Open Call: Research Grants for the Students of the University of Prishtina “Hasan Prishtina”

“Dealing with conflict legacy in Kosovo” is a project funded by the British Embassy and UNDP and implemented by BIRN Kosovo. This project’s main objective is to address conflict legacy through concrete activities, such as: informing wider society by offering in-depth research related to the war in Kosovo.

Additionally,  this project’s purpose is to provide the youth with the opportunity to gain knowledge in matters such as transitional justice and dealing with the past, through its activities. Another important aspect of the project relates to analyzing the education curriculum and preparing an evaluation for the needs of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology –  MEST on addressing the current situation of pre-university education and the includement of transitional justice topics in schools and curriculum in Kosovo.

Details about the small grants scheme for research for students:

All students of the public University of Prishtina, also citizens of the Republic of Kosovo, interested in this topic are invited to apply in the open call for a small grant of 700 EUR, to increase the research among students in topics such as transitional justice. As a part of this activity, 5 grants will be given to students.

Students beneficiaries of the grants will be participating in the workshop led by experts in the field, which will cover topics such as treating frameworks and methodologies of the research process on the topic of transitional justice. The overall objective of this activity is not only to provide students with knowledge in this matter but also to create future contributors in the field of transitional justice and dealing with the past. Moreover, the students will be mentored by experienced researchers of Kallxo.com throughout the whole process of the research until the finalization of it. Each of the beneficiaries must finalize their research project within the frame (that can be found on the last page of this call), and must not extend the budget of 700 EUR per individual.

Topics of research activities

Research topics, on Kosovo context,  that are encouraged but not limited to:

  • Pillars of transitional justice – In the Kosovo context
  • Justice in the post-conflictual states
  • Documentation
  • Collective memory
  • Missing persons
  • Initiatives for dealing with the past in Kosovo
  • Inter-ethnic relations
  • Peace and conflict
  • Cultural interventions
  • Institutional reforms and vetting

How to apply?

To apply in this call, along with the listed documents below, you need to submit a project proposal with 500-800 words, written according to the standards of academic writing, explaining the reason and the purpose for the chosen topic. The final research paper must contain between 7,500 – 1,000 words and must not differ in content from the initial submitted project proposal.

Documents required for the application:

  • Prove that you are a student of the University of Prishtina
  • Copy of ID and student card
  • Prove of possession of bank account
  • CV
  • Motivational letter that should explain why your research must be chosen
  • Declaration for the original work

Applicants should submit their applications with the subject “DWCL – Aplikim për SGH/ Emri dhe mbiemri i studentit/es” via [email protected]. The deadline for submission is on April 8, 2024.

Note: Only the applications that meet the criteria of this call, will be reviewed by the Evaluation Commission, the commission will be composed of members of BIRN Kosovo and members of the University of Prishtina “Hasan Prishtina”. Only the applications with a clear research framework will be chosen.

The Commission will evaluate the applications according to the following criteria:

  • Relevance of the project proposal 50%
  • Well-chosen topic 50%
SMALL GRANTS SCHEME FOR RESEARCH FOR STUDENTS, IN THE FIELD OF TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE
Process Important Tentative Dates
Launch of the Open call 13.03.2024
Presentation about the open call for the students of the Faculty of Law 15.03.2024
The deadline for submission of applications 08.04.2024
Announcement of the winners 19.04.2024
Submitting the small grants to beneficiaries 25.04.2024
The deadline for submitting the research papers 26.08.2024
Publication of the research papers on BIRN Kosovo website 09.09.2024 – 20.09.2024

This activity is implemented as a part of the project “Dealing with the conflict legacy in Kosovo”, funded by the British Embassy and UNDP, implemented by BIRN Kosovo.

Ivana Pavlovic

Ivana joined BIRN in January 2024. Based in BIRN’s office in Belgrade, she is responsible for management, coordination and oversight of BIRN’s business operations, focusing on for-profit projects and activities implemented through BIRN Ltd, whose revenue feeds the charitable needs of BIRN Hub.

Previously, she worked at Business Info Group, publisher of the business news outlet Nova ekonomija, as deputy general manager. In recent years, she has been training students in economic journalism and companies in media relations.

She is coauthor of a guide in the Serbian language dedicated to business journalists.

Ivana spent two years at the Serbian NGO Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability, CRTA, where she held the position of journalist/editor on the factchecking portal Istinomer.

She was also web editor on Euractiv.rs co, branded partner of Brussels-based media network Euractiv.com.

She was also a journalist at the Belgrade-based business weekly magazine Ekonom:east, and journalist associate at VIP news, a newsletter in English targeted at diplomats, journalists, humanitarian workers and businesses.

She also has experience in e-learning and event management.

Ivana graduated from the Belgrade Faculty of Political Sciences’ department of journalism and communicology. She was awarded an MA in Economic analysis and Politics at the Faculty of Economics, University of Belgrade. She speaks English and some French.

BIRN Kosovo Holds a Workshop for the Referral Mechanism Members of the Municipality of Hani i Elezit

On February 28, 2024, BIRN Kosovo held a workshop on strategic communication during the implementation of the activities of the National Strategy for Preventing and Countering Terrorism. The workshop was organised in Hani i Elezit for the members of the referral mechanism of the local municipality.

The workshop addressed the principles of strategic communication, including media functioning and other platforms of strategic communication thus ensuring that the members of the referral mechanism have a better understanding of the importance of different platforms on the P/VE, R&R, and other forms of extremism.

A total of 11 participants, 5 of them women, gathered at this workshop which started with a presentation of each member of the referral mechanism including an overview of the work of this mechanism.

The trainer for this workshop Kreshnik Gashi – Managing Editor of Kallxo.com, presented and thoroughly explained means of strategic communication regarding their work on P/VE, R&R, and other forms of extremism. With an emphasis on fake news and disinformation, Gashi mentioned that the members must pay attention to the usage of social media, considering the fact of the widespread usage of all social media platforms in Kosovo. Other elements such as direct and indirect forms of propaganda were illustrated with examples, while the members of the mechanism were instructed to be assured of the audience that they address and find correct ways of defining and addressing a specific group.

During the workshop, the attendees were very engaged and expressed an interest in sharing their firsthand experiences as members of the referral mechanism of the Municipality of Hani i Elezit. They were quite forthcoming in sharing their sources of information and providing tangible examples of times when they had fallen prey to fake news and disinformation.

This workshop was part of the ‘Resilient Community Programme’ founded by GCERF.

BIRN Kosovo Holds Training for the Members of the Municipal Assembly in Vitia

On February 27, 2024, BIRN Kosovo held a one-day training to present the strategic vision of the National Strategy for Preventing and Countering Terrorism for the Municipal Assembly of Vitia, in Viti.

The training addressed the matter of the P/VE, R&R, and other forms of extremism. Also, it addressed the strategic vision of the strategy on the local level with an emphasis on the Municipal Assembly’s role in countering violent extremism and terrorism.

A total of 10 participants, 5 of them women, gathered for this training, which started with introducing the objectives of the National Strategy for Preventing and Countering Terrorism 2023-2028. The focus was on countering religious extremism and far-right extremism on the strategic vision of this strategy presented by Kreshnik Gashi – A member of the Working Group on drafting the National Strategy for Preventing and Countering Terrorism. Gashi presented his experience in contributing to the finalization of these documents and explained the objectives of this strategy.

Mensur Hoti – Director of the Department for Public Safety in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, focused his attention on the role of the local authorities in fulfilling the objectives of the Strategy. An important part of this presentation was oriented on discussing the current situation on preventing radicalism and violent extremism that leads to terrorism.

The participants were very active in sharing their experiences and addressing the current situation in their municipality. Among other issues discussed, they also highlighted the fact that they did not receive the National Strategy for Preventing and Countering Terrorism 2023-2028. As a result of them being more informed during this training session, they mentioned that besides the Strategy they will ask the Mayor to receive the Action Plan and agreed to be more vocal in their municipal assembly regarding P/VE, R&R, and other forms of extremism.

This training was held as part of the ‘Resilient Community Programme’ founded by GCERF.

BIRN Crew Attacked While Covering Church-Building Initiative in Kosovo

A man was questioned by police after he verbally attacked and insulted a crew from BIRN Kosovo while they were reporting on a controversial initiative to build a Catholic church in the village of Kline e Eperme/Gornja Klina.

Journalist Adelina Ahmeti and camera operator Jetmir Hoxha from BIRN Kosovo’s Kallxo website were attacked on Monday by a resident of Kline e Eperme/Gornja Klina, a village in the Skenderaj/Srbica municipality, where a proposal to build a Catholic church has encountered resistance from some locals.

The police said on Thursday that the “suspect was interviewed and after a case was initiated by a decision from the prosecutor, he was released in the usual way”.

The BIRN crew visited the village to report on the proposal to build the church, initiated by a local man called Ndreke Kelmendi. Kelmendi insists that a church had previously existed at the same location, but his proposal has sparked negative reactions from several villagers who claim that the land is privately owned.

Moments after the BIRN crew went to Kelmendi’s house to interview him about the church issue, his brother Mustafe Hasani confronted them for several minutes, using insulting language and making threats.

“I swear to God that you will be in trouble,” Hasani repeatedly threatened.

The BIRN crew reported the incident to the police.

The Association of Journalists of Kosovo, AJK condemned the incident, saying that “any attack against journalists is an attack on free speech and democracy”.

“The AJK is concerned about the threats toward its Kallxo.com colleagues and calls on the police to address the case as a priority,” it said.

“We condemn any form of threats against journalists, camera operators and media workers and call on the relevant institutions to secure justice for all threats and attacks on media,” it added.

BIRN Kosovo Holds Fact-Checking Journalism Course

BIRN Kosovo held a one-day training course on fact-checking journalism for young and mid-career journalists in Pristina on February 26, 2024.

The course addressed the importance of fact-checking in daily reporting, reporting on inter-ethnic issues, propaganda, misinformation and the handling of disinformation and fake news on social media.

A total of 13 journalists, 11 of them women, gathered for the training course which started with a keynote speech from BIRN project manager Arita Suhodolli.

The first part of the training was delivered by Kreshnik Gashi, managing editor at KALLXO.com, who used illustrations to explain how information can be altered while spreading across different media.

Gashi also presented the findings from BIRN’s report ‘The Story of Our Lies’, about the influence of China and Russia on disinformation in Kosovo. He discussed with participants the difference between disinformation, fake news, deep fakes and other forms of fake news production.

Gashi closed his part of the course with some practical work on analysing articles by using fact-checking techniques to improve the participants’ critical thinking and taught them various techniques for verifying news.

Dorentina Kastrati, an editor at BIRN, spoke about local initiatives addressing disinformation and misinformation. She started her lecture by presenting BIRN Kosovo’s initiative to create the Coalition Against Disinformation. She also emphasised the importance of inter-ethnic groups of journalists engaging in fact-checking and ended her lecture with a summary of how to write fact-checking activity proposals.

The training concluded with a lecture on handling disinformation and fake news on social media networks by the another guest speaker, Faik Ispahiu, the executive director of Internews Kosova.

Ispahiu talked about how KALLXO.com’s Krypometer (Truth-o-meter) become the first fact-checking tool in Kosovo to be granted a licence by the International Fact-Checking Network. He also explained the mechanisms Facebook and other social media companies use for fact-checking news.

The training course was supported by the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, UNMIK.

Call for Applications: BIRN Kosovo Training on Fact-Checking Journalism for Young Journalists

In multi-ethnic, post-conflict societies, misinformation has the potential to adversely impact conditions for sustained peace and coexistence among communities and create political strife.

Moreover, in a digital and social media age, and with the steep rise of online news portals in Kosovo, rumors and manipulated fake news can have heightened operational consequences for credible media outlets and journalists in Kosovo.

Media outlets lack the necessary capacities (resources and skillsets) to report on issues and uphold professional fact-checking standards, whereas consumers are not well-equipped to identify spurious news stories and debunk them.

Such false news items are frequently on topics related to members of non-majority communities, which in turn perpetuates discrimination, and reinvigorates fear and insecurity amongst readers. These news items are easily spread across most online media given current social media algorithms reward polarizing and extreme content.

To address these challenges and create more credible and professional future generations of journalists in Kosovo, on February 26, 2024, BIRN will organize a one-day training module with journalists and journalism students on fact-checking standards, methodologies, and tools.

The one-day training module will bring together 20 young and mid-career journalists as well as students of journalism from different communities, who will have the opportunity to acquire knowledge and hands-on skills on how to report on fact-checking methodology and tools.

The training module will be delivered by BIRN’s team of award-winning journalists and editors, who have extensive experience in investigating, reporting on, and advocating for fact-checked journalism.

Who can apply?

Students of journalism, young and mid-career journalists across different regions in Kosovo, who are interested in learning more about reporting based on fact-checking methodologies are eligible to apply for this call.

Applicants from marginalized communities in Kosovo, including members of minority ethnic communities and women, that fulfill the above-mentioned criteria are encouraged to apply for this call.

To apply for the one-day training on fact-checking reporting click here.

Language:

Simultaneous translation in Albanian, Serbian, and English will be provided.

Location:

The training will take place in Prishtina, Kosovo. Details regarding the specific location and agenda will only be provided to selected participants.

Deadline for application: February 5, 2024

Date of the training course: February 26, 2024

*This training activity is supported by the UNMIK.

BIRN Kosovo publishes report on justice system’s handling of terrorism and corruption cases in 2023

BIRN Kosovo published the report titled “The Justice System’s Handling Cases with Terrorism and Corruption Charges in 2023”, which is based on the monitoring of the justice system and presents a detailed analysis of how cases of terrorism and corruption are handled by the justice system in Kosovo during 2023.

BIRN monitored 7 terrorism cases and 16 corruption cases that remain active in 2023, which are handled by the Special Department of Basic Court in Prishtina, and also gathered data from public documents on cases of terrorism and corruption.

This report highlights the lenient sentencing policy and non-involvement of all institutions as the main weaknesses of the system, especially in corruption cases. It also reveals the courts’ serious issues with the delays in handling cases, by showing data from prolonged cases handled by the Special Department of the Basic Court in Prishtina and the Special Department of the Court of Appeals in 2023.

As per the terrorism cases, data from this report shows that the justice system had a quicker approach to dealing with such cases. However, considerable delays are also observed between the time when the crime is alleged to have been committed and the time when the indictment is filed and when the trials are held. As for punishments, this report finds the sentencing policy inadequate. Revealing that in 3 out of 7 monitored cases that have been issued a conviction, sentences appeared in the lowest threshold of the sentence envisaged.

The report also provides recommendations intended to be a useful aid to justice institutions to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Kosovo’s justice system and contribute to developing the necessary justice reforms.

The main recommendations of this report focus on the improvement of Prosecution from addressing the mistakes made in the application of investigative techniques, to considering the court’s findings when prosecutors failed to establish the intent of the accused in committing criminal offenses and ensuring prosecutors are provided with skills and updated knowledge to investigate violent extremism and terrorism cases.

Other recommendations include the further strengthening of KJK and KPK collaboration with international organizations, civil society, and other relevant institutions, as well as the media, with the common goal of strengthening the efforts against corruption and increasing the public’s trust in the justice system.

Click here for the report on Albanian and English.

This activity is implemented as part of the “Media as a means to improve the transparency of the justice system and the fight against terrorism and extremism” project, supported by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation through the Italian embassy in Prishtina.

BIRN Kosovo publishes report on the procedures of release of individuals convicted of terrorism

On December 28, 2023 BIRN Kosovo has published a report titled “Conditional Release and Supervision of Persons Convicted of Terrorism” based on its direct monitoring of the advantages and disadvantages of the management of the process of the release of individuals convicted of terrorism.

Kosovo ranks among the countries with the highest number of foreign fighters per capita who have joined the terrorist organization ISIS in the war in Syria and Iraq.

Kosovo also is one of the first countries to accept the repatriation of its citizens who had sided with terrorist organizations in conflict zones. In 2015, Kosovo adopted a specific law to prevent its citizens from participating in foreign conflicts. The justice system responded quickly to the issue, swiftly prosecuting, investigating, and adjudicating individuals involved in terrorist acts.

The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) has analyzed the conditional release process of individuals convicted of criminal acts related to terrorism. BIRN selected a random sample for analysis, comprising of five cases handled between 2015 and 2020 by the Conditional Release Panel.

Based on the methodology, the analysis focused on five cases of individuals conditionally released, convicted of committing criminal acts related to terrorism, including terrorism with religious motives and other forms of terrorism.

In its analysis, BIRN looked into the conditional release procedure of individuals convicted of terrorism from the initial report of the Correctional Service, the Conditional Release Panel’s decision, to the final report of the Probation Service after the supervision period was concluded.

For the compilation of this report, BIRN utilized the archives of the Probation Service of Kosovo and the Conditional Release Panel.

Data analysis on the processes carried out for conditional release encompassed the entire chain of institutions, including the submission of requests for conditional release, to the compilation of the case file by the Correctional Service, processing of the file, decision-making by the Conditional Release Panel, and the supervision process and the drafting of the final report on the supervision process by the Probation Service of Kosovo.

The report also includes individual summary analyses of all analyzed cases, chronologically detailing the key moments in the handling of each case.

At the end of the report, BIRN included recommendations to justice institutions, such as the Ministry of Justice, the Conditional Release Panel, Probation Service, courts, etc.

Click here for the report on Albanian and English.

This activity is implemented as part of the “Media as a means to improve the transparency of the justice system and the fight against terrorism and extremism” project, supported by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation through the Italian embassy in Prishtina.

BIRN Publishes 2023 Report on Handling of Workers’ Rights Cases in Kosovo

On December 14, BIRN held a conference in Kosovo to launch a report, “Victims of Injustice”, which covers the performance of institutions such as the judiciary and the Labour Inspectorate in handling workers’ rights in Kosovo.

The report is drawn from direct monitoring of workplace accidents and an analysis of records archived in both the Labour Inspectorate and the Kosovo courts.

The findings reveal that the authorities and the judiciary have made little progress in addressing issues related to labour rights, especially related to safety at work regulations, while fatal accidents in the country continue to increase.

Between 2021 and 2023, a total of 33 workers died from 763 accidents at work. The statistics for the first half of 2023 alone reveal nine workplace fatalities, indicating an increase in worker fatalities as a result of workplace accidents.

The conference started with speaker notes from Jeta Xharra, Executive Director at BIRN Kosovo, and Johannes Madsen, Head of Cooperation at the EU in Kosovo.

Madsen said that “the protection of labour rights is not an option, it is a commitment to the principles that define a just and humane society”.

The findings of the report were presented by Kreshnik Gashi, Managing Editor at KALLXO.com and Jetlira Buzhala, a monitor and researcher at BIRN. Afterwards, the report was also discussed by a panel, including different actors from public institutions and civil society.

The panel included: Hekuran Nikçi, Chief of the Labor Inspectorate, Eros Gashi, Advisor at Ministry of Justice, Adnan Konushevci, Head of the Civil Department at the Basic Court of Prishtina, Fahret Vellija, Member of the Kosovo Judicial Council and Arif Kadriu, Project Manager at Solidar Suisse.

A total of 51 participants took part in the conference, 19 of whom were women.

The report was published under the “Protection and Promotion of the Labour Rights of Vulnerable Groups in the Labour Market” Project, financed by the European Union Office in Kosovo.

This aims to improve the working conditions for vulnerable categories of workers in Kosovo, especially within the private sector, including health and safety in the workplace for women and men, through the promotion of social dialogue between workers and duty bearers.

The overall report can be found at these links:

Report in English language

Report in Albanian language

Report in Serbian language