Journalists’ Vehicles Attacked in Serb-Dominated North Kosovo

Unknown persons on Monday in a Serb-majority municipality in northern Kosovo, Leposavic, damaged the cars of BIRN and Kosovo-Albanian language broadcaster RTV Dukagjini, which were following local protests against the newly-elected mayor of the town.

The tires of the cars were blown and they were vandalized with the "4S" symbol, which stands for the moto "Samo sloga Srbina spasava" (Only unity saves the Serbs). The RKS symbol, which stands for the Republic of Kosovo, was covered in the license plates.

The Association of Journalists of Kosovo, AJK, said it "condemns this act of the protesters and at the same time calls on the Kosovo Police and the international presence in Kosovo to enable safe and unhindered reporting of media crews".

Xhemajl Rexha, President of the AJK, said on Twitter that journalist crews were attacked in Zvecan as well. "Just 20 meters from a legion of NATO soldiers, the car I was traveling with, Top Channel TV and Euronews Albania teams, was attacked, sprayed and the licence plates taken off, in Zvecan," Rexha wrote, adding that masked persons had also been "swearing at us".

Journalist crews were attacked before on the ground during tensions in the north of Kosovo.

On December 9, 2022, a car carrying BIRN journalist Shkodrane Dakaj and producer Valdet Salihu was attacked by a masked group of Serbs in North Mitrovica. They were going to the north to report on the barricades blocking the roads to the borders with Serbia.

In October 2021, BIRN Journalists were chased by protesters throwing Molotov cocktails in Leposavic. Serbs protesting against the police action against smuggling in several Kosovo cities, including Serb-majority North Mitrovica, attacked journalists going to the scene with rocks and...