While monitoring online content published by media, websites and accounts, hibrid.info has noticed a recurring phenomenon, where a person's image is misused to attribute false statements to them.
The identified cases are related to the figure of Rifat Jashari, brother of the legendary commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), Adem Jashari.
From 2023 until the time of publication of this article, hibrid.info has handled a total of eight pieces of content published online, in which the figure of Rifat Jashari was misused for the production and distribution of misinformation content.
Based on methodology of hibrid.info's work, this content has been assessed in various categories of information disorder, including "fake news", "clickbait", "misinformation" and "fact manipulation".
CASES
On October 4, 2023, the information portal "Let Canton27.ch"published on his official Facebook page an image of Rifat Jashari, accompanied by a claim that he had reacted to the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama.
The post alleged that Rifat Jashari had stated:
"'Rifat Jashari reacts to Rama: 'You will pay dearly for hugs and kisses with Vučić from Kosovo, remember that'".
However, research conducted by hibrid.info has not found any facts, evidence or reliable sources that would confirm that Rifat Jashari had made this statement. (see here verification performed by hibrid.info).
This fake content also returned in June 2026 on Facebook and TikTok (see here verification).
On January 27, 2025, the Facebook account “World News"published content claiming that Prime Minister and leader of the Vetëvendosje Movement, Albin Kurti, after tensions caused during a rally of his party in Skenderaj, was received by Rifat Jashari.
The claim presented this meeting as evidence that the family of KLA commander Adem Jashari stands by the Vetëvendosje Movement.
However, fact-checking by hibrid.info showed that the photo used in this content was not taken after the rally in Skenderaj, but was from 2023.
The Jashari family also stated that they would continue to remain out of active involvement in political parties and electoral processes (see here verification).
In August 2025, the TikTok account "ffrmir" published content claiming that Rifat Jashari had stated: "The PDK did not give a single cent for Drenica, the square was built by KFOR, Prekaz was built by Turkey, and Kosovo was built by Ibrahim Rugova."
However, research conducted by hibrid.info has not found any reliable source, video or publication that would confirm that Rifat Jashari had made such a statement (see here verification).
On March 6, 2025, the "Klan Kosova" television page on Facebook published a video with the caption: "Jashari's Criticism – 'This government has anti-KLA people inside'''. The video, in which the image of Rifat Jashari is seen before being clicked.
Based on the description placed in the video and based on the video's cover photo, it can be said that before clicking on the video, the audience may believe that the statement presented came from Rifat Jashari.
After checking the content of the video, hibrid.info found that the statement placed in the caption was made by Xhavit Jashari, president of the Association of Martyrs' Families.
And if the audience does not see the content, they may misread the publication as a statement made by the brother of Commander Rifat Jashari (see here verification).
On December 22, 2025, the Facebook account "Luftari Spartak" published content claiming that Rifat Jashari had called for support for the incumbent Prime Minister, Albin Kurti.
However, after fact-checking by hibrid.info, no credible source was found to confirm this claim. Social media and Google searches did not yield any credible statements, videos or publications proving that he had made such a call (see here verification).
A TikTok video published on April 24 by the account named "podujeva072" claimed that Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Justice Minister Donika Gërvalla had visited Rifat Jashari's family in Prekaz on April 24, 2026.
STILL, The video depicts an earlier visit, made during the celebration of the KLA Epic (March 6, 2026) and there is no official confirmation that such a visit took place on the claimed date (see here verification)
On August 4, 2026, the Facebook page “Union of Albanians in Europe – European Union of Albanians”, published content claiming that Rifat Jashari had made a statement regarding the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama.
The image reads: "Rifat Jashari: Edi Rama will pay dearly for opening the Serbian consulate in Albanian lands while Kosovo is facing the discovery of mass graves from the Serbian genocide".
However, after researching through social media, the search engine "Google", hibrid.info has not found any reliable source confirming this statement (see here verification).
Why is a person's image used to produce misinformation?
Given the respect that Rifat Jashari enjoys among Kosovo citizens, the use of his name and photograph in fabricated political statements may serve to make the misinformation content more credible.
STUDY "Quoting to deceive: fake quotes and political delegitimization in Spanish far right grassroots disinformation campaigns", published in Linguistics Vanguard, analyzes the intentional fabrication of quotes and their attribution to real people on social media. The study shows that fabricated quotes can be used as a tool to influence public perceptions of the person to whom the statements are attributed, as well as the positions they are claimed to represent.
In the case of Rifat Jashari, the fabricated statements are attributed to a real and respected figure who has not held political office. This creates a false connection between his figure and a political stance, giving the content a credible appearance that is not based on any real statements by him.
What should we keep in mind when we see such content?
When viewing content published online, it is important to keep a few basic things in mind to avoid falling prey to misinformation:
VERIFY THE SOURCE
Who published the content?
Is it a well-known medium or an unknown page claiming to be "media"?
Check if there is information about the editorial staff, contacts, or author.
Is the same event reported by other credible media outlets? If not, it is likely false or distorted.