepper spray. Over 200 protesters have been arrested, and so far no casualties have been reported. Fighting and protests appear to be going strong into the night.

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras is going to meet with the parents of Nikos Romanos, a friend of Grigoropoulos who was present for his killing. Followers of Romanos have been some of the leaders of current protests, as Romanos is currently being hospitalized due to a hunger strike that has lasted nearly a month, and he was imprisoned anyways due to participation in a bank robbery including a hostage early last year.

For more information, please see:

Huffington Post – Violent Protests Mark Anniversary of Police Killing in Greece – 6 December 2014

BBC – Clashes at Greek Protests to Mark Police Shooting – 6 December 2014

ABC News – Protests in Greece on Police Shooting Anniversary – 6 December 2014

The Telegraph – Violence Erupts in Greece – 6 December 2014

Greek Reporter – Alexandros Grigoropoulos: The Killing that Shook Greece – 6 December 2014