On 13 November 2024 during a protest by residents in front of a Kosovo company in Ferizaj / Uroševac, Kosovo journalist Qliresa Hasani of local TV Festina (https://www.facebook.com/tvfestina/) allegedly faced both obstruction in carrying out her duties and derogatory sexist remarks. While reporting on the event, a company official allegedly hindered her work and made inappropriate comments, saying, that it is not allowed to film the institution’s building, unless she wants to take a picture with him. This unacceptable behavior not only disrupted Hasani’s journalistic duties but also targeted her dignity on both a professional and personal level.
The incident highlights a broader issue of gender-based discrimination against journalists and poses a severe violation of media freedom principles. The Kosovo Journalists Association (AJK – Asociacioni i Gazetarëve të Kosovës – https://www.agk-ks.org/en/ ) has strongly condemned this behavior, describing it as an attempt to undermine the journalist’s role in informing the public and an affront to the values of free and independent media.
This troubling event underscores the ongoing challenges journalists, especially women, face in the pursuit of truth and accountability.
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) condemns the sexist language and obstruction faced by journalist Qliresa Hasani during her coverage of a protest in Ferizaj / Uroševac, Kosovo. Such actions not only violate press freedom but also undermine professional and personal dignity, particularly through discriminatory behavior on a gender basis. SEEMO calls on the responsible company to take immediate disciplinary measures against the staff member involved and urges authorities to ensure journalists’ safety and freedom from intimidation or discrimination. SEEMO will continue to monitor this case closely to support media freedom and the protection of journalists in their professional roles.
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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