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The US State Department published its latest report on Tuesday on human rights in the world, and in the section on Kosovo, it mentioned that the Government has taken "credible but inconsistent steps to identify, investigate, prosecute, and punish officials who have committed human rights violations."
In the 2024 report, it was mentioned that the Association of Kosovo Journalists (AGK) reported that it had been the target of defamation campaigns several times when it defended journalists and media outlets.
"The AGK has reported that government officials, including the Prime Minister and members of the ruling political party, have engaged in smear campaigns to undermine public trust in the media," the report said.
It also stated that the AGK has reported dozens of cases where government officials, political leaders, judicial staff, business interests, suspected criminals, protesters, and religious groups have physically or verbally attacked journalists, damaged their equipment, or carried out cyberattacks against the media.
"Journalists said that pressure from politicians and organized crime groups often resulted in self-censorship. Some journalists refrained from investigating due to fears for physical safety or job security. Journalists acknowledged that in some cases they were offered financial benefits in exchange for positive reporting or for abandoning investigations," the report said, among other things.
Kosovo has recorded the biggest decline in the last 15 years in the annual Press Freedom Index of the international organization, Reporters Without Borders, ranking 99th in the world out of 180 countries.
This is the second consecutive year that Kosovo has declined, after falling from 56th to 75th place in 2024. In the report published by Reporters Without Borders on May 2, Kosovo was ranked the worst in the Western Balkans and the European Union.
The incumbent government of Kosovo had rejected the findings of a Reporters Without Borders report this year, saying it "does not reflect the true situation" in Kosovo.
The US State Department report also mentioned the adoption of the law on the Independent Media Commission, which, among other things, provided for the licensing of online media, their supervision, and fines of up to 40 thousand euros.
The Constitutional Court struck down this law in April of this year, after finding that some of its articles were not in accordance with the country's Constitution.
The Independent Media Commission (IMC) - established in 2005 - is the competent body for the regulation, management and supervision of the broadcasting frequency spectrum in the Republic of Kosovo. The IMC operates as a non-profit association, while the Kosovo Press Council is a self-regulatory body. /REL/
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