Eleven cases of killed journalists in Kosovo remain unsolved
(KTV)
Several journalists were killed in Kosovo after the conflict. Bekim Kastrati was killed on 19 October 2001 while carrying out his duty of journalist. Bekim, who was working for “Bota Sot” daily newspaper, was shot dead while on his way to interview a former commander of Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). Since 16 years, Kastrati family from village Llaushe are seeking justice for the killing of their beloved son.
This case was reported to the EULEX Mission, but Bekim’s father, Hajriz, considers as odd the letter he received from this Mission about this case. The letter sent by EULEX to the family, states that the killer of Bekim Kastrati was Agron Sylejmani, who, according to EULEX, was killed three years after. According to this letter investigations into this case have been concluded.
On the other hand, Driton Sylejmani told KTV that his late brother Agron did not kill Bekim, adding that this case was set up to his brother. According to him, UNMIK and EULEX have falsified the fingerprints and other files related to this case.
In the meantime, Bajrush Morina, former colleague of the late journalist Bekim Kastrati, said that investigations about this case should not be concluded.
“Since it is known who has fired the shots, it is much more important to know who issued the order to kill Bekim”, said Morina, adding that perhaps those who gave the order might be alive, or even be in power.
Eleven journalists have been killed after the conflict in Kosovo, including two Serb journalists.
Aiming to investigate these cases, the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Kosovo Association of Journalists and Association of Serb Journalists have supported establishment of a Commission to investigate cases of killed and missing journalists in Kosovo.
Stojanovic: Srpska List to return after establishment of Association
(RTK1)
Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister, Branimir Stojanovic, reiterated to Serbian media that establishment of the Association of Serb Majority Municipalities, as agreed in Brussels, would be the reason for return of Srpska List to Kosovo institutions.
On the other hand, Kosovo Minister for Dialogue Edita Tahiri and Vetëvendosje Movement caucus leader, Glauk Konjufca discussed on RTK show ‘Image’ about Brussels’s dialogue with Serbia.
Minister Tahiri considered that Kosovo benefited a lot from dialogue, while MP Konjufca said that Kosovo made regress.
“The main result for Serbia is the Association, namely a Serbian state within Kosovo. Luckily, Kosovo Constitutional Court ruled down such a result brought by Edita Tahiri and this Government,’ said MP Konjufca, adding that the dialogue has not made Serbia a better neighbour.
“Association will not have executive powers and it will not be a third level government. When EU HR Mogherini addressed the Kosovo Assembly in May, on the occasion of Stabilisation Association Agreement, she said that judgment of the Constitutional Court must be respected,” said Minister Tahiri, among other things.
Delawie condemns threats toward MPs about their vote on demarcations
(RTK1)
Following the reports that several Kosovo MPs received threats if they would vote in favour of ratification of demarcation, the U.S Ambassador to Kosovo, Greg Delawie reacted in his Twitter account.
“I condemn any threats toward public officials about their vote on demarcation,” wrote Ambassador Delawie, stressing that this is unacceptable in a democracy.
Hoxhaj: EU should reward Kosovo for its compromises with Serbia
(RTK1)
Kosovo Minister of Foreign Affairs, Enver Hoxhaj, said that the European Union should reward Kosovo soon, at least with the candidate status, because of the compromises Kosovo made with Serbia in Brussels dialogue.
Hoxhaj confirmed the visit of the EU High Representative Frederica Mogherini on 03 March to Kosovo, but he could not tell if the Ibër Bridge would be opened on the same day, online version of RTK reported.
Hoxha made this comments after reporting to Assembly Committee on Stabilisation Association Agreement. Many ministers were invited to report about the work they have done to fulfil obligations deriving from the SAA, RTK reported.
Beqiri: No KSF transformation without consent of Serbs
(KTV)
Within few days, Kosovo was visited by two political and military NATO leaders. At a time when Kosovo was discussing the future of Kosovo Security Force (KSF), NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), General Curtis M. Scaparrotti paid officials visits to Prishtinë/Pristina.
Both of them emphasized that the future of KSF is an internal issue of Kosovo and that regardless of this fact KFOR will continue to maintain peace and stability in the region.
But, LDK caucus leader, Ismet Beqiri shares a different interpretation of these statements. He insists that Americans have clearly stated that KSF cannot be transformed into an Army without the consent of Serbs and without implementing the required Constitutional amendments or at the contrary, as he said, KFOR might withdraw from Kosovo.
Former KSF Commander, Kadri Kastrati, said that he differently understood the messages conveyed by NATO leaders.
According to him, if Kosovo has the courage to assign a new mandate to KSF, NATO would not object it nor would it withdraw from Kosovo.
General Kastrati, who personally drafted the strategy for KSF transformation in 2014, emphasized that there is backup plan for transformation of this force.
“Article 126 of Kosovo Constitution stipulates that KSF is a national security force. With this formulation of the Article, KSF might be assigned a new military mandate, change its mission and add to it so that KSF should be ready to defend Kosovo’s territory and sovereignty,” said Rama.
Northern Serbs facing hard living conditions
(KTV)
After the conflict, the northern part of Mitrovica/Mitrovicë served as transition zone for many Serbs. Few were relocated or stayed temporarily but many found shelter there. Biserka Masic, a 57 year-old Serb, found shelter in an abandoned school building.
Regardless of the complaint and the miserable conditions she lives, Biserka receives social assistance from Kosovo and Serbia. She says that the social assistance from Serbia delays up to three months, while she regularly receives EUR 75 assistance from Kosovo institutions.
Although divided from the rest of Kosovo, Mitrovica/Mitrovicë north can be tough even for its Serbs, KTV reported.
According to recent statistics, unemployment rate in Mitrovica/Mitrovicë north is up to 40%, but civil society here considers that the northern Serbs should not be blamed for receiving assistance from Kosovo and Serbia. According to civil society representatives, two-thirds of citizens depend on social assistance.
“We are in an institutional chaos when few institutions are established and few others are dissolved, but none of them functions properly and there is an institutional vacuum. The only positive thing in this chaos is the fact that residents manage to receive assistance from both sides, be it salaries or social assistance,” said a Serb civil society representative.
At the Serb non-governmental organization AKTIV, which works on inclusion of Serbs in Kosovo’s society, believe that Serbs from the north are victims of politics.
“People are always a weapon of politics and in particular we in the north. We are a weapon of the Serbian administration or, on the other hand, a justification for Kosovo’s administration. Serbian Government uses us for its foreign goals on European aspirations, while Kosovars hold us accountable for everything bad that happens in Kosovo,” a representative of AKTIV NGO said for KTV.
Integration of Serbs from north into Kosovo’s society depends also a lot on the fact that they consider Serbia’s education and health system as more suitable and similar to the system of the socialist epoch, KTV concluded.
Pavlovic: Kosovo’s membership in UNESCO inevitable
(www.kultplus.com)
In 2015, Kosovo needed only three votes more to join UNESCO, Prishtinë/Pristina based news portal kultplus.com reported.
However, two years after, namely in November 2017, Kosovo has yet another chance to join the most important cultural heritage organisation in the world.
On Thursday, it the Multimedia Centre, a debate was organized on this topic, in particular how this issue is portrayed by the media and politicians and its meaning to Kosovo, Serbia and the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) in Kosovo. Panellists of this debate: Sonja Biserko, Dimitris Moschopoulos, Shkëlzen Maliqi and Aleksandar Pavlovic, discussed about the legal framework of Serbian cultural heritage in Kosovo, including Marti Ahtisaari’s package.
The debate was moderated by the editor in chief of Koha Ditore, Agron Bajrami.
Human rights activist Sonja Biserko considered that cultural heritage in Kosovo has become a politicized issue in Serbia however she emphasized the importance of Kosovo’s membership in UNESCO.
Dimitris Moschopoulos, advisor to Kosovo Government noted that Ahtisaari’s Package defines how to protect SOC heritage in Kosovo. “Ahtisaari’s Package in few points clearly demonstrates how to protect cultural heritage. If this points would be respected that would be more than enough. One of the issues was the right of SOC to have full discretion in managing its own property. Government of Kosovo has agreed to it,” said Moschopoulos.
On the other hand, the other panellist of this debate, analyst Shkëlzen Maliqi spoke about the importance of Kosovo’s membership in UNESCO.
“Government of Kosovo and the general audience considers this process as quite important. But Serbia is making a mistake by declaring part of this heritage as its own because by doing so, keeps away a part of population which earlier used to protect cultural and religious sites such as Visoki Decani Monastery” said Maliqi.
While, Aleksandar Pavlovic, coordinator of the project “Figuring out the Enemy: Re-imagining Serbian-Albanian Relations” said that Serbia is using all its diplomatic networks, energy and the public funds to prevent Kosovo from joining UNESCO.
“I am surprised how Kosovars think that they have badly lost and Serbia marked a great victory. Kosovo has the option to apply for membership every two years… I believe that something inevitable has been postponed,” said Pavlovic.
Safety of journalists in Kosovo
(Summary of Life in Kosovo show)
On Thursday evening, Life in Kosovo show discussed safety of journalists in Kosovo and how safe journalists are at their workplace. To tackle on this issue, the show hosted Rashit Qalaj of Kosovo Police, RTK Director General Mentor Shala, journalist and victim of violence Milot Hasimja, as well as the Head of the Association of Journalists of Kosovo, Shkëlqim Hysenaj.
As the show moderator said, the reason for this debate to be organized was a regional conference on safety of journalists that was held this month in Kosovo, while a summary of the conference organized by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo was presented in the continuance of this show.
The OSCE Mission in Kosovo was the host of the conference where safety of journalists was discussed. Many journalists from Kosovo and the region spoke about their experiences with violence and threats that were made to them while carrying out their work.
“I had to change the school of my son four times,” said Arbana Xharra, Zëri daily editor in chief.
“I know that one of them grabbed my arm and this lasted for ten minutes,” Laura Hasani, photo reporter of the same daily said.
Gazmend Morina, a journalist who took part in the conference, said he distrusts the statements of President Hashim Thaçi as he was physically assaulted by a member of the party that Thaçi used to ran for which the journalists associations, Head of the OSCE in Kosovo condemned, but none of the officials of this party distanced themselves from the attack.
Lindita Çela of Balkan Investigative Research Network (BIRN) Albania said she personally faced a lynching campaign, while she was called a ‘Serbian spy’ and an ‘American spy’.
Jugpress chief editor, Liljana Stojanovic, said that threats are part of her everyday life and sometimes these threats are open or secret. Stojanovic highlighted that most often she had to personally deal with these threats.
On the other hand, Kossev portal chief editor Tatjana Lazarevic, explained that the car of Kossev’s director was set on fire on the main street of Mitrovica/Mitrovicë.
Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi, representatives of journalists associations from Kosovo and the region, Kosovo Police leaders, civil society representatives and media from different countries were present in this conference.
“After the war in Kosovo, we had great international support in building a professional journalism, of the highest standards. It was the OSCE Mission which has led the efforts to build a professional journalism in Kosovo, for which we are forever grateful. Journalists and media in general were trained, either in the context of studying the journalism, or through the trainings of existing journalists. It is supported the establishment of organizations that protects the journalists, journalists’ rights, but also organizations that protect the profession of journalist,” President Thaçi stated during this conference.
“Support was provided in drafting legislation that protects the work of journalists and the journalists themselves. Today, journalists in Kosovo are protected by law. In Kosovo, journalists cannot be punished for the journalist work, but also the journalists are not obliged to reveal their sources at the court. Support was provided in drafting legislation that protects the work of journalists and the journalists themselves. Today, journalists in Kosovo are protected by law at their work. Journalists cannot be punished for the journalist work, but also the journalists are not obliged to reveal their sources at the court, although their sources sometimes are also false,” he concluded.
“The number of reported incidents has gone down from more than 30 in 2015 to, I think, 19 in 2016. But, any threat is a serious threat and is not good for freedom of media, flow of information in Kosovo when journalists are threatened. And, just making one threat actually sends a signal to all journalists that they should stay away from certain topics, topics that I think are important for society in Kosovo to discuss,” stated Jan Braathu, Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo.
“Actually, when we look at the threats that came in 2015 and 2016 it is the whole range of issues actually. We can try to compartmentalize them, divide them into groups. Issues about corruption for example, all levels of corruption, employment, how people got jobs. You know we that threats are being made. We see people who are the subject of a news report going to an editorial office and threatening the journalists, because they do not like the way they were written about in the newspaper, in the media portal. We see issues relating to the war. And there are whole numbers of issues related to the war which will be, I believe, more and more in the public discourse as the years go on,” Ambassador Braathu said.
“The situation here in Kosovo, and of course beyond, in other places, but I think particularly here, is that there is very inadequate collective public consciousness on the role of media and the importance of safety of journalists. When I say that I think it is evident if you look at the news, if you look at the certain reports, if you look at attacks, just like some of them were mentioned today, that the shooting of offices of Kossev news portal up in the north of Kosovo, a violent attack just as our Head of Mission suggested in the vicinity of Obiliq/Obilic of RTV Gracanica, attacks on Gazmend Morina, who is actually here with us today, in South Mitrovicë/Mitrovica, threats and intimidation against the General Director of the public broadcaster. These things tend to occur and more importantly they seem almost accepted in society. I would not say accepted in society but they seem that any kind of trouble that transpires on daily or weekly basis. You know, whether it is an interethnic incident, an accident, a violent attack, it is grouped in the same bulk part of all the bad things happen here. And, this is something that we want to change,” Dane Koruga of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo underlined at the conference.
Kosovo Police Deputy Director, Naim Rexha, said that between 1999 and 2016 there were 154 cases involving journalists. Out of all these cases, 50 were threat cases; eight were assault cases, seven body injury cases, five cases of interference in computers systems, 10 cases of property damage, 38 cases of thefts, and 36 other cases. He underlined that currently Police is handling only 17 cases.
Laura Hasani, ‘Zëri’ newspaper photo reporter, explained how she was threatened by some persons from Serb community in front of Kosovo Police in Mitrovica/Mitrovicë north and officers ignored the case, adding that the Association of Journalists did not react either. Hasani said that she was attacked once more at the Assembly of Kosovo by the media officer of this institution.
Other journalists from Kosovo and the region also said they faced many threat cases. They complained that institutions responsible for their safety and protection are not helping them when they are facing threats, pressure and violence.
Veran Matic, chairman of B92 Fund, said that he has been under police protection for over the last six years and this has drastically limited his rights. He said police protection even doubles when he comes to Kosovo, since Kosovo Police also escorts him.
Unfortunately, although they were invited, representatives of State Prosecution did not come to this conference and Head of AKJ expressed his lament that Chief State Prosecutor did not show up.
The show continued the debate with its guests regarding the cases presented from the story on the conference. Rashit Qalaj of Kosovo Police said that journalists’ cases are treated with priority, stressing that he heard about the Zëri photo reporter’s case for the first time.
RTK Director General, Mentor Shala, said he did not accept police escort although this was offered to him, nevertheless he emphasized that police guards his house. Shala believes that intimidation was the aim of attack against RTK journalists and him personally. He mentioned a number of cases of attacks against RTK journalists.
Shala said that justice has not done its job in the case of attack against him, blaming the prosecution for this.
TV journalist, Milot Hasimja, who was attacked with knife three years ago, expressed his concern for the fact that the attacker continues to be free.
Hasimja explained that in 2016 the attacker was found guilty and sentenced to six months of imprisonment, but he learned from his father that he is at his home.
Shkëlqim Hysenaj, Head of the Association of Journalists of Kosovo, criticized state leaders and those of justice bodies for the manner they treat journalists.
“I consider that the main problem when it comes to political leaders, be it Thaçi or Mustafa, to Chief Prosecutor Lumezi, is that regardless of the fact they might take part in conferences, they always come, they speak, make some accusations against journalists and they immediately after leave the conference,” Hysenaj underlined.
“However, an even greater problem is the issue of Chief Prosecutor that you mentioned. Chief Prosecutor had an invitation to come at the conference that we [AKJ] organized. He said yes until the last moment. He did the same thing with the OSCE Mission. He said yes…” Hysenaj said.
Show moderator asked him if the Prosecutor had confirmed his participation and did not come to the OSCE conference, to which Hysenaj replied: “He was in panel with me and Mentor. Chief Prosecutor annulled it at the end.”
“I think that with the very fact that we have 11 killed journalists and prosecution could not find any witness for 17 years then for what justice are we speaking about? No one in the region has 11 killed journalists, in Europe either, therefore I am totally justifying this escape of Chief Prosecutor from journalists,” he said.
Talking about President Thaçi’s idea to establish the commission for the truth and reconciliation, Hysenaj said that representatives of Albanian and Serb journalists, organizations that were present in the conference, are against this idea of making the issue of issue of killed journalists to a political level.
In the meantime, RTK Director explained his status in Facebook where he called some of his employees ‘bacteria’, saying that he was referring to people infected by politics, while antibiotics, according to him, are the regulations of this medium.
“Those who knew how to read and wanted to read and understand it have understood it. RTK is almost at the finish of the Law, maybe identification of a permanent solution for its financing and property. I have used the word bacteria is the sense of RTK’s infection, political bacteria, so politics through bacteria is trying to infect RTK,” Shala said.
He said that it is at the interest of politics to keep RTK hanging, highlighting that two years after its initiation RTK still does not have a law.
According to Police representative, Rashit Çalaj, the cases of cybercrimes and online threats were more emphasized in 2016 than in the earlier years. He also stressed that the investigation process is way more complicated.
RTK Director considered that prolongation of investigations in cases against journalists might create new circumstances that leave room for blackmailing and lynching.
