Kusari butterfly: The brutal VV attempt to bring it under control RTK!

Kusari stressed that after Vetevendosje's coming to power, the first six months there were no signs of censorship tendencies, but that, now, after several years in power, there is a peak effort to put RTK under full control.

“The capture has not yet occurred, but there are constant censorship and pressure on journalists. People within RTK serving power are being used in order to avoid criticism of the government and for public television to turn into VV propaganda,” said Kusari.

She deemed the attempt to get six editors off the screen illegal, done through program scheme changes, without board decisions, and contrary to work contracts.

According to her, the move risks not only RTK's editorial independence, but also democratic processes in the country.

The first resort is for RTK to be used as last year when it reported false to certain media. Next danger is the campaign for local elections If these editors leave, RTK could become a propaganda tool for Vetevendosje, seriously damaging transparency and denying citizens impartial information,” she told Blic newspaper.

Kusari announced that today the ombudsman has accepted RTK journalists at a long meeting where cases of censorship and rights violations were presented.

According to her, the lawyer has promised to launch an investigation, which she described as “achievement in itself”.

I have extraordinary respect for the ombudsman. The very fact that he's interested in this subject and that they're starting investigations is a big step. Then the institutions, such as the Labour Inspectorate and the courts, must play their role,” added Kusari.

In conclusion, she stressed that the priorities of these investigations are two: the documentation of political interference in the public broadcaster and the return of six editors on screen before the start of the election campaign to ensure fair and impartial reporting.