Wrote: Etrit Rexhepi
An article titled "The West is preparing the end of the spectacle with the trial of the bandits who killed Serbs in Kosovo".
it CONTENT was published on Wednesday (November 26) by the Russian-language media outlet "politnavigator.news".
What's wrong with this content?
This article reports on the trial process of former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague. The alleged cases for which Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi, Rexhep Selimi and others are accused are considered proven in the title of this article. In the meantime, the trial of the accused has not yet concluded.
The same content was published on this medium's Telegram channel and on the Russian propaganda domain in Albanian, "albania.news-pravda.com".
Based on the indictment confirmed by the Special Prosecutor of the Specialist Chambers, Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi are charged with Crimes against Humanity under International Law and War Crimes under International Law (see here).
If we also take into account the summary of the charges, published on the website of the Specialist Chambers and the Specialist Prosecutor's Office, these are criminal offences for which it is alleged that the accused persons have individual responsibility (see here).
The case against them is currently considered to be still under trial, which means that there is still no conclusion on their guilt or innocence. (see here).
In the title of the article published by the Russian-language media outlet, the accusations against former KLA leaders of murder are presented as a factual statement.
While in content, the Prosecution's indictment for murder is presented as a final verdict for the accused, when it is stated that it concerns "for at least 102 proven murders of Serbs, Roma and Albanians loyal to Yugoslavia".
What is an indictment and a verdict?
The Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague have begun work following the vote in the Kosovo Assembly of the special Law on this institution and the vote on constitutional amendments that enabled its functioning within the Kosovo justice system (see here).
Kosovo Criminal Procedure Code establishes that a person suspected or accused of a criminal offense is considered innocent until proven guilty by a final court judgment.
According to this code, criminal proceedings are initiated only by decision of the state prosecutor when there is reasonable suspicion that a criminal offense has been committed or when a direct indictment has been filed according to the provisions of this Code.
After the investigation is completed or when the state prosecutor considers that the information at his disposal about the criminal offense and its perpetrator presents a well-founded suspicion that the defendant has committed a criminal offense or offenses, the procedure before the court may be implemented only on the basis of the indictment filed by the state prosecutor.
With a verdict, as a final action, either the charge is dismissed, the accused is acquitted of the charge, or he is found guilty.
Reliability of “PolitNavigator”
According to “mediabiasedfactcheck.com”, a platform for identifying media bias on the Internet, “PolitNavigator” is assessed as a dubious source with a pronounced right-wing bias and a clear pro-Russian tendency, often publishing propaganda narratives, criticism of Ukraine, NATO and the US, as well as articles with emotional headlines and unreliable sources. The platform’s ownership and financing are not transparent, while reporting often lacks verification, balance and hyperlinks. As a result, factual reliability is considered “mixed”, with documented cases of false claims and misinformation. Overall, “PolitNavigator” is categorized as low reliability and requires verification of any published material.
Analyze:
A Russian-language media outlet has claimed that former KLA leaders who are on trial in The Hague have killed Serbs.
This claim is based on suspicions in the indictment filed by the Specialized Prosecutor in The Hague against Thaçi, Veseli, Krasniqi and Selim.
However, there is no verdict yet on the charges, so until a final decision, the accused are considered innocent.
Based on its work methodology, hibrid.info assesses this content as "Disinformation".
Reasoning:
"Disinformation" is defined as information content that contains a "mix" of inaccurate sources or even half-truthful attributes, and that is created and/or distributed with the deliberate intention of causing harm. The motive behind the producers/distributors of disinformation content lies in achieving a political, financial, psychological or social goal.