"The Women's Network of Kosovo highly appreciates Flutura's work. She has an incredible dedication, she has a magnificent courage that I have never seen before. A brave woman who is also in the media, but also an activist for women's rights. The network appreciates her fight for the right and for justice", emphasizes Igballe Rogova, director of the NGO, Kosovo Women's Network. "I think she is a great asset not only for democracy in Kosovo, but also within the European Union", emphasizes Matthew Caruana Galizia, the son of the murdered Maltese journalist, Daphne Caruana Galizia, whose case has been brought to justice since beginning Kusari. She heads the legal support program of the European Center for Press and Media Freedom (ECMPF), a non-profit organization founded in 2015 in Leipzig, Germany.
Sponsored Article - For women activists, Flutura Kusari is a model of a courageous woman who strongly defends free speech. For journalists, guardians of the truth, who have a profession and a mission. Known for her professional and personal passion, Kusari does not back down even when she becomes the target of baseless attacks by militant campaigns on social networks just because the supporters of certain politicians do not like her views, based on stubborn facts, even though she always advocates supporting free speech. But, without tarnishing her guardians.
Brave woman
"The Women's Network of Kosovo highly appreciates Flutura's work. She has an amazing dedication, she has a great courage that I really don't have without the weather. A brave woman who is also in the media, but also an activist for women's rights. The network appreciates her fight for the right and for justice," emphasizes Igballe Rogova, director of the NGO Kosovo Women's Network, referring to the English quote written on the wall of the organization's meeting hall: "Women who behave well, they don't make history. Women who are brave make history for the benefit of women and girls", she emphasizes.
Kusari, who lives between Gjakova and Pristina - and travels extensively throughout Europe - heads the legal support program of the European Center for Press and Media Freedom (ECMPF), a non-profit organization founded in 2015 in Leipzig, Germany. With her work, Kusari has helped hundreds of media workers across Europe.
"She advocates with international organizations to improve legislation to protect freedom of expression," reads the ECMPF website's description of Kusari. "During the past decade, she has been engaged in building the capacities of judges, prosecutors, police officers and lawyers for freedom of expression throughout the Western Balkans."
In addition, she advises journalists before and after the publication of articles on issues such as defamation, access to information, the content of texts before the courts and privacy.
But how did Kusari's public engagement begin when he started studying law in Pristina.
"I am very grateful to KMDLNJ, because when I went, I went with an A4 letter, written 'Flutura Kusari, address Pristina, also brucoshe'. This was my CV when I went, they also opened their doors to me", she recalls with a laugh.
There he would learn two things: monitoring elections and spreading information about the importance of human rights. Then he helped during the establishment of the Commission for Legal Aid, to continue working in the non-governmental organization Kosovo Initiative for Stability, monitoring the work of municipalities and local government. In the meantime, he would join the Balkan Investigative Journalism Network (BIRN). During this period, he would appreciate the work of journalists even more.
For a short period he would work in a bank.
"I saw that it is not a job for me and I resigned."
The high price of truth
The work with NGO mediums had strengthened his determination to defend the truth even more.
"For me, one of the biggest benefits as an activist from the cooperation, for more than a decade, with journalists, is the importance and authenticity of the information, which means for me that before reacting to me as an activist, before writing to me, before react to something, I make sure to tell the truth as much as possible", she emphasizes.
Whenever she had dilemmas about the impact of the engagement not only on her personal life, her mind went to the goal of protecting free speech, based on the European Charter for Freedom of the Press and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.
"I lost a lot of friends because of my activism. Even the members of my family have lost a lot of company because of my activism", she emphasizes, without ever regretting her fight for the search and protection of the truth for the benefit of society and the development of accountable democracy. She feels sorry for her partner, who, however, shows understanding for her overtime work. Kusari, the mother of a daughter, is eternally grateful to her mother who raised her with the spirit and education to defend the truth despite the price of war for her.
In the summer, Kusari decided to spend the holidays with family and friends, without connecting to the media and researching political developments, especially those related to the media.
But Kusari, even from a distance, was one of the most active voices in media appearances during the conflict between the Kosovo Government and Klan Kosova television over the contested license issue.
"I said this year is a year of rest, but you have Klan Kosova and I found myself going into the sea for 10-15 minutes, coming out with a corner, he spoke to me a little like a sneak because I felt sorry for the company that was giving them broke once. But no, it's not possible without a break", emphasizes Kusari, who always has his laptop with him wherever he goes. In fact, she does not have an office as a workplace.
Kusari has tended to the project for the placement of Ukrainian journalists in Kosovo after the Russian aggression in Ukraine. Lyudmila Makey, Ukrainian journalist, is grateful to Kosovo for opening her doors and enabling her to help Ukraine in the war from the host country.
"I agreed to come, because it was an opportunity for me, an opportunity to continue my profession, an opportunity to be useful for Ukraine", said Makey in the AGK documentary about the "Journalists in Residence - Kosovo" program, made by AGK. "In other words, I knew almost nothing about Kosovo. It was honest when I came; I only knew that it was the newest country in the Balkans and that there had been an armed conflict between Kosovo and Serbia, and that Mother Teresa had Albanian roots."
Assets for the democracy of Kosovo and the EU
"Flutura is one of the biggest advocates of the work of journalists", says Xhemajl Rexha, director of the Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AGK). "We have seen that she actually does this on a voluntary basis as an activist and as a media lawyer to raise her voice for journalists whenever they have needs and problems to protect their good work", he emphasizes. "Especially of women journalists in Kosovo, that over the years women journalists have played a very important role in professional journalism, in journalism that has an effect, in investigative journalism in Kosovo that has influenced both to overthrow the government and to raise debates socially important". Rexha says that Kusari did not back down even when he personally paid for it.
Kusari voluntarily defends journalists whenever they face lawsuits and accusations before the court.
"Beyond the very valuable professional advice, in fact professional advice regarding how journalists should be subject to ethics, but also how to protect themselves from the threats of the parties, whether through lawsuits or even physical, I believe that an extraordinary contribution of her is that she has shown the public and introduced it into the public discourse what SLAPP lawsuits are", emphasizes KOHA Group journalist Saranda Ramaj, adding that Kusari has raised awareness among journalists and the opinion that these lawsuits are actually used from the subjects of investigative writings to put pressure on journalists and create confusion among citizens.
Kusari co-chairs the ANTI-SLAPP work at the European level as part of the Anti-SLAPP Coalition in Europe and as an expert for the European Union and the Council of Europe.
Kusari, who has a doctorate in Media Law at the University of Ghent in Belgium, works as an expert on the European Union. Kusari also helped the family of Malta's best-known investigative journalist, Daphne Caruana Galizia, when in October 2017 she was blown up along with her car, where a bomb had been mounted. After the murder, the Maltese government fell and the killers were brought to justice, but Kusari is convinced that the Maltese state was behind the attack. She followed closely the judicial process in Maltese justice.
"And since then she has always been active in my mother's case", said Matthew Caruana Galizia, the son of the murdered journalist. "Flutura's support has been very precious to us and I think this stems from her personality. When she is involved in a case, she does not withdraw until there is full accountability and justice", added Matthew Caruana Galizia, at the same time director of the "Daphne Galizia" foundation. "I think that she is a great asset not only for democracy in Kosovo, but also within the European Union".
Kusari says that the Maltese state was "fighting Daphne to the death", as he knows very well that her murder with the involvement of the state is an indelible stain on the island state.
Kusari is also involved professionally and emotionally in the case of the murder of Slovak investigative journalist, Jan Kuciak, and his partner in their home about 65 kilometers east of Bratislava, on February 26, 2018. He regrets that Kuciak's family has no conditions materials to fight even harder to solve the murder.
"They don't know English, but they also don't accept any legal aid", she emphasizes.
Lutz Kinkel, Kusari's director at ECMPF, says she is one of the best activists in Europe for freedom of expression and media.
"She is very intelligent, passionate and really has great knowledge", he emphasizes during a video interview with "WhatsApp". "When the Butterfly Kusari raises her index finger and says: 'Listen,' then this is not a reason to be ashamed, but to always listen," says Kinkel, laughingly imitating the gesture of the Kusari in cases of great seriousness. "I have been working with him for several years at the European Center for Freedom of the Press and Media in Leipzig and Flutura has supported more than 100 journalists in Europe with legal assistance. These were journalists who appeared before justice, but who really needed legal help. And she not only does this work for technical reasons, but also advocates for better legal systems in Europe".
Inspiration for young activists
Kusari also advocates with local and international organizations for the improvement of legislation for the protection of freedom of expression, one of the main conditions for the admission of states to the Council of Europe, where Kosovo also hopes to join. For the heads of human rights NGOs, Kusari is considered a model of activism.
"I have known him for maybe 12 years. She was one of the first women I met and identified as a human rights activist, and she was truly an inspiration for me to start and engage for the public good, for the protection of human rights in Kosovo. ", emphasizes Marigona Shabiu, director of the non-governmental organization for human rights, YIHR. "Flutura is a courageous activist who uncompromisingly pushes forward the causes she believes in."
Her universal cause and Kosovo's fight for freedom and a stable state are decisive why Kusari did not turn his back on his homeland even during his studies and when there were opportunities for employment and residence in Western countries.
"I lived for five years in Germany until I completed my doctorate and I also worked for the ECMPF, and I handed in my residence permit and returned to the visa regime", she emphasizes, when asked about the connection with Kosovo, despite the despair occasionally with political decisions in the newest European state. "I am connected to Kosovo and I found this out when I completed my magistracy, physically I was in London, but all the time I was watching what is happening in Kosovo, what is being done, and I said: 'Ok, this it's some kind of special connection, because you can't live somewhere and at the same time watch what's happening in Kosovo".
He had acted similarly during his doctoral studies at the University of Ghent in Belgium.
"I have spent all my free time being informed about what is happening in Kosovo, to talk to people in Kosovo, even though I was not interested in creating other societies", she emphasizes, raising rhetorical questions. "Because I think that there are many good reasons to live and I think that many things have been achieved", says Kusari, assessing that however Kosovo is friendly in relation to the region for freedom of the media and free speech, despite occasional campaigns against figures of various public that challenge the approaches of virtually active militants.
"I think that we have the golden opportunity to be part of state building, that we are a state under construction even though 25 years have passed. I also think that we are part of history, part of history with any minimal contribution".
"This article was written in the framework of the project "Human Rightivism", which is implemented by Integra and supported by the Fund for Community Development - CDF and the Embassy of Sweden in Kosovo."
Prepared by: Rexhep Maloku