Wrote: Endrit Berisha
Through headlines in articles, three Serbian-language media outlets have presented the action of the Kosovo Privatization Agency (AKP) to take possession of the facilities used by the Postal Savings Bank in northern Kosovo as a "continuation of Kurti's terror."
The headlines of the Serbian-language media outlets "novosti.rs", "b92.net" and "alo.rs" begin with "There is no end to Kurti's terror", "Kurti's terror in Kosovo continues" and "Kurti's terror in Leposaviq does not stop".
The articles were published on Thursday, July 18.
What's wrong with these titles?
As a continuation of the narrative being made in Serbia that terror is being perpetrated against Serbs in Kosovo, in this case too the media in question have not provided any facts for a similar claim. They only mention Prime Minister Albin Kurti's "terror" in the headlines.
In reports, Serbian-language media have published the letter placed by the AKP in the branch facilities in Zubin-Potok, Zveçan and Leposavic.
"There is no end to Kurti's terror: A warning has been placed at the entrance to the Postal Savings Bank in Leposaviq," is the full title of the article in "novosti.rs"Kurti's terror continues in Kosovo: In Leposavic, a warning was placed on the doors of the Serbian bank," is the headline used by "b92.net" and "Kurti's terror in Leposaviq does not stop: A warning was placed at the entrance to the Postal Savings Bank" is the title of "alo.rs".
What does the AKP letter say?
In a letter posted at the entrance to the facility in Zubin-Potok, the AKP announced that the facility is under its management and that any attempt to enter the facility without authorization is considered a violation and that measures will be taken according to the Criminal Code of Kosovo. The AKP also said that the illegal user of the facility is obliged to notify the authorities within 10 days in order to remove the items, or the AKP will not take responsibility for their removal after the given deadline.
The AKP also made a statement on its Facebook page on Thursday. According to the statement, the assets it has now taken possession of were illegally used by the Postal Savings Bank until the end of May, when it was closed by the Kosovo authorities.
AKP statement:
“In the course of establishing the legality and lawful administration of socially owned assets, the Privatization Agency of Kosovo, with the assistance of the Kosovo Police, has taken possession of the premises of N.Sh. Jugobanka, respectively the branches in Zubin Potok, Zveçan and Leposaviq. These assets have been illegally used by the Posta Savings Bank j.a. (Banka Postanska Stedionica ad) until May 20, 2024, when the competent institutions of the Republic of Kosovo closed these units of the so-called Postal Savings Bank (Banka Postanske Stedionica). The KPA thanks the Kosovo Police and other relevant institutions for assisting and enabling the implementation of its legal mandate throughout the territory of the Republic of Kosovo.”
On May 20, 2024, the Kosovo Police announced the closure of six branches of this bank in northern Kosovo. According to the Police announcement, the branches were operating illegally in this area of Kosovo. The Police said that they acted with the authorization of the competent prosecutor, following reports from financial monitoring institutions such as the Financial Intelligence Unit and the Central Bank of Kosovo (see here).
On the same day, the Police announced that around 1.6 million euros, 74 million dinars, around 19500 francs, almost 14 dollars and around 40 Australian dollars, as well as documentation and evidence related to the case, had also been confiscated as material evidence (see here).
The action took place a week after the Central Bank announced that the transitional period for the regulation prohibiting the use of the Serbian dinar for making payments had ended. The CBK regulation, which entered into force on February 1, stipulates the euro as the sole currency for making payments.
Hibrid.info has on several occasions addressed claims by the Serbian media or authorities about “terror in Kosovo”. In many cases, the actions of the Kosovo authorities have been presented as attempts to expel Serbs from northern Kosovo. In all these cases, the reports have not been based on facts (see here, here, here and here)
Analyze:
Three Serbian-language media outlets have claimed that the AKP's takeover of several branches of the Postal Savings Bank in northern Kosovo is "a continuation of Kurti's terror."
For the claim made in the headlines, none of the media outlets in question has relied on facts.
Based on the working methodology, hibrid.info assesses the headlines of "novosti.rs", "b92.net" and "alo.rs" as "Conspiracy Theory".
Reasoning:
"Conspiracy theories" are considered to be informational content that contains a false or unverifiable description of a phenomenon, event or person, presenting it as part or the result of a secret plan ("conspiracy"). The characteristic of these contents is that they present a series of claims, presented as facts, between which cause-effect relationships are established, without providing any reliable evidence.