Prepared by: Festim Rizanaj
Fake news that has spread through the media, dubious portals, and social media accounts has been at the top of the misinformation covered by hibrid.info over the past week.
Fake news has been published on various social media and platforms, including Facebook, TikTok and Telegram. Some of the topics covered by these fake news include unfounded claims, such as that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan congratulated Albin Kurti on his victory in the February 9 elections, which is incorrect. Another claim draws attention on Facebook, where an image was shared with the caption that Vučić had declared that the Serbian List would form the government with the opposition, information that is also incorrect. Also, content in Serbian was published on Telegram claiming that Kosovo police forces are assembling weapons in Jarinje, while there is no reliable information about this. Another incorrect content was shared on TikTok, where it is stated that the PDK has received 93.82% of the votes from the diaspora, while the counting of these votes has not yet begun. Also, an image has been distributed claiming that Kadri Veseli has been declared innocent by the Court in The Hague and will be released, while this information is false, as the Special Court has not yet made a decision on him.
Clickbait has been assessed for the publication by the “Agjencia e Lajmeve Sot News” Facebook page of an article with a misleading title claiming that a former candidate for MP has killed two people. The generalized title leaves room for misinformation, suggesting that the event took place in Albanian-speaking areas. However, after clicking on the article, it becomes clear that the event took place in Greece. This type of article is a typical example of the spread of misinformation through catchy headlines that do not accurately reflect the full content.
The misleading content was mainly published on Facebook and included topics that attempted to mislead users through inaccurate information. One example is a sponsored post from the page “WellCare Hub”, which claimed that prostate capsules would be given away for free. After verification, it was discovered that this content uses old and questionable photos, and the mentioned medication, “Prostafix”, is not authorized for marketing in Kosovo. Another misleading content includes an image showing Albin Kurti and Rexhep Qosje, with a portrait of Enver Hoxha in the background. This image was manipulated to create an incorrect connection between the Kosovo political figures and the communist dictator of Albania.
The unverified content was published on February 10 in an article claiming that DUI leader Ali Ahmeti met with the leaders of political parties (LDK, AAK and PDK) to discuss the formation of a governing coalition in Kosovo. The article uses a headline suggesting that Ahmeti is forming a governing coalition, but after verification by hibrid.info, it was confirmed that the photos used are old and date from December 17, 2024, making the content untrue and unverified.
The misinformation has been spread through several posts on social media and public reactions. The Head of the Office for Kosovo in the Government of Serbia, Petar Petkovic, has claimed that an attempt is being made to change the civic will of Kosovo Serbs in the February 9 elections, based on data published by the CEC, which had discrepancies. However, the CEC has clarified the situation through a press conference, rejecting the claims. Also, in a post shared on Facebook on February 12 by the account “Fitim ÇeKu”, it is claimed that the diaspora votes have been counted and that LVV has received 40% of them. This claim has been verified by hibrid.info and it has been revealed that the Central Election Commission has announced that the counting process will take about 10 days, and that the votes have not yet been calculated. Furthermore, it has been stated that the certification of the elections and the final results will be made within two days of February 17, which is also untrue.
A photo was used to manipulate information, claiming that Albin Kurti went to the offices of the Serbian List to coordinate with this political entity on the formation of the government. After verifying the facts, it was discovered that this claim is untrue. The image used was taken from an old video taken on January 16, when Kurti visited the Interex market in Leposavic. In the authentic video, Kurti is seen passing by the offices of the Serbian List, but the visit had nothing to do with coordination on the formation of the government.
Clickbait
The “Agjencia e Lajmeve Sot News” Facebook page has published an article that claims in the title that a former candidate for deputy has killed two people. Because the page publishes articles in Albanian, the general title leaves room for misinformation that the event took place in Albanian-speaking areas. But after clicking on the article, within the text it is learned that it is a report about Greece. Considering that this portal publishes articles in Albanian, the general title leaves room for misinformation that the event took place in Albanian-speaking areas. (here)
Lies
An image is published claiming that a decision has been made to provide prostate capsules practically free of charge. This content was published as sponsored (February 6) in the form of a clickable image on Facebook, by a page called “WellCare Hub”. After verification by hibrid.info, it turns out that the post uses old photos from a foreign country; clicking on the article leads to a suspicious page; and that the medication in question, “Prostafix”, is not on the list of products with marketing authorization in the Republic of Kosovo. (here)
An image is published showing Albin Kurti, the Prime Minister of Kosovo, and Rexhep Qosja, an academic. In the background of this photo is a portrait hanging on the wall of Enver Hoxha, the dictator who led Albania during the communist period. Hibrid.info has found that this photo is manipulated. (here)
Fake news
A claim has been circulating on social media that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan congratulated LVV's prime ministerial candidate Albin Kurti on his victory in the February 9 elections in a phone call. However, apart from this unfounded claim, there is no information to support the claim that the Turkish Foreign Minister congratulated LVV's prime ministerial candidate Kurti on his victory. (here)
A post in the form of an image was shared on social media Facebook with the caption “Vučić: The government is formed by the Srpska List together with the opposition”. The claim that Vučić has stated that the government in Kosovo is formed by the Srpska List together with the opposition is false. Regarding this issue, Vučić has said that anyone who would form a government with Kurti “would be politically dead”. (here)
A Serbian-language Telegram account has claimed without evidence that in Jarinje, Kosovo Police Forces (FIT) are assembling weapons and flying drones in the presence of KFOR. Such information has not been found published by official sources or credible media. (here)
A video material is published with the caption claiming that portals have reported that from the diaspora votes, the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) has received 93.82% of the votes. This content was published (February 11) on TikTok by an account named “hipphop.al”. The caption further claims that with this result, the PDK will come out on top in the overall result of the parliamentary elections. According to reports, the counting of the diaspora votes has not yet begun. (here)
An image is published showing Kadri Veseli, the former speaker of the Kosovo Assembly, with a caption claiming that he has been declared innocent by the Court in The Hague, where he is being held as a war crimes suspect, and that he will be released on February 16. This content was published (February 14) on TikTok by an account named “republikaekosoves1”. Hibrid.info has found that the Special Court has not yet made any decision regarding the former speaker of parliament Veseli. (here)
Unverified content
Through an article published on February 10, it was claimed that the leader of the DUI, Ali Ahmeti, on the same date, met with the leaders of political parties (LDK, AAK and PDK). This article states, “is Ali Ahmeti knitting the governing coalition in Kosovo”. After fact-checking conducted by hibrid.info, it was confirmed that the photos used in the article are old (December 17, 2024). (here)
disinformation
The Head of the Office for Kosovo in the Government of Serbia, Petar Petkovic, through a reaction on the social network X, has claimed that an attempt is being made to change the civic will of Kosovo Serbs, expressed by vote in the February 9 elections. He based this claim on the data published so far on the CEC website, which have discrepancies. However, the central institution for organizing elections in the country, the CEC, has clarified this through a press conference. (here)
A Facebook post claimed that the diaspora votes for the February 9 parliamentary elections had been counted and that the Vetëvendosje Movement had received 40 percent of the votes. The claim was published by the “Fitim ÇeKu” Facebook account on February 12. Hibrid.info has verified the facts on this issue. The Central Election Commission announced on February 13 that it would take about 10 days to evaluate the packages of ballots from the diaspora. The account also claimed that the elections are expected to be certified next Monday (February 17) and that the final results will be known within two days of their publication. (here)
Manipulation of facts/Disinformation
Through a photo, it was claimed that Kurti went to the offices of the Serbian List to coordinate with this political entity to form a government. After verifying the facts, it was proven that the claim is false. The image is taken from an old video taken on January 16 when Kurti visited the Interex market in Leposavic, which opened last year. Kurti, in the authentic video, is seen walking past the offices of the Serbian List while going to the Interex market. (here)