Baton Haxhiu majored in sociology at University of Pristina, but his studies were interrupted when the government closed the university in 1991; he then continued studying with the city's underground academic movement.
10 Facts About Baton Haxhiu
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Baton Haxhiu worked as a section editor for Koha, a weekly Albanian-language magazine.
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Baton Haxhiu later became editor-in-chief of Koha Ditore, a Prishtina daily newspaper.
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The paper's lawyer was murdered, and NATO incorrectly reported that Baton Haxhiu had been killed.
5.
Baton Haxhiu escaped attack by hiding in a basement, where he spent more than a week with only apples and water.
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Baton Haxhiu approached a woman with a child and persuaded her to pretend he was her husband and the child's father.
7.
Four days later, while Baton Haxhiu was still trying to reach the Republic of Macedonia, word spread of his escape, and Albanian politician Arben Xhaferi dispatched a team to retrieve Baton Haxhiu and bring him to safety.
8.
When Baton Haxhiu reached the country, he resumed publishing Koha Ditore.
9.
That year, Baton Haxhiu won the CPJ International Press Freedom Awards, which recognises journalists who show courage in defending press freedom despite facing attacks, threats, or imprisonment.
10.
Baton Haxhiu is currently the head of Albanian Post, and makes appearances on Albanian-speaking television as a columnist.