Impunity for crimes targeting journalists in Kosovo

Impunity for crimes targeting journalists in Kosovo

During the Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Journalists which took place on 6 June 2018 in Lisbon, a resolution was adopted by the General Assembly calling for prompt and effective investigations of the unresolved crimes against 14 Albanian and Serbian journalists in Kosovo and calling on the Serbian and Kosovo authorities to step up co-operation in the investigation of these cases, the CoE added.

The resolution was adopted following a joint motion of the Association of Journalists of Serbia, Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia, Association of Journalists of Kosovo and Journalists’ Union of Serbia.

The resolution called for renewed efforts to investigate and bring perpetrators before to justice for the murder and kidnapping of journalists, as well as to provide compensation for their families, for the following cases:

- the kidnapping of Djuro Slavuj and Ranko Perenic of Radio Pristina who disappeared during assignment on a road near Orahovac on the 21 August 1998;

- the murder of Afrim Maliqi, journalist in Pristina on the 2 December 1998;

- the murder of Enver Maloku in Pristina on the 11th of January 1999;

- the disappearance of Ljubomir Knezevic, correspondent of the national daily “Politika” and journalist of “Jedinstvo” from Pristina, who went missing in Vučitrn/Vushtrri on 6 May 1999;

- the kidnapping of Milo Buljevic, worker of Radio-Television Pristina in Pristina on 25 June 1999;

- the murder of Aleksandar Simovic, journalist of Media Action International in Pristina on 21 August 1999;

- the murder of Krist Gegaj, editor in RTV Pristina on 12 September 1999;

- the murder of photo-reporter Momir Stokuca in Pristina on 21 September 1999;

- the disappearance of the journalist of the Serbian desk of Radio Kosovo, Marjan Melonasi, in Pristina on 9 September 2000;

- the murder of Shefki Popova, journalist of “Rilindja” on 10 September 2000 in Vucitrn/Vushtrri;

- the murder of Xhemajl Mustafa, journalist of the newspaper “Bota sot” in Pristina on 23 November 2000;

- the murder of Bekim Kastrati, journalist of the newspaper “Bota sot” in the village of Laus near Pristina on 19 October 2001;

- the murder of Bardhyl Ajeti, journalist and columnist of the newspaper “Bota sot”, who was attacked on 3 June 2005 in the village of Bresaljce near Gnjilane, and died on the 28 June 2005.