UNS and DNKiM: CEC Decision discriminates against Serbian-language media and violates international standards

The Journalists’ Association of Serbia (UNS), together with its branch, the Association of Journalists of Kosovo and Metohija (DNKiM), has addressed European and international institutions and organizations, emphasizing that preventing Serbian media from covering the elections in Kosovo is contrary to all international standards on freedom of expression.

UNS sent letters to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, as well as representatives of UNMIK, the OSCE, the EU Office in Pristina, the European and International Federations of Journalists, and the Ombudsperson in Pristina, Naim Qelaj, calling on them to act in accordance with their mandates and ensure that journalists from Serbian newsrooms in Kosovo are allowed to inform the public about Sunday’s elections.

“UNS, together with its branch DNKiM, has called on representatives of these institutions and organizations to urgently condemn the decision of the Central Election Commission (CEC) in Kosovo, which refused to accredit all media reporting in the Serbian language to cover the local elections in Kosovo on October 12,” the statement reads.

UNS informed these organizations that around 90 percent of the media outlets denied accreditation are Serbian-language editorial offices, while the remaining 10 percent consist of Albanian and regional media.

“This decision, representing an unprecedented form of discrimination and pressure on the media, grossly violates fundamental human rights and seriously undermines media freedom and the right of one community to be informed in its mother tongue—which, moreover, is one of the official languages in Kosovo,” the open letter states.

As UNS stressed, such conduct by the CEC clearly indicates discrimination based on language and ethnic affiliation, and is contrary to all international standards of freedom of expression and the right to information, including the European Convention on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

“Through this decision, the Central Election Commission (CEC) undermines the transparency of the electoral process and endangers the fundamental democratic principles of the modern world. The question arises—what is expected to happen on October 12 that the Serbian community should not be informed about?” UNS added in its open letter, calling for Serbian journalists in Kosovo to be granted unhindered access to cover the elections on Sunday.