Contents 01 Director’s word 29 Monitoring & Advocacy 04 Board Members 31 Training and media development 05 I. Mission and method 38 Awards 07 II. BIRN Kosovo’s mission 39 Partners and donors 08 BIRN Kosovo - map of operations 40 Diary of impact from BIRN stories 09 Media Production 44 Funding in 2014 23 Web Production 47 Challenges ahead 27 Print 48 Acknowledgements DIRECTOR’S WORD 01 JEta Xharra Executive Director Jeta Xharra is a renowned journalist in Kosovo and the Balkans, hosting the award-winning current-affairs TV pro- gramme, Life in Kosovo. In 2013 I noted that the biggest That is why I am glad that in the eco-system of islands of people who are getting together to push for democratic effect of civic activism in changes in Kosovo, BIRN and Internews Kosova with whom we work with most closely, are not completely Kosovo was the citizens’ desire lonely organisms. for change which resulted in The eighty-four people who worked with BIRN in 2014 them voting to change 50% of have become part of a bigger picture that represents the “fury” - the phrase coined well by a Prishtina Insight all mayors in the 2013 local front page this year – which describes the emotion that elections. Kosovo citizens are expressing against a compromised and false elite running a lot of the institutions. In 2013 I noted that the biggest effect of civic activism in Kosovo was the citizens’ desire for change which EDUCATION resulted in them voting to change 50% of all mayors in It is not a coincidence that in January “Life in Kosovo” the 2013 local elections. started the year with a report that listed a series of false scientific publications that had given University This ability of Kosovo citizens to successfully change of Prishtina professors their academic titles and ended things was present in at least two accounts in 2014: the year in a heated debate which highlighted the the ousting of the rector of University of Prishtina, public support that the new rector had in order to who resigned amid heavy protests and pressure after enforce a controversial decision. His reforms stopped the revelations of his falsified academic credentials, as well admission of war veterans and their children from being as the push of the local civil society in Prizren to change automatically registered in the University without going the authorities’ decision to demolish the oldest public through the standard entry exam, which met with some cinema. The theater is heavily used during the popular controversy. documentary festival Dokufest but the municipal government had wanted to privatise it in order to build a shopping centre. 02 �� We contributed to this drive for more qualitative been implemented. Since BIG DEAL has been launched it education by becoming the first non-govermental groups has become a platform where other NGOs raise concerns in Kosovo to monitor Matura Exam, which assesses to the EU, Kosovo and Serbia representatives about the achievement in high school. The test is held all over the issues of the agreements that are affecting their lives. country – another of those exams that affect NUMBER of students but has been ridden with allegations of JUSTICE IN KOSOVO cheating and administrative discrepancies in the past. Keeping true to its roots, the “Justice in Kosovo” team has This model of civil society monitoring which we have this year broadcasted a program on one of the riskiest been applying since 2007 in elections, courts and topics to investigate for journalists in Kosovo. This municipal services has been expanded this year to program revealed how Kosovo’s businessman Rrustem include two other fields – public procurement and the Rukolli, who amassed his wealth by winning one of the monitoring of the implementation of agreements signed biggest public tenders in Kosovo while Hashim Thaci between Kosovo and Serbia. was prime minister, was also the illegal squatter of one of the most lucrative public spaces in Prishtina, which he turned into a nightclub. Rukolli, the same businessmen TENDERS who won the most tenders during PDK’s government is The public procurement monitoring has allowed us also leading the legal defense of Sami Lushtaku, the PDK to delve into analysing hundreds of public contracts, mayor of Skenderaj who is accused of war crimes. “Justice and considering that in Kosovo the state remains the in Kosovo” found that the local owner of this public biggest employer, following this money has led us to space was struggling to get his property back because several ground-breaking investigations. One, published all the Kosovo law enforcement bodies were impotent at by Gazeta Jeta ne Kosove about the Kosovo Electric helping him as the investor to get back into his squatted Company, KEK. We revealed that a lucrative contract was property because of Rukolli’s political connections. being given to a Russian oligarch without following the right tendering procedures. Our revelations of this in ELECTORAL DEBATES public caused the annulment of the tender. BIRN’s biggest impact this year was undoubtedly its Also in the field of energy, “Life in Kosovo” revealed a big series of 9 parliamentary debates during the 2014 scam: electric meters were being manipulated to falsely general elections which were watched by 719,153 measure the electricity spent by Kosovo households. people on Youtube alone. A similar viewership is These kinds of revelations with huge public interest, estimated for those who watched the debates during which are a tremendous portion of each household’s their TV broadcasts. The parliamentary debates were expenditures, were being completely under-reported in separated each night by different topics. They were other media because energy companies are considered unique compared to other media because ours were the to be key advertisers in the media. only debates to include a live audience in the hall to pose questions. We were also the only ones to include questions from social media while the debates were BIG DEAL happening and presented political party programs with Considering how much influence the international a crew of three people from each party (rather than one community has in Kosovo, this year we decided to devise person) in order to present the voters with as many a particular initiative called BIG DEAL which aims to parliamentary candidates as possible for the short 10 provide more scrutiny into the internationally-mediated day campaign that was held this year. agreements signed between Prishtina and Belgrade since 2011 under the pretext that they should improve EPILOGUE citizen’s lives. In cooperation with civil society of Serbia, we published the first BIG DEAL think tank report in Again, this amount of work is only made possible because November which brought the representatives of both of an incredibly motivated and energetic body of people Kosovo and Serbia to the table for the first time in a who I am blessed to be working with and I thank each post-independent history of Kosovo and revealed that one of them for making this success possible. only 4 out of 16 agreements signed since 2011 have 1 http://www.economist.com/blogs/easternapproaches/2010/12/kosovos_election 03 board BIRN REGIONAL BIRN KOSOVO Ana Petruševa Ardian Jashari Country Director, Macedonia Managing Partner MDA members Per Byman Astrit Istrefi Secretary-General, Radiohjälpen, Sweden Team Leader, Saferworld Steve Crawshaw Zana Limani Secretary General, Amnesty International Team Leader, Europe and Central Asia at Saferworld UK Tim Judah Journalist, The Economist Wolfgang Petritsch Chair, Board of the European Cultural Foundation BIRN KOSOVO STAFF Albulena Sadiku Besa Maliqi Fatih Sylka Senior Program Manager Intern Journalist Intern Journalist Amire Qamili Dardan Sinani Fatos Ismajli Intern Journalist Web Producent / Cameraman - Intert Journalist Video Editor Anton Nrecaj Filloreta Fejzullahu Editor for web news Deniz Sllovinja Office Assistant Cameraman / Video Editor Ardian Lulaj Florent Spahija Monitoring / Researcher Durim Shala Legal Officer/Monitoring Cameraman / Video Editor Ardian Gashi Florina Ujupi Graphic Designer Edona Musa Financial Analist Investigative Journalist Arian Hyseni Furtuna Sheremeti Technical Staff Coordinator / Information Ekrem Fazliu Head of the Legal Office / Supervisor of Technology Manager Cameraman / Video Editor the court monitoring team Armend Zenelaj Erblin Hoxha Gazmend Avdiu Legal Representatives Project Coordinator Producent Astrit Perani Ermal Gashi Genc Nimoni Cameraman / Video Editor Cameraman/Video Editor Coordinator of the court monitoring team/head of the legal office Bashkim Zeqiri Eronida Mataj Senior Analist / Researcher Researcher Gent Rexhepi Audio Technician Behar Mustafa Eset Dërguti Monitoring / Researcher Information Technology Oficcer / MCR Asistent Producer Bekim Muhaxheri News Editor 04 Gresa Musliu Lum Ademi Petrit Çollaku Project Coordinator Finance and Operations Manager Investigative Journalist Hysen Gara Mehdi Mulaj Petrit Kryeziu Stage Technician Investigative Journalist Assistant - Coordinator Court Monitoring Jeta Xharra Mergime Ujkani-Vrajolli Qazim Hasanaj Executive Director Monitoring / Researcher Monitoring / Researcher Jeton Ispahiu Merite Krasniqi Ramize Hyseni MCR Producer / Cameraman-Editor Journalist Junir Office Assistant Kaltrina Rexhepi Mimoza Kqiku Roza Maliqi Investigative Journalist Intern Journalist Intern Kaltrina Hoxha Muhamet Hajrullahu Rrahmon Ramaj Project Manager Head of Planning Desk Financial Analist Kaltrina Hoxha Naim Haxhosaj Skender Govori Program Manager