Expression
As previously reported on the CIVICUS Monitor, media workers in Kosovo can face threats if reporting on politically-sensitive issues. In this update, CIVICUS and its research partner detail how the normalisation of violence against journalists has continued to contribute to a climate of self-censorship.
Investigative journalist Parim Olluri said he suspected the attack was linked to his probing articles in the mediahttps://t.co/4DZa8AOxsV pic.twitter.com/1t1Z2nJpUI
— Balkan Insight (@BalkanInsight) August 17, 2017
On 16th August 2017, an investigative journalist and executive director of online news portal, Insajderi.com, was attacked outside his apartment in Pristina. Parim Olluri, known for his work exposing corruption and as an outspoken critic of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), was accosted and beaten by unknown assailants while with his fiancé. After punching him, Olluri's attackers quickly fled the scene. While it is currently unknown whether the attack is linked to his journalistic work, police in Pristina have opened an investigation into possible motives behind the attack. In a statement, the Kosovo Journalist Association commented on the attack, saying:
"The attack against our colleague Olluri is an attempt to scare journalists and violates the principles of Freedom of Press and Journalists”.
Under pressure in the aftermath of the attack from a growing ensemble of civil society groups and iIntergovernmental organisations, Kosovo's president, Hashim Thaçi, released a statement condemning the attack. In an unusual post on social media platform, Facebook, Kosovo's premier also called upon the relevant state institutions to swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice.
As previously reported on the CIVICUS Monitor, Kosovo's beleaguered public broadcaster Radio Television Kosovo has once again found itself vulnerable to political manipulation. According the Independent Union of RTK, a number of new hires have taken place recently, in spite of the broadcaster's precarious financial situation. Reports have also questioned the integrity of the recruitment process, as no vacancies were advertised, arousing suspicion over the nature of the new appointments. Media watchdogs have claimed that this is yet another example of political coercion and cronyism which hinders journalistic impartiality.
In regards to political influence over public institutions, in July former MP Adem Grabovci gave up the leaked wiretap involving him in a corruption scandal. In 2016, a wiretap was leaked by Insajderi.com, which incriminated Grabovci in using his position of power to influence high-profile appointments in state institutions. It showed Grabovci, then the head of parliamentary group for the Democratic Party of Kosovo, as well as his fellow party members, including current President Hashim Thaci and Assembly speaker Kadri Veseli, exerting influence over a number of new hires within public institutions .
The minimum sentence for the murder of Zejnepe Berisha was extended today after appeal https://t.co/88iBaxA1fz
— Prishtina Insight (@PrishtInsight) August 21, 2017
Peaceful Assembly
While there is no evidence of any protests turning violent or being unnecessarily disrupted, peaceful mobilisations on a variety of social issues took place in Kosovo over the past few months as follows:
- New Union of Kosovo Energy Corporation organised a protest against the potential energy collapse;
- Kosovo Women's Network protested peacefully in front of the Palace of Justice in support of Zejnepe Berisha – a woman who was murdered by her husband. The protest is part of a broader campaign urging the Court of Appeal to apply the maximum sentence for the perpetrator of the murder; and
- In the village of Vitomirica (Peja), around 350 residents protested over water supply disputes.