The Mayor of Skenderaj, Sami Lushtaku, through his lawyer Labinot Vata, has asked the acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, to withdraw his "defamatory" statement regarding what Kurti said last night in a television interview that Lushtaku had allegedly intended to hit his motorcade in January 2025 in Skenderaj.
In addition to withdrawing the statement, lawyer Vata has also asked Kurti to publish the correction and apologize to Sami Lushtaku.
"We, in the capacity of the authorized representative of Mr. Sami Lushtaku, through Attorney Labinot Vata, address you regarding your public statements given on 18.05.2026 in the "Interaktiv" show on KTV […], where, among other things, you stated: 'The Mayor of the Municipality of Skenderaj, with an official vehicle, 2Z, intended to have a traffic match with the escort where I was… he intended to interrupt the movement of our escort, in a violent manner, with an official vehicle of the Municipality of Skenderaj… there was an attempt to endanger'".
"The above statements are serious, tendentious and defamatory towards Mr. Sami Lushtaku, directly violating his honor, personal integrity, public reputation and political and social figure. Through these statements, you have publicly attributed dangerous, violent and potentially illegal behavior to Mr. Sami Lushtaku, without any judicial decision, final institutional act or legally confirmed evidence that would support such claims," it was stated in the letter that lawyer Vata sent to Kurti, which was obtained by Klan Kosova.
He says that the use of expressions such as, “He intended to cause a traffic accident”; “To violently interrupt traffic”; and “There was an attempt to cause danger” directly attribute to Sami Lushtaku actions of a dangerous and criminal nature, creating a harmful, prejudiced and denigrating perception of him in public opinion, “which is a defamation directed at Mr. Sami Lushtaku.”
These statements, says lawyer Vata, are made even more serious by the fact that they were made by the acting prime minister, in a national medium with wide visibility, which gives them special institutional weight and great public influence.
He reminded Kurti that Law No. 02/L-65 on Defamation and Insult provides for the obligation to mitigate damage and the right to react before initiating judicial proceedings, specifically, Article 12 of this law stipulates that: “Before filing a lawsuit under this Law, a person who is alleged to have been injured shall take all reasonable measures to mitigate any damage caused by the expression. In particular, the plaintiff shall request the correction of that expression from the person who is alleged to have caused the damage.”
"In accordance with this legal provision and in the spirit of mitigating the damage, Mr. Sami Lushtaku, through his legal representative, requests that you publicly withdraw the statements made in the "Interaktiv" show of 18.05.2026; To publish a correction and public clarification regarding the statements made against Mr. Sami Lushtaku; To publicly apologize for the untrue and damaging statements addressed to him; To refrain from other unfounded statements that violate the personality, integrity and reputation of Mr. Sami Lushtaku. All of this should be done within 24 hours of receiving this request."
This request, according to Sami Lushtaku's lawyer, Labinot Vata, represents a legal and institutional effort to mitigate the damage caused and to avoid further legal proceedings.
"If the requested actions are not taken within the reasonable legal deadline, Mr. Sami Lushtaku reserves the right to initiate civil proceedings for compensation for moral and reputational damage, as well as to take all legal remedies provided for by applicable legislation," it was stated at the end of this letter.
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