Rex: The government is labelling us as servants of the old regime, KFOR SHINA offered security in the north

So it was said at the conference organised by the Kosovo Journalists' Association on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day. Only this year were 11 cases of violence against journalists reported, while last year there were 33 cases.

It discussed the safety of journalists during reporting, and the position of journalists in the newsroom over the years. As the main challenge of reporting journalists was northern Kosovo during the barricades.

Kosovo Journalists' Association Chairman Xhemajl Rexha said 33 cases of various attacks occurred last year and this year.

According to him, the AGK has raised alarms at local and international security bodies to offer basic security conditions to journalists during reporting in the north, but that KFOR has not responded to their request.

He even said that Kosovo police still do not have a clear strategy of action in relation to media under these circumstances.

He said that there are ongoing attacks on journalists through campaigns by top government officials in Kosovo, calling the old regime “service.

“in 2022, in the date AGK base has recorded 33 cases of various attacks on journalists, and until we're talking 11 of them in 2023. Late last year, Albanian-language media have faced difficulties in reporting from northern Kosovo at the time of the barricades' settlement. At least 6 serious attacks have occurred against television teams from Pristina, and other obstacles in the formation of their work have occurred”, Rexha said, Online Economy.

“The AGK has raised alarms at local and international security organs to provide basic security conditions for journalists when reporting on such conditions. To our surprise, mission NATO in Kosovo has not responded to AGK's request to talk about adding security to journalists. Kosovo police still do not have a clear strategy of action in relation to media under these circumstances. Throughout this period, there have been campaigns of denigration and the use of hate speech to journalists and the media community that promote distrust of audiences for their work. Part of these campaigns come from the highest officials of power in Kosovo, which for the first time not for the first time journalists and critical media have called the old regime's ministers”, Rexha said, as he also mentioned the attack on journalist Valon Syla.

This, unfortunately, happened last month, when 3 people followed journalist Valon Syla and physically attacked him. The images of a bloody journalist because of free speech are alarm for any democracy, and calls to do everything possible to stop seeing such cases. Therefore, we have on this day sent letters of concern to the Kosovo Judiciary Council and the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council with a series of requirements, consisting of the urgent need to prioritise cases of violence against journalists”, Rexha said further.

EU Ambassador to Kosovo Thomas Szunyog considers media funding and political influences problematic.

For this latter, he said they have repeatedly intervened and hampered the independence of the media.

The European Union has repeatedly condemned such attacks and demanded that proper investigations be made and has also called for institutional improvement in key institutions through various forms of pressure to hinder their” work.

“Treatment of journalists' cases still remains slow, and the judgment rate remains low. Another problem is the way of financing and political impacts that have consistently intervened and hampered the independence of the media”, he said.

The chief of the United Nations in Kosovo, Arnchild Spence, said that although Kosovo has marked raises in the index for freedom of expression still remains a job in that direction, the EO reports.

“All this work on protecting freedom Kosovo as highlighted by the EU has marked raises in the world's media freedom index, and still this is problematic, and there are many states that are getting worse. I'm from Norway and my country is first for freedom of movement and media, and what has prompted it to be in the first place? It has the general code and the strong justice system”, she said.