e Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AJK) expresses its deep concern over the defamatory campaign and coordinated attacks against the organization and the Chairman of the Board, Xhemajl Rexha.
Rather than acknowledging and reflecting on the alarming 24-place drop—which positions Kosovo below all countries in the region and alongside states with longstanding records of censorship and violence against journalists—elected officials from the ruling party, Lëvizja Vetëvendosje, have launched a public campaign aiming to discredit AJK and shift the blame onto its leadership.
Xhemajl Rexha, a journalist with over two decades of professional experience, has served for the past four years as the Chair of AJK’s Board, working tirelessly to protect journalists and promote freedom of expression in Kosovo.
Newly elected MP Arbëresha Hyseni Kryeziu has made unacceptable personal accusations against Rexha, while fellow MPs Valon Ramadani and Arjeta Fejza have publicly targeted AJK as an organization. These attacks represent a deeply troubling effort to silence and intimidate a leading voice for press freedom in the country.
The AJK calls on MPs of Vetevendosje to stop the attacks on journalists and representatives of independent organizations and to seriously address the unprecedented and alarming situation regarding media freedom in Kosovo.
Freedom of expression and the protection of journalists are not matters of political preference, but fundamental values of a functioning democracy.