The National Assembly of Republika Srpska (RS), one of two Bosnia and Herzegovina’s semi-autonomous regions, passed Thursday a draft law that introduces defamation and insult into the RS Criminal Code.

The U.S. sanctioned on Wednesday the leader of the Bosnian Serbs and a TV station believed to be under his control for his “corrupt activities and continued threats to the stability and territorial integrity” of the Balkan country.

Four people suspected of “abuse of official position or authority” in multi-million-dollar purchases of COVID-19-related medical protection equipment were arrested this week in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

More than three years after the mysterious death of a 21-year-old man, Bosnia’s State Prosecution Office launched a new investigation after the victim’s family and the public accused the court in Sarajevo of portraying a murder as a simple car accident in order to hide the real perpetrator.

Hundreds gathered in Sarajevo on Tuesday to protest against what they perceive as corruption and police cover-ups in two separate murders in different parts of the country.

Bosnia’s State Court confirmed Friday the indictment against 16 people charged with financial crime that led to the collapse of a bank and the theft of 123 million KM (US$ 83 million).

The casual, obscenity-laden telephone transcript splashed in Bosnian media at the start of this month appeared to reveal a startling act: One of the country’s most powerful politicians being told that he was protected from major corruption investigations.

A court in Bosnia and Herzegovina ruled Monday that the banking agency of the autonomous Republika Srpska had acted illegally by withholding records on a failed local bank from the anti-corruption group Transparency International (TI), the organization said.