KPM urged to identify Serbian channels showing propaganda news for war in Ukraine

Commission Chairman Doarsa Kica Xhelili has asked the Independent Commission for Media to identify Serbian television channels that are licensed by Serbian mobile operator “MTS” in Mitrovica, which according to her distributes false news about the war in Ukraine.

If we are unable to stop piracy, we can't be able to stop either propaganda news or false news, and much less the ones that infiltrated by the Russian Federation... we know that due to the specific agreements in Kosovo today we have licensed MTS, which operates mainly in Mitrovica, and if we analyze the channels that have this platform, we notice that the channels are mainly those of Serbia. And by recognising current policy, we understand that most Serbian channels currently present propaganda and morning news in Kosovo regarding the situation in Ukraine. So, besides blocking channels coming from the Russian Federation, identify channels within the framework MTS) which propagand” in this regard, she stressed.

Meanwhile, Xhevat Latifi, chairman of the Independent Commission for Media (KPM), said that during 2021 alone they have identified 13 illegal operators. IPTV, while stressing that the issue cannot address the KPM as on its own.

“As far as the decision on breaking Russian channels is concerned with our society, and the decision is based on legal basis. The piracy problem, even without the problem of war in Ukraine and without the flood of news and developments with which they are having impact on our society, this has been conveyed by the KKP. KPM during 2021 has identified illegal distribution operators in Kosovo, 13 operators... The challenge remains online piracy through IPTV addresses and we can regret that the KPM identification of this phenomenon cannot do it alone as KPM”, he stressed.

Government spokesman Progress Kryeziu said dezinformation is of concern and has also received the attention of Prime Minister Kurti.

Kryeziu said the European Union is considering dezinformation as a threat to democracy and security.

This subject, although it is happening recently in us, is now a major theme in the European Union and Western societies that are facing deinformation as external interventions, viewing it as a threat to democracy, but also their internal security... For a long time we have been confronted with what we call false news, which has very often had the character of domestic political developments, but it seems that now is not the time to treat only as such. So let's remember that dezinformation is also being used as a form of external intervention in our country”, he stressed.

While the owner of the company “Koha”, Flaka Surroi, has recorded 145 portals that according to her steal news produced by their medium, “Koha”.

Surroi also raised the problem with IPTV and television.

We have a lot of piracy in front of the portals, which are not arranged in this state. We've got a legal launcher that's left us in the air and out of nowhere, not knowing who they're answering, should take a license and act as a medium. The Council of Kosovo's Written Media has taken on it some responsibility to supervise portals, but it has about 30 portals registered as KMK members, and I have a list of 145 portals that steal information that Time publishes every day. While I've been able to identify 145 portals, who knows how many more are they, who get news without anything, steal the information produced by a medium, who spends money on carrying all that staff to produce a reliable news, somebody with a trickk, comes to steal, and it also kills the entire operation of a pre-puff system. On television, we have IPTV problems, IPTV is present everywhere, even if you want to find a good IPTV where you can watch football without looking at”, she said.

And attorney Florin Lata of the Association for collective Rights Management and Appropriate Rights in the audio-visual field (VAPIK) said that failure to set tariffs is a observation of the progress report. He mentioned with names large cable operators who did not pay at VAPI as envisioned by the copyright law and did not register their agreements.