Around the end of 2023, the group “ALBKINGS,” an abbreviation for “Albanian Kings,” emerged on the Telegram social network. Only Albanian boys and men make up this group, and since its inception, it has been disseminating pornographic materials, nude photos, and montages of various Albanian girls and women. Since the group’s inception, the number of members has rapidly increased to staggering proportions. This group has successfully gathered over 100,000 members, representing over 100,000 Albanian men and boys from Kosovo, Albania, Macedonia, and the diaspora. Already, since this group was open, the Telegram application was not a little-used platform in Kosovo. This group turned into a criminal platform, and not only that. For Albanian girls and women, it became a source of terror. Boys and men started blackmailing their girlfriends and girls with whom they communicated on social networks, by sharing their intimate photos and videos in case they did not do what they asked for in return. Some men demanded money to prevent the publication of their photos and videos, while others requested sexual favors, among other things. If these girls and women refused to comply with the demands, the group disseminated their private images and videos, which they had either recorded with or without the girls’ knowledge, leading to an indescribable sense of fear and terror for these girls and women. The victims of this terror ranged from minor girls, i.e., under 18 years of age, to middle-aged women with children. However, based on the data that the prosecution provided to Perspektiva Plus, the vast majority of the victims are young girls, ranging from 15 to 27 years old.
A seventeen-year-old high school student in Kosovo, who was the target and victim of blackmail and the sharing of intimate images, spoke anonymously to Kiks Kosova saying ” I am seventeen years old, and I was in the gym when I got a message from my girlfriend two or three hours after they shared my pictures on Telegram, with her letting me know what had taken place. She sent me the pictures they had posted, and the sight of them filled me with terror. They were montages. Photoshop. This has caused me to experience a lot of psychological problems. All my family members were texting me, saying that someone had posted me on Telegram; they too have not experienced this well at all. I am feeling very bad. This has affected me so much that I can barely take care of myself anymore. I was shocked to discover that they weren’t even my photos, but rather a combination of my face and another girl’s body. I am not the type to share such pictures. They have even shared a number of contact, pretending it was mine. My family has been going through this very harshly; they aren’t even talking to me. I decided to speak out because I noticed that no one was taking the phenomenon with this group seriously. I wanted at least one woman to speak about this matter, to show what is happening, and not to shut up,” said the 17-year-old girl.
Following numerous reports of the shocking impact on the lives of many girls and women, numerous instances of blackmail, and the sharing of thousands of photos, videos, and contact details of hundreds and dozens of girls and women, the Kosovo police arrested seven individuals, including members and administrators of the group. One of the administrators turned out to be a boy of only 19 years of age.
Investigative journalism by journalists such as Ardiana Thaçi initiated the group’s investigations. After publishing on the case and exposing the incriminating actions on this platform, she encountered violence, mistreatment, and terror firsthand. As a sign of revenge, boys and men of this group shared her phone number, and for weeks she received countless calls and messages, creating constant concern in her family and personal life. These calls and messages included some of the most horrific content, disturbing and harassing not only her but also her children, husband, and family.
This is what she wrote regarding the case: Today, the Basic Prosecutor’s Office in Pristina is holding a press conference regarding the investigations into the AlbKings case. As one of the women who was targeted by this frustrated group, I expect the number of arrests to be not in the single digits, but much higher. I really wish that the trial for them is public and mediatic, so that morality (the most manly concept of men in Kosovo) is revealed, and that the psychological violence that women experience is alleviated. I often say that I can face any individual who comes before me, even those who hide behind others. But this dirty war is too dangerous for everyone, including me. Maniacs are everywhere, even among us.
Law and order institutions in Kosovo finally shut down this group almost 8 months after it first opened, but the damage to the victims remains untreated, with severe consequences for their mental health and relationships with the surrounding society.
Author: Hanmie Lohaj
