A Smear Campaign Against Memory and Justice
A coordinated smear against a genocide survivor is not journalism, it is an assault on truth, democracy, and Kosovo’s sovereignty. Silence is complicity. Action is overdue.
In late May, a grotesque spectacle unfolded on Kosovo’s social media channels, one that has since reverberated far beyond the digital sphere and exposed, in full light, a systematic effort to undermine not only the moral fabric of the young republic, but its very claim to sovereignty and truth.
It began on 31 May, with a single post by Ilir Mirena, editor-in-chief of Periskopi, a news platform in Kosovo long alleged to operate as a conduit for the country’s most venal political forces — and, increasingly, for narratives sympathetic to Serbia’s enduring campaign of delegitimisation against the Kosovan state.
Mirena shared a screenshot of a cropped image of Kosovo’s acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti1, seated solemnly on a green sofa. Without context, he appended a sneering caption: “He looks as though he eats nothing but stale bread, yet last year alone his office spent 112,000 euros on lunches and dinners. 😁” A throwaway line of political mockery? Hardly.
The image had been taken during …
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Gunpowder Chronicles to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.