OSCE calls for greater protection of journalists in Kosovo

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA / VIENNA, 4 September 2014 – Following recent threats directed at Visar Duriqi, journalist with the Prishtinë/Priština-based news portal Express, the OSCE media freedom representative, Dunja Mijatović today condemned the threats, and the Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Ambassador Jean-Claude Schlumberger, called on institutions in Kosovo to provide greater security for journalists.

“The threats Duriqi has received are very serious. I call on law enforcement agencies and the judiciary to thoroughly investigate this and other threats to journalists in Kosovo, and to ensure that those who infringe the freedom of expression are held accountable for their actions,” Schlumberger said.

Duriqi reported receiving numerous death threats to the Kosovo Police after publishing a series of articles in which he shed light and criticized the activities of radical Islamist groups in Kosovo.

Mijatović, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, said: “Journalists must be able to work in a free and safe manner. Any threat made to a member of the media must be investigated with the utmost urgency. Intimidations of journalists are far too common and they are detrimental to free media.”

The OSCE promotes freedom of the media and works with governments to help them uphold their commitments to the freedom of expression.