The Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS) and the Society of Journalists of Kosovo and Metohija (DNKiM) support research of Jelena Petkovic, a journalist of Vesti media web site from Frankfurt. The journalist for three months analysed the official Serbian translation of the Constitution of Kosovo and the laws, enacted by the Kosovo authorities, and publicly pointed to failures and drastic violation of the right to equal use of Serbian language in Kosovo and Metohija.
The translation acts of the Kosovo authorities, that Petkovic has analysed, have about 4,000 errors, which makes them largely incomprehensible not only for journalists and citizens, but also for lawyers.
UNS will publish, on its website www.uns.org.rs, an analysis of the Serbian translation of the Law on Radio and Television of Kosovo.
UNS and DNKiM repeatedly in the past pointed to the violation of the use of language in public institutions in Kosovo, as well as institutions which are directly funded from the Kosovo budget.
The last case was related to the lack of translation during transmission of the Kosovo Assembly in the public channel on Serbian language RTK2. The Office of the Commissioner for languages, following the official address of UNS and DNKiM, has confirmed that this is a violation of law and ordered RTK2 to ensure adequate translation in the future.
UNS and DNKiM indicate continuous violation of the use of language in the official press conferences in the office of the President of Kosovo, where never has been provided a translation into Serbian language, even it is a legal requirement.
UNS and DNKiM, seek from international and local institutions to ensure conditions for the journalists’ work and informing citizens and to respect legal obligations on the equal use of the Serbian language.
UNS and DNKiM reminded that the Kosovo Law on Use of Languages ”obliges all public institutions and service providers to ensure equal use of official languages, Albanian and Serbian, as well as the official languages in municipalities, and languages in official use in the municipalities.”
