On the occasion of the 31st anniversary of the founding of the newspaper “Bota Sot,” attention is once again being drawn to the weight this newspaper has carried in documenting important national and social events for Albanians.
Created at a difficult time for Kosovo, when Albanians were living under Serbian occupation and without freedom of information, “Bota Sot” took on the role of an important news source and a living archive of historical, political and national developments.
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Through its reporting, analyses and testimonies from the time, this newspaper has helped preserve collective memory, leaving an important mark for today’s generations and those yet to come.
For more than three decades, “Bota Sot” has reflected decisive stages for Albanians, from the years of peaceful resistance and the war for liberation to the declaration of Kosovo’s independence and the political and social developments that followed.
On this journey, it has served not only as an informative medium, but also as written testimony to the processes and events that have shaped the modern history of Kosovo and the Albanian nation.
Mehazi: To this day, ‘Bota Sot’ is an important source on national, political and cultural events
“Bota Sot” contributor Sulejman Mehazi highly praised its role over its 31 years of existence, stressing that it has been a significant testimony to the historical, political and cultural developments of Albanians.
According to him, “Bota Sot” has helped preserve collective memory, encouraged public discussion on national issues, and continues to remain an important source of information in the Albanian-language media space.
Mehazi wished the newspaper continuity and further success in the future.
“From its founding on June 26, 1995 to the present day, the contribution of ‘Bota Sot’ has played a role in preserving the collective memory of Kosovo and Albanians in general. The newspaper ‘Bota Sot’ is a living, accurate and clear testimony to 31 years of historical events in Kosovo, the region and the world.
‘Bota Sot’ has encouraged public debate on important national issues, contributing to the shaping of public opinion.
To this day, ‘Bota Sot’ is an important source on national, political and cultural events, with influence in the Albanian media space. We wish the nationwide newspaper ‘Bota Sot’ success and longevity in the media!” he says.
Mehmeti: On its 31st anniversary, its role has evolved from an informative media outlet into an influential actor in public debates
Another “Bota Sot” contributor, Gani Mehmeti, also says that since its founding on June 26, 1995, the newspaper has ranked among the longest-running in Kosovo, covering the main political, social and national developments.
He says that “Bota Sot” continues its informative mission in electronic format, while also contributing to public debate, the documentation of history and the preservation of the collective memory of Albanians.
“As one of the longest-running newspapers in the Albanian media space in Kosovo, ‘Bota Sot’ has, since June 26, 1995, followed and reflected important political, social and national developments for more than thirty years.
There were earlier newspapers, such as the newspaper ‘Bujku,’ but they ceased publication after the war. The newspaper ‘Bota Sot’ continues to provide information to this day, although electronically. It reports on current political life, cultural life, history, as well as national and international developments.
It is rich in opinions and various analyses, giving interested parties the opportunity to address different topics.
Today, on its 31st anniversary, its role has evolved from an informative media outlet into an influential actor in public debates and in documenting historical events, while also dealing with developments inside and outside the country.
Its contribution to preserving the collective memory of Albanians during different historical periods is very evident, as shown through its various sections, including special spaces that have sparked great interest among readers and contributing journalists, who enrich the newspaper and increase readers’ curiosity,” he says.
Mehmeti recalls that 1995 was a period of informational darkness in Kosovo, after Albanian media outlets were shut down by the Serbian regime.
According to him, after the closure of “Rilindja,” Albanian-language newspapers became the voice of national resistance, while “Bota Sot,” founded in 1995, became one of the most powerful Albanian media outlets and continues its activity today in electronic format.
“The year 1995 reminds us of the informational darkness in the Republic of Kosovo.
This darkness had begun after the proclamation of the Constitutional Declaration by the Albanian deputies of the Kosovo Assembly, in front of the locked doors of the Assembly, as they were not allowed to enter the chamber. Surrounded by Serbian police and tanks, the Albanian deputies proclaimed the Constitutional Declaration on July 2, 1990, which declared Kosovo the seventh republic of Yugoslavia, or a republic on its own in the event of Yugoslavia’s dissolution.
This depended on the positions of the other republics of Yugoslavia.
Serbia, thinking it would keep Kosovo occupied, went to war with Slovenia, which broke away after only 9 days of war. Slovenia had it easier because, in addition to military personnel in the Yugoslav army, it had organized Territorial Defense and had prepared earlier for war.
We had been completely stripped of weapons; the police had been dismissed from work, while territorial defense had been dismantled in Kosovo.
‘Rilindja’ had not been published since August 1990, while television and radio media had also passed into the hands of the Serbian occupier.
Serbia had also cut Kosovo’s telephone links in 1992 with all the republics of the former Yugoslavia.
After the closure of the only Albanian-language daily newspaper, ‘Rilindja,’ the daily newspaper ‘Bujku’ emerged at the beginning of 1991, a newspaper of resistance and part of the popular movement for freedom, independence and democracy.
The newspaper ‘Bota Sot’ came later, but proved strong and continues to this day, now only in electronic form,” Mehmeti explains.
In the end, he says that “Bota Sot” played an important role both during the Serbian occupation and in the post-war period, supporting the Democratic League of Kosovo, historic president Ibrahim Rugova and the national cause.
He adds that the newspaper remained close to its readers, especially the membership of the LDK, particularly when the party was led by Rugova.
“The newspaper ‘Bota Sot’ is among the first Albanian-language newspapers to begin publishing in the diaspora during the time of Serbian occupation in Kosovo. This newspaper did great work during the occupation and until the country’s liberation.
It was a supporter of the Democratic League of Kosovo and Dr. Ibrahim Rugova throughout, reflecting the reality of Kosovo in every period. The newspaper ‘Bota Sot’ has always been a strong ally of the historic president of the Republic of Kosovo, Dr. Ibrahim Rugova, his associates, the Democratic League of Kosovo and the Kosovo Liberation Army from the moment it appeared on the scene.
‘Bota Sot,’ with its sections, has always made reading more attractive for readers, especially for members of the LDK during the time when it followed Rugova’s line, and for several years even after the death of its leader, Dr. Ibrahim Rugova,” he concludes for “Bota Sot.”
