The Association of Kosovo Journalists (AGK) has condemned what it called “continuous attacks” by the Prime Minister of Kosovo and his ruling party, the Vetevendosje Movement (LVV), against the media and journalists during the election campaign for the February 9 parliamentary elections.
The AGK said on Friday that Kurti called the portals "part of the Bermuda Triangle that wants to sink Kosovo" during an interview with a local television station, without mentioning which television station exactly.
"In almost all election rallies in different cities, Kurti has used denigrating and offensive language towards the media, journalists and commentators on television debates," she said in a Facebook post.
According to the AGK, teams of journalists, including from media outlets such as Klan Kosova and Nacionale, "have been obstructed by Vetëvendosje officials at several election rallies, in an attempt to prevent reporting from the field."
Radio Free Europe has contacted the Vetëvendosje Movement for comment regarding AGK's accusations, but has not yet received a response.
The election campaign began on January 11th and will end once the polls open on the morning of February 9th.
"The incendiary language from the ruling party significantly hinders the possibility of reporting. Vetëvendosje's boycott of the 3 national television stations also has an impact on providing transparency and is an avoidance of accountability to a significant part of the public," she said.
The LVV, which has been governing Kosovo for four years, has faced calls from international and local non-governmental organizations to abandon its boycott of certain media outlets.
On January 10, 13 international and local non-governmental organizations dealing with media freedom made this call to Kurti and LVV through an open letter.
The organizational secretary of the LVV, Alim Rama, said that his party is not boycotting the media, but has made a decision to "exclude" three specific channels, and such a decision "does not harm the rich and diverse media landscape of Kosovo."
The ruling party has not mentioned by name which channels it has "excluded." However, in previous reactions from media organizations, it has been said that it is about some of the major television stations in the country, such as Klan Kosova, TV Dukagjini, and T7.
The ruling party's boycott of some media outlets goes against accountability and transparency, according to media experts and organizations monitoring the election campaign.
Viona Bunjaku from the FOL Movement, an organization that monitors the campaign and the election process, told Radio Free Europe that during their monitoring they have consistently noticed that there have been attacks and criticism directed at the media by the ruling party.
Data from other international organizations also indicate a deterioration in media freedom in Kosovo. In the 2024 Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index, Kosovo was ranked 75th, or 19 places lower than the previous year.
Reporters Without Borders said that despite continuing to hold politicians accountable, journalists in Kosovo continue to be "targets of political attacks."
Meanwhile, the US State Department's 2024 human rights report quoted the Kosovo Journalists Association as saying that "government officials, including the prime minister and members of the ruling party, have engaged in smear campaigns to undermine public trust in the media." /REL (A2 Televizion)
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