Association of Journalists of Kosovo and Metohija: Translation into Serbian is a burning problem for journalists of Serbian newsrooms in Kosovo

In the last year, the Association of Journalists of Kosovo and Metohija recorded 28 cases of threats to work, physical attacks, and threats to journalists.

As stated in the announcement, at the base of this IJAS branch in Kosovo, of all forms of threats to journalistic freedoms, the most frequent was preventing work, to which 16 cases referred. The fact that there were eight physical attacks in this period, two threats, and two pressures on journalists were worrying.

The case of Svetlana Vukmirovic - a dangerous form of suppression of media freedom

The suppression of media freedom reached alarming proportions in this period, and an obvious example is the prevention of the work of RTS journalists and the author of the show "Pravo na sutra" Svetlana Vukmirovic, who was banned from entering Kosovo and Metohija.

The Association of Journalists of Serbia (IJAS) sent a letter to the International Federation of Journalists and to the addresses of seven other journalistic and media organizations and networks, from which they requested help. IJAS President Zivojin Rakocevic also sent a letter to the President of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), after which the EFJ expressed concern on August 8. Previously, Vukmirovic complained to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kosovo, but her appeal was rejected.

Regarding this case, on August 1, journalists and civil society organizations that IJAS turned to for help sent letters to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ombudsperson of Kosovo, asking for an explanation for Vukmirovic's entry ban to Kosovo. Ten days later, the Ombudsman in Pristina opened the case, and according to the confirmation of Deputy Ombudsman Srdjan Sentic, the investigation of all allegations from the letter of international organizations is ongoing.

A few days later, the IJAS was notified by the Reporters Without Borders organization that they had contacted the Kosovo authorities regarding the Vukmirovic case.

Klan Kosova television was also completely disabled, as the Ministry of Industry, Entrepreneurship, and Trade of Kosovo revoked its license to operate.

The Ministry of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade of Kosovo submitted a criminal complaint to the Department for Serious Criminal Offenses of the Kosovo Police against the Trading Company "KLAN KOSOVA" DOO, against responsible officials in the Business Registration Agency as well as responsible persons of the company, "due to suspicion of abuse of official duties, as well as abuse of economic powers".

Due to the revocation of the license of "Klan Kosova" television, several protests by journalists were organized and IJAS reacted with its branch in Kosovo. The IJAS expressed concern about this decision and emphasized that the media must not bear the consequences of litigation or criminal proceedings between media publishers and third parties.

EFJ General Secretary Ricardo Gutierrez said that the Ministry's decision was an act of censorship, and the Ambassadors of the USA, Great Britain, France, Germany, and Italy, as well as the representatives of the European Union, expressed concern about the withdrawal of the license from this television.

Pressure on journalists from Serbian newsrooms by the Kosovo Police

The demonstration of force by the Kosovo Police was also experienced by the President of the Association of Journalists of Serbia (IJAS), Zivojin Rakocevic, together with the editor of the literary programs of the "Gracanica" Cultural Center, Zarko Milenkovic. Rakocevic and Milenkovic were stopped at the roundabout in Preoce by a group of policemen, who kicked them, insulted them, and behaved aggressively towards them. The case was reported to the Police Inspectorate of Kosovo and international institutions.

In mid-July, the Kosovo Police forbade journalists from Serbian newsrooms to film the house from which, during the celebration of Saints Cosmas and Damian in the village of Krajiste near Lipljan, loud music was broadcast that disrupted the liturgy. Then, the identities of journalists and videographers were established, and the police asked them to say which media had been present at this event.

This year, the safety of journalists in the north of Kosovo has been threatened several times

By the way, at the height of tensions, in May and June, the safety of journalists in the north of Kosovo was repeatedly threatened, especially during protests. During the live broadcast, Tanjug journalist Dimitrije Mirkovic had a shock bomb explode near his leg.

Just one day after Mirkovic was injured, new incidents followed, when a group of journalists reporting for the Albanian-language media was attacked in Leposavic.

In June, journalists from the Serbian-language newsroom, while they were filming a dispute between a group of Zvecan citizens and representatives of Serbian opposition parties, were threatened, insulted, and demanded by some protest participants to turn off their cameras and mobile phones.

At the beginning of September last year, the journalist and editor of the Second Channel of the Radio Television of Kosovo (RTK2), Marija Peric, was verbally attacked by a group of minors in the center of Pristina, not far from the television building where she works, while she was trying to park a car with a Serbian license plate on her way to work.

Translation into Serbian - a burning problem for journalists in Serbian newsrooms

The most frequent form of threat to media freedom is the inability to work due to the lack of translation into the Serbian language, and journalists from Serbian newsrooms have faced this problem more than once in this period alone.

The law on the use of languages is violated by central and local institutions, but also by various organizations. Even after numerous appeals, protests, and condemnation of such actions, Kosovo institutions do not provide translation into the Serbian language and prevent journalists from doing their work.

In this period, cases of a selective approach of inviting the media to events of public importance were also recorded. Let us remind you that some media reporting in the Serbian language were not invited to the events organized by the Municipality of Gracanica and the US Embassy in Pristina, and even the mayor of North Mitrovica Erden Atiq, after taking the oath, addressed only some journalists.