The Ministry of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade has announced that the Commission for the Review of Complaints for Business Registration has rejected the complaint of "KlanKosova" about the decision to suspend the business certificate for this television and that now the complaining party can file a lawsuit in court, as the case is closed within the Ministry.
"The decision of the Commission states that the ARBK, in the first instance, decided in accordance with the law when it suspended the business certificate of Klan Kosova sh.pk", the announcement states.
"The ARBK's reasoning for suspending the certificate was that, in the registration documents of the company that owns the business in question, 'KGO Media Invest DOOEL', the municipalities of the Republic of Kosovo are presented as cities of Serbia, which constitutes a violation of the Constitution ours. The very fact that the representatives of Klan Kosova sh.pk, after so many years, have taken steps to correct it, proves that the business in question had committed the violation found by ARBK and that the decision to suspend the business certificate was made with it right", it is further stated in the announcement of MINT.
According to the Ministry, the efforts of "KlanKosova" to correct these violations have not gone to the end.
"The decision of the Commission states that, in the official documents for the 'real owners of the entity' KGO Media Invest DOOEL, the citizenship of the owner of this entity is identified as 'Kosovo', while its own country is still as 'Serbia', again presenting Kosovo as part of Serbia", says the reaction. "This finding of the Commission once again raises the question, what is the real reason why Klan Kosova sh.pk is insisting on presenting Kosovo as part of Serbia?"
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MINT has also recalled that it has already filed a criminal complaint against "KlanKosova" and its owners.
The suspension of the business certificate of "KlanKosovo" had prompted numerous reactions in mid-June. Concerned with the decision were expressed by the international representatives in Kosovo and the Economic Chambers.
KlanKosova, in the reaction it has published, rejected and considered unfair the decision of the Commission for Review of Complaints in ARBK regarding the registration documents of the television company owner.
"The clan has as evidence all the documents that confirm that the owner of the company is registered in the municipality of Gjakova of the Republic of Kosovo. Also, the Kosova Clan informs that it will exercise the right of appeal in the competent court", it is stated in reaction.
The Ambassador of Germany in Pristina, Jorn Rohde, reacted on Twitter to the decision of MINT.
"Very disturbing: Shutting down one of the biggest media outlets in Kosovo would be a serious blow to media freedom," he wrote.
AGK shocked by the Government's decision to close "KlanKosova"
The Association of Journalists of Kosovo has been alarmed by the decision of the Complaints Commission at the Ministry of Industry to reject the complaint of Klan Kosova television, thus leaving in effect the decision to suspend the business certificate of this medium.
"With this decision, Minister Rozeta Hajdari, who is part of the Kurti Government, has finalized all the necessary administrative actions to close Klan Kosova television. Although the decision can be appealed to the court, this decision should be understood as a decision by the Vetëvendosje Movement and Prime Minister Kurti to close a medium for the first time since the end of the war in Kosovo", says the reaction of AGK.
According to AGK, this process from the beginning has been politically motivated by the ruling party and the Government of Prime Minister Kurti.
"Today's decision of the ministry led by Minister Hajdari confirms the open and unprecedented war of this government, against the media, as a warning that other media will also be the target of attacks", the reaction says.
AGK has said that it believes that the court will not allow the closure of a medium in Kosovo.
"Today's political decision of the Kurti Government is the heaviest blow to the freedom of the media in Kosovo since the time of the war", concludes the reaction.
European Federation of Journalists: The dark days of state censorship are upon Kosovo
The General Secretary of the European Federation of Journalists, Ricardo Gutierrez, has said that the Government is limiting freedom.
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He called them "black days of state censorship", since MINT suspended the business activity of "KlanKosova" until the court's decision.
"The dark days of state censorship are upon Kosovo. The government finally talked him into shutting down KlanKosova. Albin Kurti's government is plunging the state into the most conservative illiberalism, with the greatest disdain for EU values," he wrote.
Kusari: The Kurti government today took a political decision to close a media outlet
Flutura Kusari, media law lawyer, has called the rejection of KlanKosova's appeal for the decision to suspend the business certificate for this television a "political decision". She has said that it is the biggest attack that has been made to media pluralism and democracy in Kosovo by a political party.
UNMIK on MINT's decision: Blow for independent media
The Head of the UNMIK Mission, Caroline Ziadeh, has said that the MINT's decision on KlanKosova is "a blow to the independent media, raising serious concerns about the freedom of the media".
"I call on the authorities to work to find a way to ensure that they can continue broadcasting, and protect the media field of Kosovo and the space for different voices," she said.
Hajdari justifies the decision on KlanKosova, calls on the Police to investigate
The Minister of Industry, Enterprise and Trade, Rozeta Hajdari, reacted a few hours later on Facebook. She has called on the Police to investigate the "legal violations" of KlanKosova and ARBK officials.
Hajdari said that a business does not pardon being the media.
"The fact that a business LLC, among many other activities, also deals with the media, does not at all absolve it from accountability for the legal violations it commits, no matter how powerful it is economically or politically... I invite the Kosovo Police and the competent prosecutors, to take the necessary legal steps to investigate, until the end, the legal violations committed by this business, as well as by some ARBK officials, for which legal violations this Ministry has filed a criminal complaint a few weeks ago", the minister wrote.
President: Any legal dilemma about the license of "KlanKosova" must be clarified
The decision of the Ministry, Enterprise and Trade on the suspension of KlanKosovo's certificate has raised reactions in the country. The President of Kosovo has also issued a statement regarding the case.
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In a press release from the Presidency, it is said that any legal dilemma that exists in this case must be clarified, and that "the president expects this to be done by applying the law, without interference, based on the principles of impartiality and integrity".
