FLASH
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In Tirana, activists and organizations that protect the freedom of the press claimed today that the situation of the Albanian media is continuously deteriorating, while the safety of journalists is often threatened by threats and pressures due to work.
The Network for Safe Journalists in the Western Balkans has reported 10 cases where the safety of journalists, media workers and media was violated in the first 4 months of this year, and 24 cases during the last year, while lawsuits against journalists in 2023 were doubled.
Blerjana Bino, the representative of the Scidev Center, which conducts research and reports for the Safe Journalists Network, tells VOA that in Albania, derogatory language against journalists, speeches against the media, attacks on female journalists, such as and the increase of lawsuits against journalists and media workers, up to doubling, from 33 cases in 2022, to 73 cases in 2023.
" The cases we have monitored over the years show that despite the fact that physical, direct attacks are not systemic in Albania, the problem lies in intimidation, threats and indirect pressures, which come as a result of mutual relations and hidden interests between politics, the owner of the media, often even organized crime. This creates an unsafe situation, and prevents independent, quality journalism in the interest of the public ," says Mrs. Bino.
A round table of journalists with representatives of the Parliament, the government, the judiciary and Western diplomats was held today to discuss the insecurity of journalists in Albania, where as it was pointed out, the pressures push them towards self-censorship and the push to protect the interests of the owner more than the code of journalism.
The representative of the European Center for Freedom of the Press and Media, Flutura Kusari, tells Voice of America that the media situation in Albania is continuously deteriorating, as was also emphasized in the annual Report of the Reporters Without Borders organization.
She says that now is the time for the officials and politicians in power to implement the laws, the standards that exist in the European directives for the safety and freedom of the press, starting with an action plan for the safety of journalists, alongside a greater dialogue with society organizations. civil.
" The safety of journalists in Albania is a serious concern. Journalists are reviled, insulted and almost nothing is done to protect them. I really hope that the verbal attacks on journalists will stop first. The ease with which politicians in Albania insult and insult anyone who criticizes them is intolerable and dangerous. And the second is to stop what is known as the cassette methodology. The materials prepared by the government, parties and municipalities should be stopped, journalists should be allowed to attend official activities, normal press conferences should be held, so that journalists can freely ask the questions they want, freely quote the government, and get the data they are interested in . , said Mrs. Kusari.
In this meeting with the media, legislators and representatives of the ministries that cover security issues, the general prosecutor, Olsian Çela, said that this institution is increasing its transparency in front of the media, is encouraging prosecutors to start proactive investigations when they learn about violence and threats to the media, is increasing its work and commitment to the safety of journalists, inviting them to report their cases with facts as soon as possible in order to start investigations, and cooperate with justice to strengthen their protection.
" Throughout 2023, we have had only 6 reported cases of violence against journalists. We seem to have a discrepancy between what is reported by journalists and what is actually reported to law enforcement agencies. These relate to criminal offenses such as assault due to duty, threats, destruction of property, as well as a case of illegal deprivation of liberty. Two of these cases have been brought to trial, one in Fier and one in Lezha. Two more cases this year are close to the stage of being sent for trial. This shows that there is a commitment and the issues are taken seriously, we try to carry out quick investigations. The context in which we are discussing today must also be evaluated. We are in a not at all normal situation for the prosecution, where we have many issues that are a priority and without question the issue of protecting journalists is among the issues that should be a priority ", said Mr. Çela.
On the other hand, the representative of the investigative journalism network BIRN, Kristina Voko, expressed concern over the fact that now they are constantly being attacked, especially journalists who are reporting on important investigative processes opened by SPAK, against journalists who report on developments in parliament, such as and the establishment of the commission against disinformation.
She emphasized that although at first this idea was welcomed, as a help in facing the challenges of journalism, but this is still not being seen.
" We are seeing that this commission in its beginnings is losing focus from those constant recommendations that we have from international reports, such as alignment with European legislation and directives, the constant obligation we have to adopt the GDPR, the obligation that will to have in the following years to align our legislation regarding the Digital Service Act. He should also focus on the ongoing recommendations that come, for example, from the ODIHR, regarding the regulation of propaganda through ready-made tapes, and the influence of political parties on the editorial processes of the media. I invite the deputies to first start the work from the main polluters of the information space, which mainly come from political parties, from foreign forces and which are related to democratic processes such as election processes, and then deal with the regulation of the platforms, and then to expand the discussion about regulation or not, what are the best methods of self-regulation related to online media ", said Mrs. Voko.
At the table between journalists, MPs, officials and diplomats, it was also emphasized that an important concern for journalists remains their working conditions and economic security. In 2022, only 6 cases were reported to the Labor Inspectorate, compared to 26 cases that were reported in 2023, without forgetting that many cases and attacks are not reported, but they lead to the continuous limitation of the space for journalism in the service of the public interest. / VOA
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