Human Rights Watch: Weak Protection for Journalists in Kosovo
Human Rights Watch has highlighted smear campaigns and insufficient protection for journalists in its annual human rights report. In the media section, HRW references incidents recorded by the Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AGK), Kosovo’s ranking of 99th place in the Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index, and singles out an incident in which T7 journalist Genc Godanci was physically obstructed by the close protection unit of Prime Minister Albin Kurti.
Full media-related section of the report:
Media Freedom
Journalists continued to be subjected to threats and obstruction of their work. Between January and September, the Association of Journalists of Kosovo recorded 54 incidents against journalists, including one physical attack, one death threat, and 15 cases of harassment, hate speech, or smear campaigns, predominantly by political figures.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) ranked Kosovo 99th of 180 countries in its 2025 Press Freedom Index, down 24 places from the previous year, making it the lowest in the EU-Balkans area. RSF noted growing political interference, smear campaigns, restricted access to information, abusive regulation, and weak protections for journalists.
In February, Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s security detail physically obstructed T7 journalist Genc Godanci as he attempted to ask Kurti about the RSF Media Freedom Index.
