Baton Haxhiu was born on February 23 1968 and Skenderaj Kosovo is a Kosovo Albanian columnist and journalist who has worked for media such as Koha Ditore, Gazeta Express, Klan Kosova and ABC News Albania.
10 Facts About Baton Haxhiu
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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When Baton Haxhiu reached the country, he resumed publishing Koha Ditore.
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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.