In a post published on the Serbian Telegram channel ""Corridor" has spread the news about the farewell meeting of the acting Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, with the head of the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX), Giovanni Pietro Barbano. On this meeting, the channel has built an unfounded narrative, claiming that EULEX cooperates with Kosovo institutions in the “torture” and “ill-treatment” of Serbian prisoners.
The post states that “according to reliable sources” Serbs imprisoned in Kosovo are visited by EULEX, who asks them if they are being mistreated by “Albanians”, while after these visits, according to the claim, “torture and mistreatment become even more severe”. EULEX is further accused of “collaborating with Albanian terrorists” in crimes against Serbs, while the post ends with inflammatory and dehumanizing language, calling for no distinction to be made between Albanians and EULEX members.
What happened?
On June 17, 2026, The Prime Minister's Office announced that Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti received in a farewell meeting the Head of EULEX, Giovanni Pietro Barbano, whom he thanked for his contribution and service. The statement states that during the meeting, the role of EULEX in supporting Kosovo institutions in the field of the rule of law was appreciated, including monitoring the justice system, support for the police, correctional services and forensics, as well as the commitment to the protection of human rights and victims.
However, the “Koridor” channel has used this news to build a completely different narrative, presenting the institutional cooperation between the Government of Kosovo and EULEX as alleged evidence of a conspiracy against imprisoned Serbs, without providing any facts or evidence to support this claim.
There is no evidence of systematic mistreatment of Serbian prisoners.
The Telegram channel's claim is not accompanied by any verifiable evidence. No names of people, concrete cases, documents, reports or decisions of local or international institutions are presented that would prove that Serbian prisoners in Kosovo are systematically mistreated or that EULEX is involved in such a practice.
On the contrary, the current mandate of EULEX is focused on monitoring, mentoring and advising of the rule of law institutions in Kosovo, including the correctional system. The mission monitors respect for human rights standards, the treatment of persons deprived of liberty and the functioning of justice institutions.
According to official EULEX data, The Correctional Unit of this mission has carried out over 1,150 visits in correctional institutions and probation service offices, with the aim of monitoring, advising and supporting the Kosovo Correctional Service in accordance with European standards and human rights.
EULEX also emphasizes that within its mandate, special attention is paid to the right to liberty, protection from torture and ill-treatment, as well as the rights of imprisoned persons.
Analyze
The “Koridor” channel post does not present facts, but uses vague formulations such as “from reliable sources”, without identifying them and without providing any verifiable evidence. At the same time, it uses offensive and dehumanizing language towards Albanians, calling them “terrorists”, and incites hostility towards EULEX members.
The publication of the meeting between acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti and the head of EULEX, Giovanni Pietro Barbano, has been used as a pretext to build an unfounded narrative, according to which EULEX and Kosovo institutions allegedly collaborate in the mistreatment of imprisoned Serbs.
However, there is no verified fact to support such a claim. On the contrary, EULEX's mandate includes monitoring the correctional system and protecting human rights, including the rights of persons deprived of their liberty.
Based on its work methodology, hibrid.info considers this claim to be "misinformation".
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.