The recent revelation by Kiks Kosova (https://www.facebook.com/kikskosova/), which is a show on Klan Kosova (https://klankosova.tv/) regarding the dissemination of journalist Ardiana Thaçi Mehmeti’s personal phone number within a Telegram group has sparked deep concern.
In their broadcast on 7 May 2024, Kiks Kosova focused exclusively on the ongoing harassment faced by Mehmeti, revealing that her number was intentionally leaked as a form of retaliation for her past reports on the Telegram group. You can see the link to the episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdoKmQECU5w . The telegram group was several times part of public discussion, as it published photos and videos of women without their permission, but also images during sexual acts without knowledge of one of the participant. The group also published personal data as phone numbers, names and surnames of other women. The group has been closed in February this year.
This act of revenge has led to a barrage of calls and messages directed at Mehmeti, not only on her personal phone but also across her social media accounts. Such a breach not only jeopardizes Mehmeti’s personal safety but also serves as a blatant attempt to intimidate and silence her.
The Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AJK) supported Ardiana Thaçi Mehmeti.
Last year Thaçi Mehmeti and Erjona Gjikolli, reported receiving death threats in the aftermath of their investigative report for Kiks Kosova about one popular singer in Kosovo.
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) strongly condemns this breach of privacy and the subsequent derogatory communications aimed at damaging Mehmeti’s reputation. Urging swift action, SEEMO calls upon the Kosovo Police and the Prosecutor’s Office to investigate this matter promptly and hold those responsible for the leak and subsequent harassment fully accountable.
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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