In a public reaction, the editorial team of KALLXO.com stated that it had once again been subjected to baseless attacks by Prishtina Mayor Përparim Rama, after the municipality failed for more than 10 days to provide access to legalisation files concerning a case that became the subject of public debate after members of the Prishtina Municipal Assembly referred it to the Special Prosecution Office.

While KALLXO.com has continued to report professionally on publicly raised concerns regarding the legalisation process, today, on August 10, 2026, without providing any evidence or basis for his claim, the mayor of the capital accused our editorial team of having an agenda aimed at “discrediting the state.”

“This approach toward our professional reporting is unacceptable and constitutes a direct attack on media freedom in Kosovo,” KALLXO.com notes in its reaction.

We remind Mr. Rama that KALLXO.com’s reporting concerning the criminal complaint related to the legalisation process in Prishtina has been professional, has gone through fact-checking and verification, and has provided all parties involved with an opportunity to respond.

Moreover, our professional work has been repeatedly obstructed by the continued refusal of the Municipality of Prishtina and other actors involved to provide explanations and access to relevant information.

KALLXO.com clarifies that, on July 31, 2026, it requested access from the Municipality to the files concerning parcels numbered 058855-4, 3130-0, 05865-0 and 06189-26. These cases were reported to the Special Prosecution Office amid allegations that Florent Maliqi, Chief of Staff to Mayor Rama, had requested or accepted a bribe in order to facilitate the legalisation process.

However, to date, our journalists have not received a positive response to their request for access to these files.

As part of its repeated efforts to obtain responses from all relevant parties, KALLXO.com also attempted to contact and directly interview Florent Maliqi, the mayor’s Chief of Staff. However, this was not possible because of his refusal to engage with the media.

KALLXO.com’s editorial team considers Rama’s statement a direct attack on our professional work and calls on the Mayor to refrain from using derogatory and unprofessional language toward media outlets and journalists.

Previous attacks by Prishtina against KALLXO.com have also drawn public criticism from civil society representatives, including the Youth Initiative for Human Rights – Kosovo, YIHR KS, and Dren Puka, Executive Director of the Kosovo Civil Society Foundation, KCSF.

On July 30, in a public statement, YIHR KS expressed concern over Mayor Përparim Rama’s decision to terminate the agreement governing the use of public space in which BIRN’s Reporting House museum operates.

YIHR KS stressed that public institutions should support and preserve spaces that serve the public interest, particularly those that contribute to documenting the past and promoting education on human rights and peace.

“Reporting House is a space that preserves our stories, testimonies and collective memory. Such decisions weaken efforts to confront the past and promote human rights education.”

Meanwhile, Dren Puka, Executive Director of KCSF, wrote in an article for Kosovo 2.0 that: “Public property does not belong to the mayor of the municipality or to the party governing it. It belongs to citizens, including those who oppose those in power and demand accountability from them.”