Journalist Berat Buzhala, founder of the Kosovo-based portal Nacionale (https://nacionale.com/), reported receiving a death threat on 2 December 2024 via social media platform Facebook. The threatening message, allegedly sent from an account contained explicit threats to Buzhala and other journalists. It included derogatory language, accusations of betrayal, and symbolic Kosovo and Albanian flags. In the past some state officials made alleged accusations that his outlet supported Serbian interests, fueling a hostile environment for independent journalism. The relations between political leaders in Kosovo and Serbia have been conflicting for decades.
Buzhala publicly shared a screenshot of the message and stated that such hostility stems from government rhetoric targeting journalists critical of its policies. He has faced previous incidents, including cyberattacks, smear campaigns, and physical threats. The Kosovo Journalists Association (Asociacioni i Gazetarëve të Kosovës – AGK – https://agk-ks.org/) condemned the threats, highlighting the increasing dangers posed to media freedom and urging authorities to hold perpetrators accountable.
You can see Berat Facebook post here: https://www.facebook.com/share/1B5yVJhCKW/?mibextid=WC7FNe
While Kosovo police have initiated an investigation, Buzhala remains skeptical, citing a lack of urgency in addressing government-endorsed hostility toward the media. This incident underscores the broader challenges journalists face in Kosovo amid political polarization and escalating tensions regarding media independence.
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) condemns the alarming death threats directed at journalist Berat Buzhala, founder of Nacionale. Threats against journalists undermine press freedom and democracy and are unacceptable in any society. SEEMO calls on Kosovo authorities to ensure the safety of Buzhala and his colleagues and to thoroughly investigate and prosecute those responsible. Furthermore, SEEMO urges all public officials to refrain from rhetoric that fuels hostility toward the media. SEEMO will closely monitor this case and continue to advocate for the protection of journalists in the region.
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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