A group of 60 Kosovo civil society organisations and over 150 media outlets released an open letter on Friday urging Albina Shabani-Rama, the Head of the Prishtina Basic Court, and Fisnik Gashi, the judge presiding over the case against members and followers of the Telegram group ‘AlbKings’, not to approve a guilty plea deal that would only fine the three defendants for the repeated harassment of a KALLXO.com journalist. 

Hundreds of girls and women, including the KALLXO.com journalist, were victims of harassment and harassment and non-consensual pornography on the social network “Telegram” in Kosovo, through the group known as “AlbKings.”

On September 18, 2025, the Prishtina Basic Prosecution submitted a plea deal to the Prishtina Basic Court under which the accused agreed to pay a fine of 2,000-2,500 euros for the ongoing harassment of a KALLXO.com journalist, whose identity is being withheld for safety reasons. The harassment occurred after the journalist reported  on gender based violence in Kosovo.

The civil society organisations stated that, “the three individuals accused of harassing a journalist and numerous other girls on the Telegram network, including the group ‘AlbKings’,  are expected to only receive a  fine of 2,500 euros each, following an unprecedented agreement reached between the harassers and the Prishtina Prosecution, represented by prosecutor Elza Bajrami-Kastrati and confirmed by Prishtina Chief Prosecutor Zejnullah Gashi.

“Albkings,” which had over 112,000 members at its peak, was responsible for distributing intimate photos, videos, and deepfake content of women and girls without their consent.

The civil society organisations wrote that the plea deal “fails to reflect the gravity of the crimes and further victimises the women involved, including three journalists” and they condemned it as a form of amnesty for the perpetrators which fails to recognise the impact of cyber-harassment on women in public life.

The KALLXO.com journalist was not consulted nor was she informed about the plea deal despite legal provisions requiring victim participation in the process.

Moreover, the indictment filed by Prosecutor Bajrami-Kastrati does not address the defendants’ motives nor does it specify that one of the defendants admitted to sharing the journalist’s phone number in the “AlbKings” group.

Only pages 10 and 11 of the 14 page indictment mention that examination of the defendants’ phones by the police cybercrime division uncovered hundreds of pornographic videos and photos, as well as phone numbers and private messages that the defendants had written to girls and women targeted by the group. Over 100,000 members of the AlbKings group had unauthorised access to this content. 

The civil society organisations wrote  that, “it is deeply concerning that the court’s decision comes at a time when the journalist and her legal counsel have requested that the case be handled through a public trial, where evidence would be presented to demonstrate that the perpetrators had organised their efforts with the intention of intimidating women who are part of public life.”

“The Prosecution treated the harassment of a journalist as a routine matter, with no consequences for the public interest,” the statement reads.

“Such lenient punishment for the harassers of women journalists and the followers of pornographic platforms once again reveal the patriarchal mindset of the system and the prosecutors’ willingness to turn a blind eye to violence against women,” the letter states.

The organisations also expressed concern over the proposed sentence, emphasising that the “crimes in question carry a legal penalty of up to three years in prison.”

 “The prosecution has accepted an extraordinarily lenient sentence that fails to meet legal or ethical standards, especially considering the nature of the crime,” the statement reads.

In March 2025, the Prishtina Basic Court sentenced the founder and administrator of the “AlbKings” Telegram group to prison for identity theft and blackmail. 

In May 2024, seven people were arrested after BIRN and other organisations reported that private data of women and girls, including the phone numbers of female journalists from KALLXO .com and Klan Kosova, had been shared without authorisation in the group.

The Prishtina Basic Court is expected to announce its final decision for the case on Monday, September 22, 2025. 

The signatory organisations expressed that they hope the court will reconsider and issue a sentence that reflects the seriousness of the crimes and which sends a strong message against gender-based online violence.

Signatories of the letter include the following: Association of Journalists of Kosovo- AJK;, Association of Independent Electronic Media of Kosovo- AMPEK (an association of 93 electronic media outlets), Kosovo Press Council, (a self-regulatory mechanism for online media with 49 members), Kosovo Women Network (a network of 102 member NGOs), Activism Roots, Advocacy Center for Democratic Culture – ACDC, Advocacy Training and Resource Center, ATRC, ANIBAR, Art and Community Center – ARTPOLIS, Balkan Green Foundation, BGF, Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN, CEL Kosovo, Civil Rights Program Kosovo, Community Building Mitrovica, CBM, Community Development Fund, CDF, Dajana Berisha, Forum for Civic Initiatives, FIQ, Democracy for Development, D4D, Democracy Plus, D+, Durmish Asllano, Ec ma ndryshe, Kosovar Civil Society Foundation, KCSF, Humanitarian Law Center, HLC, Fourth Wave, GERMIN, HANDIKOS Istog, HANDIKOS, Drenas, Kosovo Democratic Institute, KDI, Kosovo Institute for Local Governance, QIKA Institute, Riinvest Institute, Internws Kosova, Kosovo Council for the Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms, KMDLNj, Hyjneshat Collective, Kosovo Advocacy and Development Centre – KADC, Kosovo Women for Women, FOL Movement, NGO AKTIV, AVOKO NGO, COHU NGO, Dylberizm NGO,  Gjethi NGO,  ISDY NGO,  Mundësia NGO, Pishtaret NGO,  Romtegra NGO, YES NGO, ZANA NGO, Open Data Kosovo, Organization for Improving Quality in Education – ORCA, Kosovar Center for Gender Studies, Kosovar Center for Security Studies, QKSS, Center for Social Group Development, CSGD, Romano Avazo, Avonet Network, Kosovo Women Journalists Network, Qeliza Network, Sekhmet Institute, SH-L Kosovo, Syri i Vizionit, Women in Tech Kosovo.