The decision of the Municipality of Pristina not to respond to the KTV is considered lynching

The KOHA group will be deprived of providing information from the Municipality of Pristina, as its officials have been determined not to provide answers to its journalists. This definition of the Municipality by the Agency for Information and Privacy has been assessed as lynching, and by KOHA, as a denial of the right of citizens to be informed about the work of this institution, guaranteed by the Constitution, laws of Kosovo and international conventions

TIME's investigations into irregularities and abuses in the Municipality of Pristina have led to this municipal institution being determined not to answer the questions addressed to the journalists of this medium.

Among the recent investigations that KOHA has done for the Municipality of Pristina are the ones about the exchange of municipal properties in Pristina e Re with private ones in Badoc, which belong to the former clients of the mayor Rama, the scams with the 12-million contract for the architect of the city, disregarding the decisions of the Commercial Court, which canceled the decisions to close "Rexhep Luci" and Qamil Hoxha streets", and the allocation of subsidies thousands of euros without public announcement.

These and other reports have been described by the Municipality of Pristina as "tendential and inaccurate".  

"I'm sorry, but we cannot answer for KTV at the moment, due to the numerous tendentious and inaccurate reports that have been made before and that continue to happen, despite the transparency and cooperation that we have continuously offered", it is stated in the response of the official for information in this municipality, Arlinda Kastrati, after a series of questions addressed to this office by KOHA regarding the space of Tulltores that was given to private use.

The journalist of the show "038", Meridiana Statovci, accepted this answer after being ignored by the deputy mayor of the Municipality, Alban Zogaj. He has refused to comment on the project for the capital's Tile, although he had previously stated that he would speak about it.

"Mayor Rama has not yet started with the project, which he promised to build a house of art and culture, where young people can have fun there, but now those spaces have been freed up for a private operator and that same one is developing children's play activities, which are quick games. Two days ago, I asked for an answer about this and the whole project of Tjegullore from the deputy mayor of Pristina, Mr. Alban Zogaj. After he accepted us, we went to the Municipality, we waited 30 or 40 minutes and he did not come out to give a statement. Upon returning here to the editorial office, I have sent questions to the Media Office of the Municipality of Pristina, and the official Arlinda Kastrati has answered me, that now they are no longer accepting to speak for KTV", said Statovci.

Statovci says that similar behavior has also been demonstrated by the chairman Pëparim Rama, who during an event did not allow the TIME team to ask questions.

The determination of the Municipality of Pristina not to answer the questions of the KTV, KOHA has assessed as a violation of the right of citizens to be informed.

TIME: The municipality belongs to the citizens and they must be informed

Due to KOHA's reports, the Municipality of Pristina has decided not to answer the questions addressed by the KTV. This, on December 10, was written to the KTV journalist by the information officer of the Municipality, with the claim that the reports are "tendential and inaccurate". 

With this action, the Municipality of Pristina violated the right of citizens to be informed about the work of this institution, a right guaranteed by the Constitution, laws of Kosovo and international conventions.

KOHA has continuously reported on the Municipality of Pristina, among other central and local institutions, revealing irregularities and holding leaders and other institutional officials accountable.

The municipality of Pristina has at its disposal the regulatory and self-regulatory bodies of the media in Kosovo, KPM and KMSHK, as well as the court to complain if it considers that there have been violations in the reports of TIME. He did not do this. No official in the Municipality of Pristina has the right to decide not to provide information related to the work of this institution that is in the interest of the public to know. The municipality does not belong to the individuals who work there, but to the citizens of the capital.

KOHA will follow the legal path to provide the data that the municipal officials refuse to share (this time on the subject of "Tullore") as well as to provide official information about the illegal designation of the municipality in relation to KTV.

In the Municipality of Pristina, they have not answered the questions about the published research, the content of which has been disputed, and they have not shown the reason why they have not addressed the competent bodies.

In the Agency for Information and Privacy, they evaluated this action as lynching.

Commissioner Krenare Sogojeva-Dërmaku said that public institutions have an obligation to be accountable.

"Accountability and transparency are pillars of democracy and as such they must be respected. Normally such lynchings would not produce positive effects for our society in general, but also these evaluations that we have against our obligations towards the road to the European Union. It is important to appeal to public institutions that such an approach is not practiced, because this will simply take us backwards, and the media is known to have its own informative role. Public institutions have an obligation to be accountable", said Sogojeva-Dërmaku.

One of the latest reports is also about the decision of the Municipality of Pristina to expropriate some plots on "Shahin Kolonja" street, and that the residents have claimed that the expropriation of the land was done without their approval and for the purpose of building the road that leads to the family plot of the LDK chairman, Lumir Abdixhiku. Regarding this issue, the Municipality of Pristina did not provide an answer even after two weeks when the questions were sent.

Answers have also been missing for most of the other stories. For the irregularities with the 12-million contract for the city architect, the Municipality was obliged to provide TIME with the documents on this matter only after sending them to the Information Agency.