The broadcast by Klan Kosova constitutes a serious breach of journalistic ethics, a distortion of publicly available research, an act of defamation against NGO Aktiv, and a direct threat to the safety of civil society actors in Kosovo.
NGO Aktiv strongly condemns and categorically denies the inaccurate, malicious and irresponsible allegations aired by the programme Ora Shtatë on Klan Kosova Television on 4 September 2025. During the broadcast, journalist Kushtrim Bekoli made a series of baseless accusations against our organisation, which he described as “exclusive information”.
Bekoli referred to the research paper “Ethnisation of the Kosovo Police: Demolishing Ahtisaari’s Foundations of a Civic and Multiethnic Institution”, published jointly by five CSO organisations. This study was presented publicly in December 2024, accompanied by photographic and video evidence, documentary research, and an analysis of publicly available materials, including the Constitution of Kosovo, the Law on Police, and disciplinary regulations. The report was publicly shared with all media outlets in Kosovo through a press release. Any claim of “exclusivity” is therefore false. What Klan Kosova presented is a distortion, a misuse of our work, and deliberate disinformation.
Instead of reporting on this evidence-based and publicly available research, Bekoli falsely portrayed our work as an “attack on the police and the state of Kosovo”. He further alleged that the information was obtained illegally, despite the fact that all the material cited in the research was already in the public domain. Most egregiously, Bekoli claimed that NGO Aktiv engages in “spying” and represents a threat to Kosovo’s constitutional order.
Such libellous accusations constitute slander and were irresponsibly presented as established fact, thereby placing our organisation and other Kosovo Serb NGOs in potential danger, particularly given the highly sensitive and volatile socio-political environment in which we operate.
We strongly emphasise:
The photographs and materials cited in the programme are not “secret investigations”. They are publicly available sources, transparently included in the monitoring report prepared by several civil society organisations on the basis of direct observation and verifiable evidence. To present them as exclusive or hidden content is a blatant distortion and manipulation of fact.
At no stage did Klan Kosova or the journalist concerned contact NGO Aktiv for clarification, comment or explanation before broadcasting these grave allegations. This constitutes a flagrant breach of journalistic ethics and a denial of the principle of balanced reporting.
By portraying NGO Aktiv as “spies” and “enemies”, the programme stigmatises our organisation and places our staff and partners at direct personal risk, exposing them to intimidation and potential violence.
This reckless behaviour cannot be dismissed as a mere reporting error. It represents an orchestrated smear campaign that undermines civil society, delegitimises the voice of the Serbian community in Kosovo, and threatens the very foundations of a multiethnic and democratic society. It is also perceived as part of an ongoing pattern of attacks not only against NGO Aktiv but also against other Kosovo Serb CSOs which persistently defend community rights and the rule of law in Kosovo, rights guaranteed by institutional mechanisms that are themselves continuously undermined by governmental institutions. Moreover, this constitutes an attack on freedom of expression and a deliberate attempt to silence critical community voices that expose malpractice.
Accordingly, NGO Aktiv will file a criminal complaint against Klan Kosova and Kushtrim Bekoli for the deliberate dissemination of falsehoods and defamation, confident that such malicious acts must be subject to legal accountability.
NGO Aktiv calls for the following:
- At the same time, we call on Kosovo’s regulatory institutions, such as Independent Media Commission (IMC), self-regulatory body Press Council of Kosovo and the international community to react decisively. Silence in the face of such irresponsible reporting would only encourage further campaigns of delegitimization and intimidation against civil society actors.
- Media associations, such as Association of Journalists of Kosovo, and beyond, must defend responsible journalism and publicly distance themselves from these violations of professional standards.
- Kosovo’s institutions, particularly the Prosecution, must immediately investigate the actions of Klan Kosova, initiate appropriate legal proceedings, and take concrete steps to protect civil society from smear campaigns and hate narratives.
- Kosovo civil society organisations and the broader public must not remain silent, nor fall into the trap of believing or amplifying these groundless accusations. False information is one of the greatest threats to Kosovo’s fragile multiethnic society; defending truth and accountability is a responsibility shared by all.
NGO Aktiv will continue to pursue its mission with transparency and responsibility. Attempts to smear and intimidate us only reinforce the importance ogf our work in building trust, defending rights and promoting democratic culture in Kosovo.