Cases

Association of Journalists of Kosovo condemned the bomb attack that targeted the home of Mentor Shala, general director general of Radio television of Kosovo. The attack occurred during the high political tensions in the country in which the public broadcaster was criticized for taking pro-government side. Fortunately, no one was hurt due to this attack.

The public broadcaster, Radio television of Kosovo was attacked by a hand grenade. Two attacks against the public broadcaster marked this year as the most violent cases against media and journalists. On August 22nd, 2016, a hand grenade exploded near the building of the RTK. The attacks occurred during the high political tensions in the country.

AJK was informed that Kosovo Police in Podujeva town has prevented in his job the journalist of news agency Kosova Press, Eduard Haliti. Policemen have asked from Haliti to delete the footage he was recording during the police action in city center. Haliti was recording while a policeman was trying to arrest a citizen. AJK considers that Kosovo Police shouldn’t prevent the journalist from his job even though the journalist exposed the identification card as well as the badge…

Saranda Ramaj from Koha Ditore newspaper was not allowed by the head of Kosovo’s Medicines Agency, Jeton Shala, to report on the day Prime Minister Isa Mustafa was visiting the agency. Ramaj had previously written several articles about the wrongdoings in the medicines agency led by Shala.

Journalist Vehbi Kajtazi reported to the Association of Journalists of Kosovo, that he has received a threat by Prime Minister, Isa Mustafa. Kajtazi said he had a received a phone call, through Viber, by PM Mustafa after he published a story that was related to the PM’s brother. The story was related to the 2015 mass migration from Kosovo to western European countries, in which he reported that the PM’s brother was one of the many Kosovars seeking asylum in Germany. The PM…

Owner of “Ambienti-G” Company, Gani Mlinaku has threatened through telephone editor Zekirja Shabani and journalist Gentiana Hasani of portal Gazeta Fjala. Mlinaku asked Shabani to remove the article related to his company or otherwise he will settle things physically.

On February 11th, 2016 journalist of Kohavision, Adriatik Kelmendi reported the damage of his private vehicle. He found all tires flat. He reported the case to police.

Journalist Musa Sabedini was physically assaulted by director of Gjilan hospital because the latter was not satisfied with articles.

Uran Haxha journalist of Koha.net informed the Association of Journalists of Kosovo that he was not allowed by the Mayor of Suhareka, Sali Asllanaj to participate in the municipality’s end of year press conference. On December 23, 2015, Mayor Sali Asllanaj, through his spokesperson, did not allow journalist to attend the press conference of the year, but neither have access to the municipal building, because Haxha did not reflected the real work of the municipality in his…

On 23.12.2015 Brahim Thaqi a journalist of TherandaPost portal was not allowed by the Mayor of Suhareka, Sali Asllanaj to attend the end of year media conference organized by the municipality. Mayor Asllanaj, through his spokesperson did not allow the journalist to attend the press conference but neither have access to the municipal building, because he did not reflect the real work of the municipality in his articles.

AJK is concerned with the information that unknown persons have threatened with life the journalist Driton Latifi. The latter has received three verbal threats through SMS over the last three days, related to his work as journalist covering sports.

AJK is concerned after receiving a complain from sports journalist of daily newspaper Zëri, Valon Konushevci that representatives of Kosovo Football Federation are discriminating him by not providing any statements for topics the journalist is covering. According to journalist, heads of the football federation have forbidden the selector of Kosovo’s football team to give any declarations to Konushevci.

Journalist Besiana Mulaj and cameraman Visar Salihu were physically assaulted by private security member at premises of Kosovo Clinical and University Centre in Pristina. They were attacked at Gynecological clinic in front of the official of Clinic’s pharmacy department.

The Radio television of Kosovo team was physically assaulted by a member of private security company “Rojet e Nderit” in the premises of Pristina hospital. AJK was informed that journalist Besiana Mulaj and cameraman Visar Salihu had previous permission to film and conduct an interview.

Journalist Serbeze Haxhiaj was threatened by some individuals presented as former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders. Haxhiaj was working in an investigation related to KLA war veterans list.

Unknown people have opened fire on the headquarters of Kossev portal in North Mitrovica , fortunately no one was injured.

On 09.06 2015, Kohavision team consisted by the journalist Donika Voca and the cameraman Shemsi Igrishta were threatened and impeded in their work by the director of the high school “Hamdi Berisha” in Malisevo, Izet Hoti. Voca and Igrishta were threatened not to publish the news that aimed to work on and later were expelled from school. The principle, Izet Hoti has not allowed the team to take footages outside of the school building and threatened again to break the camera…

On 30.03.2015 Recently, General Director of RTK, Mr. Mentor Shala, has issued a decision for dismissing Mr. Fadil Hoxha and Mr. Arsim Halili. Mr. Halili is board member of the Kosovo Journalists Association, a well-known journalist and editor in the Newsroom. Furthermore, Hoxha and Halili were elected leaders of the Trade Union of RTK, and their dismissal breaches law on trade unions association. The decision of the General Director came after Halili raised his voice against…

On 17.03.2015, the journalist of daily newspaper Zëri, Alban Selimi stated that while he was crossing border on Muçibabë, a border police insulted and treated him unprofessionally, stopping him and searched him for no reason, while he was traveling as a journalist for the realization of an investigative story.

On 14.03.2015 Vehbi Kajtazi, an investigative journalist of Koha Ditore newspaper, said that he was directly threatened by members of the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (Eulex) over his reports that senior mission officials were suspected of corruption.