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The documentary "PO NA SHUJN," (English: They are Extinguishing Us) produced by Euronews Albania, has been awarded the first prize of the EU for Investigative Journalism in 2023.
The story of the ethnic Albanian community in Serbia, presented in documentary form on Euronews Albania, has been recognized as the best investigative story among 43 competitors from other media outlets.
Aurora Velaj, the journalist who worked on this documentary, considers this award a victory for the right to free information and an important step towards justice and equality.
"PO NA SHUJN" aims to take us into the depths of the Albanians in the Presheva Valley in Serbia. Through their testimonies and the exposure of fundamental rights violations, we attempted to shed light on a situation that should not be ignored, reflecting injustices and endless suffering that remind us that human rights causes are a universal responsibility," Velaj said.
At the ceremony held at Europe House, three other awards were also presented for the best investigative stories published in Albania during 2022.
The second place was awarded to journalist Osman Stafa, while the third-place winners were Artan Rama and Anila Hoxha.
The initial figures from the recently concluded 2022 census in Serbia indicate that there were 122,147 registered residents in the municipalities of Bujanovac, Preševo, and Medveđa. Among these, 96,359 were of Albanian ethnicity. Comparing this data to the last census in 2002, where these municipalities with a predominantly Albanian population last participated, there has been an increase of over 35,000 people in the populations of Bujanovac and Preševo.