AGK, FOL, IKD and Legal Expert Kusari: Unable to Assess the RTK Director Selection Process

Four civil society entities, including the Association of Journalists of Kosovo, the FOL Movement, the Kosovo Institute for Justice, and media law expert Flutura Kusari, have announced that they will not provide an assessment of the selection process for the general director of Radio Television of Kosovo. According to them, the environment in which this procedure is taking place does not ensure institutional independence.

In the joint statement, these organizations explain that the decision to withdraw from the assessment came after a detailed monitoring of the public broadcaster, which shows that RTK is under continuous political influence on several fronts.

According to the reaction, “the basis of this decision lies in our monitoring data, which clearly show that RTK is experiencing political pressure in several forms: interference in newsrooms, pressure on journalists, and financial difficulties causing wage delays.”

Furthermore, they express the conviction that, under these conditions, the RTK Board does not have the proper space to lead a free and professional selection process for the new head of the broadcaster.

The statement emphasizes: “We are certain that in this situation, the Board lacks the independence to act in accordance with professional standards during the selection of the next director.”

Despite this decision, these organizations and Ms. Kusari announce that they will still oversee the Board’s activity and all steps of the selection process, although no longer for the purpose of evaluation.

As stated at the end of the statement: “We will be present at RTK meetings, including those related to the selection of the general director, but we will not provide any assessment of this process.”