Kosovo falls 19 places below in the “Reporters Without Borders” report: VV added pressure on independent media

In the latest annual World Press Freedom Index drafted by this organisation, it notes that the lack of political will for protecting media rights is accelerating the decline of its freedom.

The index findings rely on the fact that out of the five indicators used to make the respective rankings, the political indicator has dropped, registering an average annual global decline of 7.6 points.

The index classifies the press level as good “ ”, <x2typed”, “problem”, hard “” or very dangerous “”.

The report notes that the <x0 political interests create a overwhelming atmosphere for journalists in many European Union candidate countries, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina (81st) -- Serbia (98th) and Albania (99th). Turkey (158th) continues to imprison journalists and undermine media through censorship in media on line and control over judicial power”.

Kosovo, increasing tensions with Serbia exacerbated journalists' safety

Kosovo engages in group of countries where the media environment is “. It ranks 75th, losing 19 places from last year, when 56th was listed.

“This decline we should see in the context of tensions between Kosovo and Serbia, in this context, journalists in Kosovo have faced and endured many physical attacks on them. There are dozens of such attacks, while the ruling Party added pressure on independent media. There has been a kind of administrative persecution against the private television station Klan Kosovaı. On the other hand, it became the choice of public television director, who is linked to the government camp. So there are these security risks and political risks, which you know have had serious consequences for press freedom in Kosovo”, says the Voice of America”, tells of the Voice of America Pavol Szalai, of “Reporters Without Borders”

Press Freedom in the Western Balkans

All Western Balkan countries have faced a decline in press freedom, except for northern Macedonia, which has marked improvement by ranking 36.

Serbia has ranked 98th, its worst ranking in the last 22 years since “Reporters Without Borders” started publishing the World Index on Press Freedom.

“The quality and winning prizes, which investigates crime and corruption, are caught in false news outside any control and propaganda. Although the legal framework is strong, journalists are threatened by political pressures and the impunity of crimes committed against them”It says in the report.

Northern Macedonia and Montenegro are valued as countries where the state of press freedom is “satisfactory. Macedonia has improved with two countries from last year, when it ranked 38.

Montenegro ranked 40th, up from 39 last year.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is listed 81st, 17 places down from last year, reports VOA.