The Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS) strongly condemned the latest threats and targeting of Kosovo media reporting in Serbian, above all the KoSSev portal, which was launched in the Telegram channel „Zečevi sa Kosova I Metohije“ („Rabbits from Kosovo and Metohija“) in which some media are mentioned in several posts and two videos, and described as „enemies of the Serb people and Serbia who are under the influence of NATO and the West“.
In addition to KoSSev, this Telegram page also shared similar accusations against Kosovo Online, Radio Kontakt Plus, Radio Kosovska Mitrovica, TV Most, as well as UNS.
When it comes to KoSSev, the page described the portal as „Shiptar media“, that is „under the control of NATO“ and „the West“, as well as journalists who „defend Shiptar terrorists.“
At the same time, while accusing the media of publishing KFOR/NATO ads about security for years, as an act directed against the Serbian people, they also falsely claimed that all targeted media outlets have been sharing those or similar adverts.
As far as KoSSev is concerned, we have never published any kind of promotional material for KFOR or NATO.
This Telegram group plagiarized several videos owned by KoSSev, including an exclusive video taken at Gazimestan on June 28 of this year, which they downloaded from our channels without our permission, and placed their group’s logo on them.
NUNS said in its statement today that they are particularly concerned about the video from this Telegram group, showing scenes from the movie „The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly“, with the KoSSev logo displayed, which ends at the moment when a shot is about to ring out.
This association noted that this is not the first case of serious targeting and threats to journalists of the KoSSev portal.
They called on the competent authorities to investigate the circumstances of this event and the threats that threaten the safety of all journalists in Kosovo in detail.
It is interesting, NUNS added, that the time the Telegram channel „Rabbits from Kosovo and Metohija“ was created coincides with the month in which the page linked to the „Northern Brigade“ was shut down, which the Kosovo government recently declared a terrorist organization, banning its work because it „represents a threat to constitutional order and security“.
They drew attention to the fact that Tatjana Lazarevic, KoSSev portal’s Editor-in-Chief, will report the whole case to the High-Tech Crime Department in Belgrade, which she has already done.
At the same time, NUNS underscored as particularly worrying the fact that the threats come a few days after a video targeting journalists from United Media was shared on social networks.
They reminded the government representatives that they must react to such cases and condemn them.
„We remind the representatives of the authorities that they must react in such serious cases of targeting of journalists and the media, and publicly condemn such behavior, which was also discussed by the president of the European Federation of Journalists, Maja Sever, who yesterday called on the Government of Serbia to publicly condemn attacks on journalists.“
They also addressed the fact that one such video, unsigned, made in a similar way was an introduction to the tragic case of Oliver Ivanovic.
„This is precisely why we expect the state and its authorities to take these and similar incidents seriously,“ NUNS concluded.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
