From January to September this year, 38 attacks on journalists were registered in Kosovo, while the Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AGK) considers 2023 to be the year with the most attacks on media workers – a total of 74, reported the MIA correspondent from Prishtina.

At the presentation of the annual report “Indicators on the level of freedom of the media and the safety of journalists” and “The Safety Index of journalists from the Western Balkans”, the executive director of AGK, researcher Getoarba Muliqi, said that sexual harassment is another challenge for journalists in Kosovo.

As a particular problem, Muliqi singled out the risk journalists face when reporting from the north of the country, inhabited by a majority Serb population. In the report, the appointment of the director of public radio and television RTK, Rilind Grvala, is considered political, due to his closeness to the ruling Self-Determination Movement party of Prime Minister Albin Kurti. Legal expert Ili Zekaj added that despite the fact that AGK has continuous meetings with the Judicial and Prosecutorial Council, there is still no division of cases by profession, and this, according to him, harms journalists.

Researcher Leonita Morina pointed out that one of the main obstacles journalists encounter during their work is strategic lawsuits against public participation. Regarding this problem, although there is no accurate data on lawsuits, AGK has created a database, in which more than 35 cases have been recorded.

In addition to attacks and threats, another challenge for Kosovo journalists and other media workers, according to the Association of Journalists of Kosovo, is their unfavorable contracts and low wages.