Wrote: Festim Rizanaj
Serbian media outlet Informer.rs published two articles on Tuesday (12 and 13 August) with the claim that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and President Vjosa Osmani attended a reception with Mefail Shkodra, suspected of the murder of three people in Gjilan on August 10, 2025. (here, here)
The articles report that Shkodra is a close friend of Kurti and that the president, Vjosa Osmani, and the minister, Xhelal Sveçla, were also present during the reception, and that at this event everyone enjoyed alcohol together.
This claim provides no facts linking Kosovar leaders to Shkodra's criminal actions.
What is known about these photographs?
It is known that Mefail Shkodra, along with his two sons, Edonis and Engjull Shkodra, are suspects in the triple murder that occurred on August 10, 2025 in Gjilan.
After this incident, photographs began to circulate on several news portals showing Mefail Shkodra next to the acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, President Vjosa Osmani, acting Minister Xhelal Sveçla and the Mayor of Pristina, Përparim Rama. (here, here, here)
These photos were interpreted as a form of linking the defendant to the government, with the claim that he is participating in government activities.
After verification, it has been confirmed that all photographs of Mefail Shkodra with political representatives are from November 26, 2022, during a reception organized by Embassy of the Republic of Albania in Kosovo on the occasion of the 110th anniversary of Independence.
The event was attended by the highest leaders of the Republic of Kosovo, the diplomatic corps accredited in Kosovo, academics, artists, friends and associates. Therefore, there is no fact that proves any connection between state and political representatives with the suspect Shkodra.
Serbian media, referring to these photos, has presented Mefail Shkodra as a “close friend” of government representatives, including acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti, President Vjosa Osmani and acting Minister Xhelal Sveçla. In the article published on Informer.rs, Shkodra is described as a known criminal and functionary of the Vetëvendosje Movement, who is suspected of having killed three people in Gjilan on August 10, 2025 and then fled.
The article refers to a post on X by Serbian politician Nebojša Bakarec from the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), who describes Shkodra and his sons as drug and arms dealers, criminals, suggesting connections to Kosovar political leaders without providing facts.
Analyze:
Serbian media has presented Mefail Shkodra as a "close friend" of government representatives, referring to several photographs where he is seen next to acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti, President Vjosa Osmani, and acting Minister Xhelal Sveçla.
In the article published on Informer.rs, Shkodra is described as a known criminal and functionary of the Vetëvendosje Movement, who is suspected of having killed three people in Gjilan on August 10, 2025 and then fled.
However, the Serbian media's claim does not hold up, as no facts are provided linking Kosovo leaders to Shkodra's criminal actions.
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.