Human Rights Watch report on Kosovo: Tensions in the north, intimidation of journalists, and killing of women

Tensions in the north of Kosovo, threats and intimidation of journalists, murders of women by their husbands, and discrimination against the LGBT community are some of the topics that the Human Rights Watch (HRW) organization mentions in its report on Kosovo for 2022, as reported by Reporteri.

The Human Rights Watch report published today talks about the state of human rights in 2022 in 100 countries of the world.

As for Kosovo, the report deals with the issue of intimidation and attacks on journalists and, as it was said, the weak reactions of state authorities.

As stated in the report, the Kosovo Journalists Association recorded 22 cases of attacks in the period from January to August 2022, four more than in 2021.

"The organization reported that in most cases, journalists face harassment, threats, and intimidation on social networks," the HRW report states.

Among other things, the manner of addressing journalists by the Kosovo President's husband, Prindon Sadriu, is mentioned, who is a high official in the Kosovo Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as the addressing by Luan Dalipi, chief of staff to the Kosovo prime minister. 

In February, Sadriu labeled journalists and the media in Kosovo as a "joint criminal enterprise" on Facebook. In March, the chief of staff to Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, Luan Dalipi, linked the Kosovo media with "criminal activities" in a post on Facebook and called on citizens to boycott them.

"Such statements risk undermining public trust in the media and creating a hostile environment for journalists," the HRW agency said.

The report also mentions 310 deportations to Kosovo, mostly from Germany, among which 38 were children, 6 Roma, 13 Ashkali, and other ethnic groups.

The HRW report also focuses on violence against women in Kosovo, mentioning the rape of an 11-year-old girl in Pristina by five men, as well as numerous murders of women by their husbands.

"Victims of domestic violence continue to face barriers to protection, including some criminal prosecutions and the failure of judges to issue restraining orders against abusers, as well as reduced sentences in cases of murders of women by their husbands, as stated by the Kosovo Women's Network," the report reads.

Human Rights Watch also reports on sexual orientation and gender identity and indicates that the Center for Equality and Freedom of the Homosexual Community (LGBT+) in Kosovo registered five cases of threats and attacks against the community, four of which were related to violence by family members or partners against transgender persons.