Kosovo Archives - Page 57 of 95

Drug Trafficking in Kosovo – part 2

On November 22th, Justice in Kosovo broadcast the second part of a story Kosovo drug trafficking.

The second program is mainly about domestic drug users and the amount of drugs consumed in Kosovo and also the destruction of drugs.

Based on the analysis of the Kosovo Police, there are around 3,000 heroin users in Kosovo. 75 percent of people that use heroin did not start using it in Kosovo; they started consuming heroin while they were living abroad, police said. The number of cocaine, marijuana, and other drug users is increasing and is becoming problematic.

It is estimated that a heroin addict uses 1 gram of heroin per day and 365 grams per year total. When the amount of 365 kilograms is multiplied with the number of consumers (3,000) it is estimated that approximately 1,000 kg of heroin is consumed in Kosovo per year. 1,000 kilograms of heroin is equal to 16 million euros.

Prishtina is the city where the most drugs are consumed. The proof of drug consumption in Prishtina is the amount of remaining drugs left in the abandoned houses in Prishtina.

Justice in Kosovo together with the Kosovo Police recorded many abandoned houses. Almost all of them were full of needles and syringes.

During the program, the police stopped random cars in order to see if they were carrying drugs. The cars stopped by the police, mainly driven by young men, possessed marijuana.
As soon as the drivers saw the police, they tried to hide their drugs.

Finally, according to the Kosovo Police, drugs are also consumed and hidden in the school yards. Police say that consuming drugs near schools is very dangerous because kids sometimes play with the needles and the syringes left by drug users.

International Drug Trafficking in Kosovo 1

On November 17, 2013, Justice in Kosovo broadcast a program on international drug trafficking in Kosovo. This clip was recorded in cooperation with the Kosovo Police anti-drugs unit.

The program shows exclusive footage on how the police has destroyed the trafficking networks of heroin, cocaine, and marihuana, which are thought to have brought approximately 300 kilograms of drugs into the country.

Kosovo is a transit stop for many drugs on their way to EU countries. Justice in Kosovo team has cooperated with the Kosovo Police for nine months in order to see the activities of the Kosovo Police anti-drug unit.

Kosovo Police data shows that the heroin trafficking starts in Afghanistan, then continues through Turkey and Kosovo and ends up in EU countries. Marijuana is brought from Albania to Kosovo and then continues on to EU countries.
The analysis of the Kosovo Police shows that a portion of drugs remains in Kosovo and it is consumed by domestic (Kosovo) drug users.

During the first six months of the cooperation with Justice in Kosovo, Kosovo Police confiscated 15 kg of heroin, 295 kg of marijuana, 3.5 kg of cocaine, 264 cannabis plants, 26 kg of ecstasy, and 34 grams of other drugs.

In addition, there is an exclusive footage of high-risk police operations conducted while confiscating 120 kilograms of marijuana in Peja, seven kilograms of heroin in the village Shkabaj, 12 kilograms of marijuana in Gjakova, and five kilograms of heroin in Ferizaj.

One of the most important operations was during September 2013 when Kosovo Police confiscated approximately 7 kilograms of heroin.

According to police information, the heroin came from Turkey to the village Shkabaj, near Prishtina. The drug was mixed with other drugs and packaged in the village Shkabaj.
The drug dealers were headed to Albania, but Kosovo Police stopped them near Prishtina. The drugs and the vehicles were confiscated immediately.

There were many operations similar to this one. During the clip, the audience had the chance to see many of the places where drugs are consumed.
Moreover, the program explored the ways of hiding narcotics and the international connections of the trafficking networks that operate in Kosovo.

Interview with Head of Prosecution Sevdije Morina

On June 27, 2014, Justice in Kosovo aired an interview with head of Prosecution Sevdije Morina.

From the beginning of June, the Special Prosecution in Kosovo will be directed by local prosecutors under an almost identical organization.

The special prosecution will continue to have prosecutors from EULEX for at least the next two years.

They will continue to follow and investigate the cases already submitted.

The special prosecution deals with the most difficult cases. With a team of only 12 prosecutors, it is not possible to handle such a caseload over a long period of time.

The 14 departing international prosecutors should be replaced with local personnel in order to retain the same number of prosecutors.

Head prosecutor Sevdije Morina said there are five prosecutors with experience that are ready to work on sensitive cases such as war crimes.

Prosecutors sare are investigating 17 war crime cases, Morina said.

The greatest difficulty faced on these cases is that a long time has passed and they are consequently harder to investigate, Morina said.

War criminals should have been prosecuted immediately after the war and international prosecutors should have taken official evidence. Unfortunately, most of the evidence was taken informally and witnesses are leaving the area in increasing numbers, Morina said.

Of almost equal importance is the task force unit of investigators specialized in sensitive cases of corruption. In this Special Prosecution, there are seven prosecutors, Morina said.”

“We have received many requests from the Basic Court to bring cases and are currently examining which fall under our jurisdiction according to law.

Additionally, we are currently working on 11 terrorism cases,” Morina said.

None of the local prosecutors are working any of the political murder cases but they are investigating narcotic trafficking, collaborating with foreign states such as Germany, Albania, etc.

Working conditions are relatively good for the prosecutors but they require more office space. There is no evidence of any safety concerns and only one prosecutor has requested protection because of his work on the war crime cases , Morina said.

Fired Police 0fficers

On November 10, 2013, Justice in Kosovo discussed the case of police officers that were fired in Mitrovica.

Six Kosovo police officers in Mitrovica were accuse of misusing authority and taking bribes. 3 of them were fired even though they were found not guilty. The Internal Disciplinary Commission of Kosovo Police decided to fire them in June 2013 after two years of judicial process. Sergeant Naser Damati and police officers Kemajl Hoti and Halit Fazliu said they will sue their former employer.

Halit Fazliu was one of the six Kosovo Police officials that were accused by the basic prosecution in Mitrovica of misuse of authority and taking bribes. The other accused were Naser Damati, Avni Shyti, Nazmi Potërçoi, Besim Smajli, and Kemajl Hoti.

After the investigations were finished and after a judicial process of two years, the Basic Court of Mitrovica, led by the EULEX judges, announced the verdict on the February 15, 2013. Two of the police officials were found guilty and the rest were found not guilty and were immediately released.

Avni Shyti was sentenced to five months of probation, whereas his colleague Nazmi Potercoi was sentenced to 15 months in prison, also will be put on probation.
The same court found the other four officers not guilty. During the judicial process they were suspended from work and after they were found not guilty, they returned to their position as officials in Kosovo Police.

But Naser Damati, Kemajl Hoti, and Halit Fazliu were fired on July 24 after five months of work.
At that time when Damati was being accused, he received recognition for outstanding work against contraband and for good team management. Damati and his colleagues’ innocence was also confirmed by the European Mission.

“Naser Damati, Halit Fazliu, and Kemajl Hoti were found not guilty. We have no information about why they were fired from their workplace, but for us they are innocent,” said the spokesperson of EULEX, Blerim Krasniqi.

The three fired Kosovo Police officials submitted a complaint to the Kosovo Police General Director’s office, but say that they haven’t received any answer. They doubt that the Kosovo Police General Director will take their complaint into consideration.

Lawyer Behar Ejupi, who is preparing a charge against Kosovo Police for his client sergeant Damti, said that there was a breach in the decision made by the Disciplinary Commission. He explained for Justice in Kosovo that the investigator of the commission for the case, Damati, should have interviewed all the case witnesses. The Disciplinary Commission did not interview any of the witnesses; they just took the witnesses’ declarations from Kosovo Police.

Albanian Press Praises BIRN Expose on Corruption

An investigation by BIRN Editor Lawrence Marzouk and local journalists in Albania and Serbia has received widespread republications and praise in the Albanian press and broadcast media.

The investigation ‘Albanian Telecoms Deal Cost ‘$1m to Buy Off Politicians’, Claim US Businessmen,’ uncovers how controversial Bosnian businessman Damir Fazlic, a fixer with powerful friends in Washington DC and the Balkans, requested $1m in ‘investment’ from its US partners for Albania’s Democratic Party, in order to secure a lucrative telecoms contract.

The investigation is part of a series of hard-hitting stories on Fazlic reported in the last few months by Marzouk and his team, focusing on the businessman’s ties to former Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha and his family.

The last investigation received dozens of republications in the Albanian online, print and broadcast media and provided food for thought for local political commentators.

In an editorial in the daily Tema on October 23, publisher Mero Baze called for an official investigation by prosecutors based on the latest report published by BIRN.

“The prosecutors cannot turn a blind eye on the declarations made in a prestigious media by two American citizens,” Baze wrote.

“If the prosecutor’s office will not launch a probe…then it’s the prosecutor’s office that should be investigated,” he added.

The investigations on Fazlic are part of a project called “A Paper Trail to Better Governance”, financed by Austrian Development Agency to hone investigative journalism in the Balkans, hold officials to account and improve the implementation and use of freedom of information laws.

The stories published as part of the project have sparked political debate and led to calls for investigations of Albania’s former premier Sali Berisha and his family.

Reacting to a BIRN investigation which revealed how the inner circle around Berisha earned millions of euros from suspect land deals with Fazlic, Albanian Socialist MP Erjon Brace called on tax authorities to launch a probe.

“The tax and money-laundering authorities should verify the transactions of these oligarchs,” Brace wrote on his Facebook page.

“The new evidence is challenging and totally proves the allegations,” he said, referring to BIRN’s report.

BIRN Journalists Wins UNDP Award for Journalism Tackling Poverty

BIRN journalists Nektar Zogjani and Tinka Kurti were awarded the first prize for online investigative journalism about poverty by UNDP and the Journalists Association of Kosovo.

Their article “Misery of the Reconciliation Field Camp,” published in the portal Life in Kosovo, reflects the harsh life of the inhabitants of the“Pajtimi” neighborhood located on the outskirts of Prishtina.

Florent Zeqaj of Klan Kosovo won first prize in the TV category for his story “80 year old woman lives alone with her disabled son.” The second prize went to Merita Sekiraca from the TV program “I am Kosovo, too” on RTV 21.

In the category of printed media, the first prize went to Nexhat Toverlani from “Koha Ditore” with the article “The childhood this eleven-year-old is missing” and the second prize went to Saranda Ramaj also from Koha Ditore, with the article “45 former UCK soldiers committed suicide.”

For the best radio story the prize went to Ivan Miljkovic from “Radio 038 of Gracanica with the story “A tale about my mother.”

Xhemail Sllovinja from the newspaper Tribuna took first prize in the photography category.

This is the ninth year UNDP is giving out awards in Kosovo for journalism focused on poverty.

New Webpage Unmasks Balkans Energy Sector

Power Games, an unprecedented investigation into the murky world of energy deals in the Balkans, has been launched by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network.

BIRN formed a team of six journalists covering Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia in November 2013 to investigate key companies, players and state officials involved in this lucrative, secretive, and critical sector of the economy

The reporters have been working over the past year not only to unravel the intricate links between politics and business in the energy market, but also delve into its inner workings.

The bespoke webpage www.balkaninsight.com/en/page/power-games includes the latest investigations, news, blogs, as well as an interactive in-depth section on how the energy sector really works.

The hard-hitting series of stories already published as part of the Power Games project has generated widespread interest across the region.

The revelations have hit the front pages of Albania’s newspapers, have been aired by leading television stations and have led to calls for a tax investigation to be opened into the family of former prime minister Sali Berisha.

The investigation was also picked up in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Kosovo, where it was republished in more than 20 media outlets.

Power Games is part of a project called “A Paper Trail to Better Governance”, financed by Austrian Development Agency to hone investigative journalism in the Balkans, hold officials to account and improve the implementation and use of freedom of information laws.

Lawrence Marzouk, the project editor, said: “The bespoke website which we launch today not only provides a slick forum for our brilliant investigations into the energy sector, but also ensures readers can consult the core, source documents and get a panoramic view of how this critical industry works.

“In the next few months, we will be publishing a range of new material, including interviews, comments and some more groundbreaking investigations.”

BIRN Kosovo Awarded for Investigative Journalism

The German government organization GIZ awarded Gazeta Jeta në Kosovë for investigative journalism about education.

BIRN Kosovo journalists Merita Krasniqi and Njomza Salihu were awarded third prize in GIZ’s competition for investigative journalism on the education. The prize was administered jointly by the Kosovo Association of Journalists, who monitored the selection process.

The article, titled ”Influential People Win State Scholarships,” showed that thanks to a state agreement with “City College” in Greece, political advisers, relatives of public officials and the PDK deputy Fadil Demaku won scholarships. Krasniqi and Salihu won a 1,000 EURO prize for their story.

Una Hajdari won second prize with her article “Minority disordered educational system” published inthe daily newspaper “Zëri”.

The first prize was given to three journalists of the newspaper “Koha Ditore.” Besnik Krasniqi was awarded for the article “Dodger Professors of UP, Vehbi Kajtazi with “Muj Rugova employed Esat Belajn and Gazmend Maliqi” and Salie Gajtani with the article “Ministry of Education Science and Technology makes a project for text messages at the expense of parents.”

Prison Terms Bring Close to Kidnapping Case

Four men were sentenced to prison terms on September 18 for their role in a kidnapping of a woman in a case that BIRN Kosovo reported on even before Kosovo’s prosecutors did.

“Justice in Kosovo” broadcast two TV programmes on March 30 and April 6 about the kidnapping.

After the programmes were shown, the prosecution opened a case against Ilir Kuqishta, who was accused of kidnapping his ex-wife with three other men, who were accused of helping him.

On September 18, the Basic Court of Ferizaj sentenced the four men to prison terms for offenses including kidnapping, aiding in a kidnapping and illegal gun possession.

Kuqishta was sentenced to four years in prison for breaking into the home of his ex-wife and kidnapping her on November 22, 2013.

He was helped by Jakup Ramadani, Samet Arifi and Afrim Arifi., who were sentenced to four months in prison for helping Kuqishta.

Money Luring Kosovars to Fight in Syria and Iraq, Xharra Said

Money is a big driver in getting Kosovars to join Islamic militant groups such as an ISIS fighting in Syria and Iraq, Jeta Xharra, the director of BIRN Kosovo, told the Los Angeles Times recently.

“Much of this has nothing to do with ideology,” Xharra said in an September 9 article. “Rather, money. All authorities have to do to track ISIS’ foreign recruits is to follow the money trail.”

Xharra also analyzed the recent arrests of 40 people in Kosovo who were suspected of fighting in Syria with militant groups Islamic State and Al Nusra Front.

“More than half of them were released because they had no idea what they were getting into,” Xharra said. “Many new recruits do not know either. They are just replying to Internet ads that are pouring in from Turkey, promising money in exchange for a year of adventure, like a gap year after college.”

With widespread poverty and high unemployment, Xharra warned that more Muslims across the Balkans could be lured by Islamist militants.