A street scene in Pristina, Kosovo, as pictured on February 17, 2023. (Reuters/Florion Goga)

CPJ joins letter of concern about Kosovo’s banning of Serbian reporter Svetlana Vukmirovic

The Committee to Protect Journalists and 10 civil society organizations wrote to Kosovo authorities on Tuesday, August 1, to request an explanation as to why reporter Svetlana Vukmirovic working for public broadcaster Radio Television of Serbia is not allowed to enter Kosovo to do her work.

Vukmirovic has been prevented from entering Kosovo on multiple occasions since 2018. The latest case occurred on May 1, 2023, when Vukmirovic was again banned from entering the territory of Kosovo with the explanation that she is considered a threat to public order, internal security, public health, or international relations.

In three letters addressed to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ombudsperson Institution, CPJ and other organizations called on Kosovo authorities to ensure that the signed agreements between Serbia and Kosovo allowing freedom of movement are respected without exception.

Read the full letters here, here, and here.