Physical attack against camera operator, Bardh Bekteshi, Leposaviq, 16.06.2023

Translations: Pristina 

• Case info

• Personal info

• Regional center

  Pristina
• Gender

  Male
• Victim(s) name

  Bardh Bekteshi

• Media outlet

• Name of the media outlet

  RTK
• Type of media platform

  Radio
  
• Source of information about the incident

  RTK

• Incident Data

• Date of incident

  16.06.2023
• City

  Leposaviq
• Perpetrator(s)

  Not known
• Attacked by

  (ordinary) citizens
  
• Type of incident

  Actual attacks on journalists

• Action by the authorities

• Action taken by the journalists' association

• Was journalist's association informed by the journalists directly?

  Yes

The media teams from Prishtina today were the target of yet another brutal attack while they were reporting from Leposaviq.

The PSB, RTK cameraman, Bardh Bekteshi, was physically attacked as seen in the disturbing footage that the Association of Journalists of Kosovo, received from his colleague who was present at the time of the attack. In addition to the physical attack, Bekteshi’s camera was also demolished.

In her statement for AJK, the journalist Venera Xhoxhaj confirmed that the protesters threw stones at the media teams, Tëvë1, RTV Dukagjini, RTK, Klan Kosova, and KTV.

“They were throwing stones at us, some colleagues while they were leaving, fell, while our cameraman, Bardh Bekteshi, was pushed, where he got knocked down and then physically attacked, causing him injuries in his head and body.”

The Association of Journalists of Kosovo is urgently calling upon the Kosovo Police, and the international presence in this region, to provide security to journalists and cameramen who are reporting from there.

AJK strongly condemns this attack, at the same time announces that all of the attacks that took in the north of the country will be reported to the international organizations that deal with the safety of journalists and the freedom of the media.