Yesterday on 3 April 2024, members of the news team at Lajmi.net (https://lajmi.net/) were subjected to a violent attack while carrying out their duties on Rruga C in Prishtina (Prishtinë), Kosovo.
The incident, which occurred as they were documenting events on the ground, was promptly reported to the Kosovo Police by the lajmi.net team. Targeted were journalists Fjolla Hyseni and Lindita Berisha, whose ordeal was captured in footage circulated by the media.
The video depicts a couple physically assaulting the journalists and attempting to obstruct their filming activities. Initial reports suggest that the altercation began when the journalists’ taxi inadvertently obstructed the couple’s way, leading to a confrontation with the taxi driver before escalating into violence against the journalists.
Lajmi.net published the video online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Tvakm5paC0&list=UU7OZ2nKbp9TRyeXJ0hS_ZcA
The Kosovo prosecutor’s office started an investigation. According to information from Pristina, today the prosecution has announced that after undertaking investigative actions and collecting additional evidence, as well as re-interviewing one of the suspects, the State Prosecutor has issued a decision on the detention for 48 hours of the suspected person who attacked the journalists.
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) strongly condemns the violent attack against journalists from Lajmi.net in Prishtina, Kosovo. The safety and well-being of journalists are paramount, and any act of aggression towards them is an assault on press freedom. Such attacks not only undermine the fundamental right to freedom of expression but also threaten the essential role that journalists play in upholding transparency and accountability in society. SEEMO welcomes the fast reaction of the State Prosecutor in Kosovo.
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is a regional non-governmental, non profit network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in Southeast, South, East and Central Europe. SEEMO members are in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova (with the territory of Transdnestria), Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye / Turkey, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Austria, Italy, Vatican and San Marino have a special status in SEEMO. SEEMO has over 3000 individual members, and additional media as corporate members.
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