Balkan Investigative Reporting Network
Emirjeta Vllahiu joined the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network in July 2018. She was initially engaged as an intern and currently is a junior journalist at KALLXO.com.
She graduated with a degree in Journalism from the University of Pristina, and is now completing a Master of Journalism and Public Relations at the same university. Before joining BIRN, Emirjeta worked as a journalist at the online media organisation AktivPress.
She covers mainly political developments in the country, research on social topics, and daily news.
Emirjeta was awarded the “Annual Child Protection Award 2018” by the Coalition of NGOs for Child Protection (KOMF).
BIRN Kosovo’s Friday Forums, organised each month since 2015, are events to which public officials and diplomats are invited to have an open, off-the-record conversations with all BIRN’s staff based in municipalities across Kosovo.
Past attendees have included senior officials from Kosovo and international diplomats.
“The point of these briefings is that our staff gets to pose better informed questions when they are covering a topic, and by meeting a lot of officials and diplomats in an off-the-record setting, they will know more about the topic, than from what they are likely to get from formal declarations,” said BIRN Kosovo’s director, Jeta Xharra.
Friday Forums are organised under Chatham House rules – the format used by Britain’s Royal Institute of International Affairs, with the aim of encouraging openness of discussion and facilitating the sharing of information. The format is now used throughout the world as an aid to free discussion of sensitive issues.
On February 1, Rozafa Ukimeraj, secretary of the Ministry of Local Governance, was BIRN Kosovo’s guest, along with Per Strand Sjaastad, the Norwegian ambassador to Kosovo.
Before that, at the end of October 2018, Rashit Qalaj, the director of the Kosovo Police, took part in a fruitful discussion with journalists just a few months after taking office.
On those Fridays when there are no guests, BIRN staff discuss relevant issues.
Friday Forums have in the past hosted: Natalya Apostolova and Samuel Zbogar, heads of the EU office in Kosovo; Christian Heldt and Angelica Viets, German ambassadors to Kosovo; Tracey Jacobson and Greg Delawie, US ambassadors to Kosovo, and Ruairi O’Connell, the UK Ambassador.
They have also hosted: Valdet Gashi, former Kosovo liaison officer to Serbia; Besim Kelmendi, former special prosecutor; Piero Cristoforo Sardi, the Italian Ambassador to Kosovo; Zoran Vodopija and Marija Kapitanovic, Croatian ambassadors to Kosovo; former President of Kosovo Atifete Jahjaga; head of Kosovo delegation, Avni Arifi, and the current President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, among others.
BIRN Kosovo, with the support of USAID, published a report on Thursday about procurement procedures in Kosovo’s municipalities from October 2017 to October 2018.
The publication analyses procurement procedures involving key actors from Kosovo institutions including government officials, Kosovo Assembly members and non-governmental organisations.
BIRN discovered that only a limited number of complaints about procurements were resolved in favour of businesses that appealed, with most decisions going in favour of the municipalities. Municipalities did not change their decisions despite demands from businesses to review their decisions, the report found.
Of a total of 272 demands for review, only 15 per cent of the complaints were decided in favour of economic operators – 41 in total – while 85 per cent, or 231 of the reviewed complaints, were decided in favour of the contracting authorities.
Kreshnik Gashi, the managing editor of BIRN Kosovo, said that BIRN has been working for several years to identify problems with public procurement procedures.
“We have monitored what we call the ‘holes in procurement’ which steal from the state’s budget. We have identified many of them and fortunately many of these gaps have been filled,” Gashi said.
The proper functioning of electronic procurement implementation and the publication of related contracts were among the positive developments recorded in 2018, which have helped to increase transparency in institutional procurement procedures.
Christina Davies, the director of USAID for Democracy and Governance, said that Kosovo has tried to improve the situation, but challenges remain.
“Kosovo has made efforts to increase transparency. However, corruption remains an obstacle for the future,” Davies said.
With the new report, BIRN Kosovo concluded its project on procurement and violations in procurement which was supported by USAID.
The International Fact-Checking Network, IFCN, has granted BIRN’s Krypometer an extended license to operate after a careful assessment of the work of this product.
In a published announcement, it said that following careful evaluation of the specific criteria, the Krypometer, a product of Kallxo.com, is an exclusively fact-checking initiative that operates within a legally registered organisation.
Its quality was based on an assessment of published stories from September, October and November of the previous year.
“The general conclusion is that the reporting seems to be in line with the principles of fairness, political impartiality and factuality,” the IFCN announcement said.
“Public information about the organisation, its employees and financial resources is accessible. The fact-checking methodology is explained, corrections are highlighted where such interventions are made in the text,” the announcement added.
Faik Ispahiu, director of Internews Kosova, called it an “internationally credible assessment of the work and the way of reporting” at Kallxo.com.
“Certification by the IFCN and public confidence makes us proud and strengthens our confidence that Kosovo can be a state of true values and achievements,” he added.
Jeta Xharra, director of BIRN Kosovo, recalled the hard work done to receive this positive assessment from the IFCN.
“IFCN has a system where it is not enough to be good only at the beginning (in 2018, when we were accredited for the first time); in fact, they have assessed our fact-checking methodology in a continuous manner,” Xharra said.
“I and my colleagues need to make sure we reach the proper level each year because we are the subject of a yearly audit from this international mechanism,” she added.
Krypometer’s goal is to reflect on the credibility of public statements from political figures on issues of major importance, be they local, central or international.
Krypometer does not focus only on the political accusations and counter-accusations commonly used during election campaigns.
It aims also to explain more complex matters, provide the context or history of statements and present a data analysis, as well as an explanation of how politicians, diplomats and others phrase and formulate their opinions, so as to distort or shadow the truth.
Kallxo.com and the TV show Jeta ne Kosove are part of the IFCN of the US-based Poynter Institute, which is a media organisation that is dedicated to promoting excellence in fact-checking.
Tools to impartially and transparently verify facts are seen as powerful for accountable journalism. BIRN Kosovo and Internews Kosova are signatories to this code of principles, which was announced on September 15, 2016.
The Kosovo Judicial Council, KJC, has issued a decision regulating access by parties to courts, which prohibits lawyers from approaching judges without prior arrangement and without the other parties being present and has sent a letter demanding equal measures for prosecutors to be implemented as well.
Lawyers have deemed this decision controversial and illegal, however, and have responded by boycotting their work in the courts, which is causing unnecessary and dangerous delays in trials.
On January 10, 2019, BIRN Kosovo and Internews Kosova, IKS sent a letter of support to the KJC, showing support for the decision and demanding equal treatment of parties in court procedures. BIRN Kosovo and IKS asked the KJC to apply the same procedure for prosecutors as well.
The letter reminds the KJC that BIRN and IKS, over 13 years of monitoring the justice system, have repeatedly called for equal treatment of prosecutors and lawyers so that the courts enjoy more credibility among citizens.
They deplore the practice of prosecutors meeting individually with judges just before hearings start, having coffee together before trials, or entering the court hearing together, as a bad practice that is likely to undermine the faith of both the parties and the public.
BIRN and IKS also urged the KJC not to allow this decision to be used by individuals against court monitors and the media in a way that would endanger the transparency of court procedures, and question the objectivity and impartiality of the court.
BIRN and IKS also requested the KJC to continue with the swift implementation of the decision, and ensure the proper and normal functioning of the courts.
Three journalistic pieces produced by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN, were awarded with prizes in a competition by the NGO Coalition for the Protection of Children, KOMF.
In cooperation with the Forum ZFD and the Center for the Education of Kosovo, through EIDHR projects financed by the EU and managed by the EU Office in Kosovo, KOMF held the annual award ceremony for journalistic reporting on the rights of children in Kosovo.
Donjeta Kelmendi, director of KOMF, said that the media and journalists have always supported her organisation.
“Without support from the media, we would not have had the results we achieved as a coalition so far. This year, there was a lot of competition, like in previous years. We expect that 2019 will have even greater collaborations than previous years,” she said.
Libor Chlad, the Deputy Head of Cooperation at the EU Office in Kosovo, said that it is an honor for him to be present at the prize-giving ceremony.
“The EU has been the main donor in Kosovo to advance some sectors in the past years. We are in favor of improving the quality of life here in the future. We need to support children. We concluded that security is paramount, but also their smiles. It is not easy to include all of these. It is important for journalists to write about the issues that children face,” he said.
KALLXO.com journalist Emirjeta Vllahiu was awarded with a prize for the article titled “The 10 euro bonus does not cover essential expenses for raising children,” on the resolution approved by the Kosovo assembly to give 10 euros monthly for children under 16 years of age.
Another KALLXO.com article awarded in the competition was written by a group of authors – Agnesa Citaku, Ertan Galushi, Mergim Rudari, Fatjona Mani, Valon Fana – titled “Between the desire and inability to get an education,” a project supported by the Office of the EU Special Representative in Kosovo, implemented by BIRN, increasing the cooperation between journalists and all communities in Kosovo. The article is dedicated to the issues that Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian children face regarding access to education.
The TV story called “Punishment” by RTK journalist Festim Kabashi was also awarded; it was a project supported by the EU Office in Kosovo and implemented by BIRN. The documentary shows the violence that children face within the families in Kosovo.
Other awarded stories were “Child mother” by RTK journalist Kaltrina Rexhepi, as well as the article titled “The dangerous mountain road towards education” by Koha Ditore journalist Edona Kutleshi.
Democracy Plus (D+) and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network Kosovo held a round table in Pristina on December 18 entitled ‘Legal challenges on protecting integrity and combating conflict of interest in the Tax Administration of Kosovo (TAK)’.
The aim was to discuss the findings from an analysis of legislation which regulates integrity and conflict of interest at TAK. Present at the round table were representatives of TAK, the government of Kosovo, and civil society.
Isuf Zejna, manager of the rule-of-law programme at D+, and Kreshnik Gashi, editor at BIRN’s Kallxo.com site, presented the findings of the analysis.
Arsim Syla, Office Manager for Professional Standards at TAK, discussed the legislation and the current draft law for public officials with the other panelists, Shqipe Pantina from the Kosovo parliament, and Dr. Bedri Peci, professor of tax and budget rights. Peci said that “legislation should be prepared by people who have experience in legislation, and not by tax officials”.
Following the panel discussion, Shqipe Shoshi Dermaku, Human Resources Manager at TAK, joined an open discussion, pointing out that the internal procedures and status of TAK are crucial to the legislation.
Feedback and suggestions from the discussion will be used to finalise a needs assessment analysis for TAK compiled by Democracy Plus and BIRN Kosovo.
This debate was organised within the framework of the project ‘Support civil society to increase public oversight and accountability of Kosovo public institutions’, funded by the British Embassy in Pristina.
GIZ, BIRN Kosovo and other non-governmental organisations took part in an event organised by the Ombudsperson to mark International Human Rights Day under the slogan “Stand up for human rights”.
Participants in the International Human Rights Day event, including representatives of marginalised groups and human rights advocates, made speeches at the National Theatre of Kosovo in Pristina on Monday.
Following the speeches, they marched from Skenderbeu Square to Zahir Pajaziti Square, supported by various NGOs that deal with women’s rights, children, retirees, minorities and LGBT issues.
BIRN Kosovo produced seven video clips in Albanian and Serbian aimed at raising awareness of the situation of children, youth, women, Roma Ashkali and Egyptian communities, the LGBTI community, people with disabilities and senior citizens in Kosovo.
The clips were played at the event organised by the Ombudsperson, posted on BIRN Kosovo’s KALLXO.com site and broadcast on Public Radio Television of Kosovo.
December 10 is marked around the world as International Human Rights Day, commemorating the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that was adopted at the UN General Assembly on December 10, 1948.
Call for Proposals for the EU Funded Project.
“Contribute to strengthening independent, investigative and publicly beneficial journalism and freedom of expression in Kosovo”
Deadline for applying December 28, 2018 at 4 PM.
BIRN and AJK have teamed up once again to implement the EU-funded project entitled “Contribute to strengthening independent, investigative and publicly beneficial journalism and freedom of expression in Kosovo”. One of the project’s components is the Call for Proposals aimed at providing opportunities for local NGOs/CSOs, including journalists, who operate and work in Kosovo, tackling issues related to media and freedom of expression in their respective communities. The scheme seeks to develop independent, investigative, impartial, unbiased, publicly beneficial journalism and equip the beneficiaries with the required skills and resources to implement creative, investigative, legally sound and publicly beneficial journalism.
This Call for Proposals contains two lots:
LOT I: Supporting the production of new content through investigative reporting and/or in-depth analysis on good governance, human rights, environment, sustainable development, competitiveness and investment climate, employment, public procurement, safety and security, energy efficiency, culture, dealing with the past;
LOT II: Supporting the improvement of the legal framework on the transparency of media ownership, copyright, whistleblowing, defamation, and fostering the expansion of membership in and cooperation between associations of Albanian and Serbian journalists.
The applications MUST be sent by e-mail to [email protected] by December 28, 2018, at 16:00.
All applications must be prepared and submitted in either Albanian, Serbian, or English language.
Information sessions will be held on December 17, 2018 at the EU Information and Cultural Centre in Pristina and on December 18, 2018 at the EU Information and Cultural Centre in the North Mitrovica.
Questions regarding the propositions of the Call for Proposals can be sent in either English, Albanian or Serbian language by e-mail before December 19, 2018 to the e-mail: [email protected].
Thirrje për Propozime për Projekt të Financuar nga BE
“Kontribut në forcimin e gazetarisë së pavarur, hulumtuese dhe të dobishme për publikun, si dhe në lirinë e shprehjes në Kosovë”
Afati i fundit për aplikim 28.12.2018, në ora 16.00
BIRN dhe AGK janë bashkuar përsëri për të zbatuar projektin e financuar nga BE me titull “Kontribut në forcimin e gazetarisë së pavarur, hulumtuese dhe të dobishme për publikun, si dhe në lirinë e shprehjes në Kosovë”. Një nga komponentët e projektit është kjo Thirrje për Propozime me qëllim të ofrimit të mundësive për OJQ/OSHC-të lokale duke përfshirë këtu gazetarët që veprojnë dhe punojnë në Kosovë për trajtimin e çështjeve që kanë të bëjnë me lirinë e medias dhe lirinë e shprehjes. Skema e ofruar synon të zhvillojë gazetari të pavarur, hulumtuese, të paanshme, joparagjykuese, dhe në të mirë të publikut, dhe t’i pajisë përfituesit me shkathtësitë dhe burimet e nevojshme për të ndërtuar një gazetari krijuese, hulumtuese ligjore dhe në të mirë publike.
Kjo Thirrje për Propozime përmban dy llote:
LLOTI I: Mbështetja e implementimit të përmbajtjes së re përmes raportimit hulumtues dhe/ose analizave të thella mbi qeverisjen e mirë, të drejtat e njeriut, mjedisin, zhvillimin e qëndrueshëm, konkurrencën në fushën e investimit, punësimin, prokurimin publik, sigurinë, efikasitetin energjetik, kulturën, dhe ballafaqimin me të kaluarën.
LLOTI II: Mbështetja e përmirësimit të transparencës në kuadrin ligjor, të drejtës së autorit, kallxuesve, shpifjes, dhe nxitjes së zgjerimit të anëtarësisë dhe bashkëpunimit mes shoqatave të gazetarëve shqiptarë me ata serbë.
Aplikacionet DUHET të dërgohen me postë elektronike në adresën [email protected] deri më 28.12.2018, ora 16:00.
Të gjitha aplikacionet duhet të përgatiten dhe dorëzohen në shqip, serbisht ose anglisht.
Seancat informuese do të mbahen më 17 dhjetor 2018 në ora 10:00 në Qendrën Informative dhe Kulturore të BE-së në Prishtinë dhe më 18 dhjetor 2018 në ora 10:00 në Qendrën Informative dhe Kulturore në Mitrovicën e Veriut.
Pyetjet në lidhje me propozimet e Thirrjes për Propozime mund të dërgohen në anglisht, shqip ose serbisht përmes postës elektronike deri më 19 dhjetor 2018 në adresën: [email protected].
Poziv za predloge za projekat koji finansira EU
“Doprinos jačanju nezavisnog, istraživačkog i novinarstva od javnog značaja i slobodi izražavanja na Kosovu”
Rok za podnošenje prijava: 28. decembar 2018. u 16.00 časova.
BIRN i UNK su udružili snage u sprovođenju projekta koji finansira EU “Doprinos jačanju nezavisnog, istraživačkog i novinarstva od javnog značaja i slobode izražavanja na Kosovu”. Poziv za predloge je jedna od komponenti projekta koja ima za cilj pružanje prilika nevladinim/organizacijama civilnog društva, uključujući i novinare koji žive i rade na Kosovu i bave se pitanjima slobode medija i slobode izražavanja u svojim zajednicama. Navedena grant šema pokušava da razvije ne samo nezavisno, istraživačko, objektivno i novinarstvo od javnog značaja na Kosovu, nego i da korisnicima pruži odgovarajuće veštine i resurse za prevazilaženje protokolarnog novinarstva i mogućnost bavljenja kreativnim, istraživačkim, tačnim i novinarstvom od javnog značaja.
Ovaj Poziv sadrži dva lota:
LOT I: Podrška produkciji novih sadržaja kroz istraživačko izveštavanje i/ili detaljne analize o dobrom upravljanju, ljudskim pravima, životnoj sredini, održivom razvoju, konkurentnosti i investicionoj klimi, zapošljavanju, javnim nabavkama, sigurnosti i bezbednosti, energetskoj efikasnosti, kulturi, suočavanju s prošlošću;
LOT II: Podrška unapređenju pravnog okvira o transparentnosti medijskog vlasništva, autorskih prava, uzbunjivanja, klevete i podsticanja širenja članstva i saradnje između udruženja albanskih i srpskih novinara.
Prijave se MORAJU poslati e-mailom na [email protected] do 28.12.2018. u 16.00 časova.
Sve prijave moraju da budu popunjene na albanskom, srpskom ili engleskom jeziku.
Informativne sesije će biti održane 17. decembra 2018. u Informativno-kulturnom centru EU u Prištini i 18. decembra 2018. u Informativno-kulturnom centru EU u Severnoj Mitrovici.
Pitanja u vezi sa „Pozivom za predloge“ se mogu poslati na engleskom, albanskom ili srpskom jeziku e-mailom do 19. decembra 2018. na e-mail: [email protected].
A roundtable discussion entitled ‘Equality on Paper’ was held by BIRN Kosovo at the ORION Conference Center in Pristina on December 4 to mark 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, an international campaign to challenge violence against women and girls.
The roundtable aimed to discuss the findings of BIRN Kosovo on the legal framework for property registration by state officials in Kosovo, findings on the representation of women in politics, law adaptation processes in the Kosovo Assembly with regards to laws that have an impact on women’s rights to property, and findings on specific cases of women seeking employment.
Key speakers at the discussion included Nehat Idrizi, chairman of the Kosovo Judicial Council, Hasan Shala, president of the Court of Appeals, Rozafa Ukimera, general secretary of the Ministry for Local Government Administration, and Leonora Selmani, head of the Division for Legislation, Agency for Gender Equality.
Idrizi claimed that based on various analyses and studies, it is apparent that women face many challenges in the process of acquiring their rights. He said this was a result of people’s mentality and social traditions.
Idrizi said that the length of judicial procedures was another factor that causes women difficulties.
Shala suggested an increase in the number of judges and other professional associates in order to increase efficiency, arguing that there is a lack of judges compared to a large number of cases.
“It is impossible for only five judges to complete these cases, since the number of cases is extremely big compared to the number of judges,” said Shala.
Labinot Leboshtica from the legal team of BIRN Kosovo pointed out that only 16 per cent of women have property registered in their names.
Blerta Iberdemaj from the legal team of BIRN Kosovo raised concerns about the fact that only four mayors of Kosovo municipalities have registered their property in the name of both spouses.
Iberdemaj also stated that less than 20 per cent of directorates in municipalities are led by women. The percentage shows that municipalities are not respecting the Law on Gender Equality, she added.
Leonora Selmani asked the municipalities to ensure a permanent budget so that offices for gender equality have enough financial resources to cover their activities.
Rozafa Ukeimeraj claimed that some progress has been made. She stated that in 2018, the number of women selected as the heads of municipality directorates increased by 8.54 per cent.
