Kosovo has registered a dramatic drop in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), plummeting 24 places to rank 99th—its worst position ever and the lowest in the Western Balkans.
The publication of the report on World Press Freedom Day triggered immediate outcry from Kosovo’s journalist community. The Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AGK) held an emergency press conference in front of the outgoing government headquarters, squarely blaming Prime Minister Albin Kurti and his Self-Determination Movement (Vetëvendosje) for fostering a hostile environment toward the media.
AGK president Xhemajl Rexha called the ranking “shocking” and demanded urgent institutional action, including the formation of a dedicated working group to address the RSF report’s findings. He warned that journalists in Kosovo are increasingly labeled as “traitors,” targeted with SLAPP lawsuits, subjected to surveillance, and denied access to public information. Rexha also revealed he had been personally attacked following the report’s release, cautioning against societal normalization of such hostility.
Kosovo’s position on the RSF index has steadily worsened. From an encouraging rise to 56th place in 2023, it fell to 75th last year and now to 99th—placing it just ahead of countries like Mongolia and Mozambique.
Tensions escalated further on Friday when Genc Godanci, a journalist with T7 television, was physically pushed by Prime Minister Kurti’s bodyguard while attempting to ask a question about the report. Kurti walked past the press without responding, drawing sharp criticism from opposition parties and civil society.
Opposition Condemnation
Opposition parties seized on the report to lambast the government. Blerta Deliu-Kodra, MP with the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), accused the ruling party of creating a “regime of fear and lynching.”
“This dramatic fall is the result of deliberate attacks on press freedom and the public’s right to be informed,” she said.
The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) also voiced alarm, stating that Kosovo is “in serious danger” due to growing threats and violence against journalists. The party demanded immediate institutional reforms to address the issue.
In a Facebook statement, LDK MP and former minister Hikmete Bajrami reacted strongly, blaming the government of Albin Kurti for the decline, calling it a “direct consequence” of his administration’s policies.
“This position – right next to Mongolia and Mozambique – is an alarm for every citizen who believes in democracy,” Bajrami stated. She described the ranking as a “clear mirror” of four years of Self-Determination Movement rule, during which journalists were labeled “collaborators with Serbia” and faced lawsuits, threats, boycotts, and daily insults.
She warned that “a discourse of hatred toward the media, fueled directly by the government, has become the new norm,” calling it “a cancer eating away at the foundations of democracy.” According to her, democratic societies are not built on silencing journalists, but on the government’s accountability.
Bajrami also pointed to the institutional deadlock following the elections as a major issue and proposed urgent reforms, including the depoliticization of the Independent Media Commission and public broadcaster RTK, new legislation in cooperation with the Council of Europe, increased funding for public media, tougher penalties for attacks on journalists, and stronger support for investigative journalism.
“There is no democracy where there are no free media,” she concluded.
Ramush Haradinaj, leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), also weighed in, stating that the government’s fear of criticism signals fear of its own people. “Freedom of the press is won through sacrifice—it must never be traded for silence,” he said.
International Reaction
The German Embassy in Pristina described the RSF report as a wake-up call for Kosovo’s next government. Ambassador Jörn Rohde emphasized that Kosovo now ranks behind Serbia, adding, “This drop must be a signal for the new government to take urgent steps to secure media freedom, which is fundamental to any stable and democratic state.”
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