“Today, we honor the journalists who were killed or are attacked in the exercise of their profession. No journalist should be exposed to threats and forced into silence. Kosovo has a vibrant media environment and threats or intimidation has no place in a democratic society. That is I why I appeal to all relevant Kosovo authorities to timely and thoroughly investigate, prosecute and sanction all threats and attacks against journalists. Impunity leads to more violence and shrinks the space for free journalism by instilling fear and self-censorship. Ending impunity for crimes against journalists enhances citizens’ trust in the justice system and allows journalists to carry out their duties without fear. 

A less noticed part of our work as a Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo is to closely monitor legal cases of attacks against journalists dealt with by the Kosovo Police, the Kosovo prosecution and the Kosovo courts. It is one of our contributions to the pursuit of truth.

On this day, we also pay tribute to the journalists who disappeared, were kidnapped or murdered during and in the aftermath of the Kosovo conflict. As a Mission, we no longer have the mandate to investigate or prosecute these cases, but our experts continue to work together with our local counterparts at the Institute of Forensic Medicine to determine the fate of the more than 1640 missing persons, including a number of journalists.”

Lars-Gunnar Wigemark

Head of the EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo

International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists