Jahjaga criticized the „organized lynching“ of civil activists; Cramon: The attacks are orchestrated by government bots

The organized lynching of civil society activists in Kosovo and Kosovo’s friends through social networks is unacceptable, the former president of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, said.

Jahjaga further claimed that this “lynching” violates freedom of speech, as well as „the values we are committed to shape ourselves as a society.“

Moreover, she underlined that the contribution of civil society in every phase of Kosovo’s development „has been and will be irreplaceable“.

„I demand that these attacks stop and that the institutions of Kosovo defend freedom of speech,“ Jahjaga emphasized.

Although the former president of Kosovo did not specify what “organized lynching” she was referring to in her X post, for days now representatives of civil society, as well as public figures from other spheres of life in Kosovo, have been exposed to criticism of what they describe as an „organized army of bots“.

The latest wave of criticism by apparently ethnic Albanian users of this network has been aimed at the advisor of the European Parliament’s rapporteur for Kosovo, Djordje Bojović, certain individuals from Pristina, as well as international officials who came to his defense.

Cramon: Attacks orchestrated by governmental bots

Viola von Cramon retweeted Jahjaga’s post, thanking the former Kosovo president for her “clear words.”

“This is exactly the tone how I had experienced that many smart and influential people in Kosovo built their society on.”

Hopefully, these dirty and unjustified personal attacks orchestrated by some governmental bots will be overcome soon, Viola von Cramon concluded.

Jahjaga’s post criticized

However, Jahjaga’s post soon received numerous negative comments, primarily from the users who defended the Kosovo authorities, insults, as well as accusations of Jahjaga being a „Russian spy“.

Her post garnered mostly negative comments and numerous accusations against her and the Serbs and Serbia.

„Many tucked their tails in“

However, Jahjaga’s words also received some support from Pristina.

Dan Ilazi, a researcher at the Kosovo Center for Security Studies, underlined that Jahjaga thus “showed leadership”.

„And while many have tucked their tails in, former president Atifete Jahjaga shows leadership in difficult times and when it is most needed, standing up in defense of democracy and against trolls who cause the greatest damage to the country and help Russia’s hybrid war against Kosovo,“ said Ilazi.

The former Kosovo Minister of Foreign Affairs, Petrit Selimi, sent a similar message, who was one of the first to criticize the Kosovo government and warn about the „farms of trolls of the ruling party“.

Selimi recalled that Jahjaga is the first woman president in Western Balkans and Kosovo’s former President and that she reacted to the atmosphere of public lynchings being pushed in an organized manner in recent weeks.

“I wrote about this a few days ago: have no doubt, these are organized bots instigated – as in past – by the ruling party.”

While some hailed Atifete Jahjaga’s reaction, others belittled and criticized the former Kosovo president.

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