UNS: Kosovo authorities brutally violate freedom of movement of journalists

The Journalists’ Association of Serbia (UNS), together with its branch in Kosovo, condemned the ban imposed on French journalist Frédéric Saillot, who was denied entry to Kosovo.

UNS and its Kosovo branch stressed that restricting the freedom of movement of journalists is unacceptable and demanded that the Kosovo authorities immediately cease such practices.

UNS also announced that it will inform international journalists’ organizations and human rights organizations about this case.

According to the statement of the Journalists’ Association of Serbia, the Kosovo Police this morning, at around 5:30 a.m., prevented Frédéric Saillot, a journalist of the French portal Eurasie Express, from entering Kosovo at the Jarinje crossing.

“Early this morning I was stopped at Jarinje when officers of the Kosovo Police told me that I could not proceed further. I introduced myself as a journalist and explained that I had already been to Kosovo several times and worked there without any problems,” Saillot told UNS.

He stated that he asked the police officers to explain why he had been denied entry.

“They showed me an online list of people who are banned from entering, and said that my name was on it, although I could not read it, and that they did not know any further details to tell me. After that, they asked me to sign a refusal document and rather roughly told me to return to Serbia,” Saillot said.

Saillot provided UNS with the refusal notice he received, which also does not state the reason for the entry ban.

Following the incident, Frédéric Saillot informed the French Embassy in Pristina and the French Minister for European Affairs about the case.