Removing license for Klan Kosovo, journalists today in the square

The Association of Journalists of Kosovo with the support of media and civil society organisations will today hold protests in sign of riots for the suspension of Klan Kosova's business certificate from the Ministry of Industry, Undertaking and Trade.

Protest with the motto “Democracy dies in the dark”, will begin at 12:00 p.m., Zahir Pajaziti Square.

The Kosovo Journalists' Association invites journalists, camera and photoreporters to join the peaceful protest.

Ambassadors to Kosovo-based Quint countries, Germany, France, Italy, Great Britain and the US, and the European Union express deep concern with the decision of the Ministry of Industry, Intervention and Trade, which confirmed the suspension of business license Klan Kosova. This minister dismissed national television complaint Klan Kosova for abolishing the suspension of this private media's business certificate.

“We are, in particular, concerned about removing the Kosovo Clan business license with an unproportional decision, which will have consequences on the plurality of the media in Kosovo”, says a joint communique of QUINT and the EU. Removing any media license is an important step that requires rigorous revision, and freedom of expression and information are essential features of democratic societies, says Quinn's response. Quint and the EU ambassadors expect fair and transparent legal process for resolving the issue.

True to the Law

A Commission Within the Ministry MINT reaffirmed at the weekend that the Kosovar Agency for Registering Business (ARBK) had “acting in accordance with the law when it suspended the Kosovo Clan business certificate, which had started work on February 17th 2009.

To further clarify the ministry's announcement, the Commission's “establishment concluded this case within the ministry”, while “Pala complainers enjoy the right to file charges at the competent 20/x3> court.

In June of this year, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Trade established criminal conglomeration against the commercial society “Kosova” with “claims that in the business certificate, to the return of owners, figures Peja dealt with Serbia and Gjakova Serbia”.

Klan Kosova deemed the ministry's claim unfair, saying “Klan has all documents confirming that the company's owner is registered in the municipality of Gjakova of the Republic of Kosovo”.

Hardest crackdown on Kosovo media freedom

The Kosovo Journalists' Association said it is shocked at the Kurti government's decision to close Klan Kosova, naming it the most serious “media freedom in Kosovo since the war time of”.

With this decision, Minister Roseta Hajdari, who is part of the Kurti government, has finalised all administrative actions needed to shut down the Kosovo Clan television. Although the ruling could be appealed to the court, this decision should be understood as the decision of Vetevendosje Movement and Prime Minister Kurti to close a media media for the first time since the end of the war in Kosovo”, said the association response, “naming this politically motivated process”.

Politically motivated processes

Even the organisation "Gazetists Without Borders" said that “pulralism of information is severely threatened with refusing the country's biggest private media complaint, Klan Kosova”.

“Keeping the suspension of a business certificate in force, Albin Kurti's government is leading it to closure. This decision must be undone”

Black days of state censorship

And European Federation of Journalists Secretary General Ricardo Gutiere wrote in his reaction that the state censorship's “black days are over Kosovo”. The government finally managed to shut down the Kosovo Klan television channel. Albin Kurti's government is placing the country in the most conservative non-liberalism, with the greatest contempt for European Union values”.

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, in her reaction, called on that “any legal dilemma over the case of the Klan Kosova media license should be clarified by the respective instances of the justice system of the Republic of Kosovo”. According to her, the “freedom of the media is not a privilege, but a fundamental right supporting the functioning of a democratic society”.