Kosovo

Mufail Limani, editor-in-chief of Radio Television Kosovo, had the entrance to his house set on fire on 1 May. The attack follows numerous press freedom violations in Kosovo in recent days.

Gezi Bimbashi was brutally beaten on 22 April in Kosovo’s northern town of Mitrovica. He was attacked with wooden flag handles while reporting on a protest organised by members of the Serbian community in northern Kosovo.

Journalists Reportedly Intimidated in Kosovo SEEMO Expresses Concern After Two Reporters Threatened VIENNA, May 22, 2012 – The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), today condemned physical threats made against two Kosovo journalists on May 16 in the ethnically divided city of Mitrovica, in northern Kosovo. […]

President Atifete Jahjaga returned the draft criminal code to the National Assembly for reconsideration on May 8, 2012, after it was sent to her for her final approval. The president’s decision followed widespread criticism of the draft code by journalists.

IPI Condemns Bomb Attacks on Nigeria Newspapers Explosions at Two Newspaper Buildings [1] People stand at the entrance to the destroyed building of This Day newspaper after a bomb blast in its premises in Abuja April 26, 2012. The office of Nigeria’s This Day newspaper in the northern city of Kaduna was bombed on Thursday, […]

Common features of Kosovo journalism are low professional standards, high turnover, economic challenges, an absence of investigative reporting and a silencing of sensitive issues, low wages and the absence of regular contracts, says the report.

IPI is calling for a police investigation after someone called the Pristina-based daily “Express” and threatened to bomb its offices.

Vedat Xhymshiti was covering clashes between demonstrators and Kosovo police near the Merdare border crossing between Serbia and Kosovo, when he was allegedly struck by policemen and lost consciousness.

Shkodran Gajrakuand, a journalist for TV Klan, and camera operator Veton Ethemi were beaten by firefighters when they tried to film a fire in a cemetery.

A statement from the Radio City radio station said that an Albanian group hacked into the station’s website and posted a message saying “Kosovo is Albanian”.

Recently the Ministry of Trade and Industry decided to cut all relations with Pristina daily “Zeri”, while the imam of the main Mosque in Pristina publicly attacked “Koha Ditore” newspaper.

Zeljko Tvrdisic was assaulted while reporting on the demolition of illegally constructed buildings in Kosovska Mitrovica.

“Lajm” reporter Fatos Shala was taking photographs at a supermarket for an article when he was assaulted and threatened by a security guard.

“Express”, “Koha Ditore” and Koha Vision TV used blown-up photos of text messages on a smartphone screen to show that the US ambassador provided the country’s new president with last-minute advice in parliament before a vote that secured him the presidency.

Visar Duriq was conducting an interview relating to an investigation into the usurpation of public property when the businessman he was speaking with told him he would break his arms and legs.

The “Debate Zone” programme, hosted by Baton Haxhiu, was cancelled on 9 November 2010 due to the alleged threats made by former Member of Parliament Gani Geci.