Posted 2009/2/26
Kosovo: Harassment against anti-corruption organisation ÇOHU!

Front Line is concerned following reports of harassment against anti-corruption organisation ÇOHU!, in particular against the wife of the head of the organisation, Mr Avni Zogiani. ÇOHU! is an anti-corruption organisation which, for the past two weeks, has campaigned against a secret deal which has reportedly been made by the Government and Post Telecom Kosovo (PTK) in order to make a bid for a mobile-telephone-operating license in Albania.
Further Information
As part of its campaign, ÇOHU! has sought and published information regarding the deal and a consortium which has allegedly been established with private parties from Albania. ÇOHU! has also released a video of a confidential meeting between Prime Minister Hashim Thaqi and Albanian businessmen, and has acquired and published related documents.
On 25 February 2009, the Managing Director of PTK, Mr Shygyrj Haxhaj, gave an interview on public television in Kosovo, during which he accused the wife of Avni Zogiani, whose name is known to Front Line and who is employed by PTK, of providing information about the company to ÇOHU!. The wife of Avni Zogiani currently works in the finance department at the PTK headquarters, with no access to the documents published by ÇOHU!. However, she has been informed of plans to transfer her to a provincial warehouse. ÇOHU! affirms that the information in question, which includes the contract for the aforementioned consortium and the forms from the business register of the companies which are to be involved in the deal with PTK, came from Albania. The harassment of Avni Zogiani's wife, including the plan to move her to another office, has been ongoing since a recent report published by ÇOHU! on the Prime Minister Hashim Thaqi's government.
The Government has also reportedly responded to ÇOHU!'s campaign by targeting the organisation in the pro-government press, among other things alleging that ÇOHU!'s sources of finances are suspicious and should be investigated.
Front Line believes that the harassment of ÇOHU!, including that of the wife of Avni Zogiani, may be related to the work of the organisation in the defence of human rights, in particular its work against corruption in Kosovo.
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