‘Forgotten Recordings’: Criminal Investigations in Kosovo Often Use Unlawful Wiretapping of Suspects

Court monitors discovered several cases where Kosovo institutions violated the law on surveillance by illegally wiretapping citizens during criminal investigations. Murat Mehmeti, a tax inspector in Kosovo, was wiretapped for several months in 2016 by the country’s Special Prosecution. The surveillance ultimately proved Mehmeti’s innocence, but the prosecutor handling the case failed to inform him…

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CEC Rejects Election Certification for Belgrade-Backed Kosovo Serb Party

Kosovo’s Central Election Commission has declined certification for the Srpska Lista, the largest Serbian-majority political party in Kosovo, for participation in the parliamentary elections scheduled for February 9, 2025. The decision can be appealed. The biggest Kosovo Serb party in Kosovo, the Belgrade-backed Srpska Lista (Serbian List), has not been certified for participation in the…

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Kosovo Optimistic About Becoming Newest Member of Council of Europe, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister

The Kosovo deputy minister of Foreign Affairs, Kreshnik Ahmeti, told Kallxo Përnime TV programme that the implementation of the Constitutional Court ruling which awarded land to the Decani Monastery will lead to Kosovo becoming the newest member of the Council of Europe very soon. “We will become the 47th member of the Council of Europe,”…

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Kosovo’s Ruling Party, Broadcaster, Accused of ‘Smearing’ Two Media

Public broadcaster says it will investigate the publication of an article from a Bosnian media outlet, which Kosovo’s Journalists’ Association says smears two local Kosovo media outlets. An article published by the Kosovo public broadcaster, Radio Television of Kosovo, RTK, alleging that two Kosovo-based media outlets were illicitly financed by Serbia, has drawn criticism from…

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‘Freedom House’ Report Highlights BIRN’s Investigation on Alleged Gender-Based Discrimination at Public Broadcaster

An annual report on democracy in Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia by Freedom House, mentioned the BIRN’s investigation “RTK’s Board Blocks High-Scoring Women from Top Jobs” published in September 2023, by journalists Jeta Xharra and Mediana Halili. The investigation dealt with gender discrimination in the processes of recruitment for high positions in Kosovo’s public…

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Kosovo Granted NATO Parliamentary Assembly Status Upgrade

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly voted to advance Kosovo’s status from observer to associate member, with most states in favor. This status allows Kosovo to expand its delegation from its previous observer role. The NATO Parliamentary Assembly adopted  a recommendation on Monday which granted Kosovo’s delegation an upgraded status from observer to an associate member. Most…

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Second Generation Immigrants: Kosovo Albanians Making Their Mark in Swiss Business Landscape

The Kosovo Albanian community, once displaced by political turmoil and war, has recently been surging Switzerland’s business landscape at an incredible pace. The halls and offices of Google in Zurich, Switzerland, were buzzing with a harmonious blend of chit-chat and banter in Albanian and Swiss German as everyone enjoyed  the AI-inspired beer ‘Mu’Pi’ on the…

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Serbia’s New Kosovo Legislation ‘Will Violate Dialogue Obligations’, EU Says

A European Union Spokesperson told BIRN that Serbia should ‘reconsider’ its draft law declaring Kosovo a ‘special zone of social protection’ as it violates obligations Belgrade undertook during dialogue on normalisation of relations with Pristina. The European Union on Wednesday criticised Serbia’s move to adopt a law declaring Kosovo an “area of special protection” in…

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