Confronting Disinformation and Hate Speech: BIRN’s Hate Speech and Disinformation During the 2025 Election in Kosovo Report 

On April 2, with the presence of Ambassador Orav and President Osmani, BIRN Kosovo launched the Hate Speech and Disinformation During the 2025 Election in Kosovo Report. 

Launched on the occasion of the International Fact Checking Day, the EU-Funded report presents findings that point to the widespread use of hate speech and disinformation throughout the electoral period. Kosovo’s Election Complaints and Appeals Panel (ECAP) found political parties responsible for hate speech in 30 individual cases and levied fines of up to 35,000 euros. Nevertheless, some hate-speech content flagged by the ECAP remains accessible on party websites and digital platforms to this day. On election day alone, fact-checkers identified at least 100 instances of disinformation.

“Combating disinformation is not the responsibility of just one institution alone—it requires a collective effort from all of us: policymakers, journalists, fact-checkers, and civil society. We must work together,” said Ambassador Orav at the launch event, highlighting the EU’s commitment to support initiatives that work to create a media environment that is transparent, accountable, and resilient to manipulation.

President Osmani who was one of the keynote speakers at the event, said that, “The truth is the strongest weapon of democracy – when the truth is attacked, freedom itself is under attack,” once again emphasising the commitment of Kosovo institutions to lead the battle towards a more informed, respectful, and democratic public discourse, especially during critical moments like election campaigns, where disinformation and hate speech threaten the very foundations of democratic engagement.

Authored by Kreshnik Gashi and Visar Prebeza with contributions from Adelina Ahmeti, Rudinë Jakupi, Vesë Kelmendi and Ivana Nikolić, the report highlights the extent of issues of hate speech and disinformation in the 2025 elections, showing how both domestic and foreign actors contributed to a toxic electoral environment.

The report also points to a dehumanising rhetoric that was used during the election campaign, namely, political opponents labelling each other as animals, mentally incompetent, or spies. Such discourse by people with such impact, not only undermines the dignity of individuals at stake, but also fosters an environment of normalised hate speech and bullying  in the society at large. 

The role of the media is also critical in this context, as highlighted by the report as well.The findings point towards the fact that many media outlets provided space for unverified sources to create clickbait content based on unfounded claims against parliamentary candidates. 

Furthermore, the findings of the report reveal another alarming truth concerning media literacy among political figures with 20% of politicians surveyed who failed to identify fabricated news stories as fake. 

The report that can be found here for further reading is concluded with two groups of recommendations, one directed to Kosovo’s institutions and political parties and the other directed to media and media regulatory bodies.