European agency says Kosovo television 'media arm' of ruler

Geneva- The European Broadcasting Union on Monday slammed Hashim Thaci, the prime minister of Kosovo, accusing him of turning the public service broadcaster into a "media arm of the ruling party."In a letter to Thaci, Jean Reveillon, head of the EBU, said that since the territory declared itself an independent state in 2008, the broadcaster RTK has been forced under "a relentless process of political and economic interference."

"Pressure from your government transformed RTK from being a balanced supplier of news into a media arm of the ruling party and of yourself as prime minister. Critical or alternative voices have been suppressed," Reveillon wrote, noting European financial aid which helped form the channel a decade ago.

"What we are now seeing is pressure from the Kosovo government to turn RTK into an uncritical state broadcaster," the letter said.

The situation has worsened in the last five months, the EBU said, citing European Union reports, and one by the organization Reporters without Borders which found "freedom of media in Kosovo considerably deteriorated" and the territory fell from 58th place last year to 75th this year in the rankings chart.

Saying that the moves to exert control over RTK "will be beneficial neither to the citizens of Kosovo nor to your ambitions for more international recognition of your country," Reveillon urged the premier to enact "urgent measures" to restore autonomy to the broadcaster.

International reaction to Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence has been mixed. Only a minority of United Nations member states, mostly Western countries, have recognized Kosovo as independent.