FLASH
Shkruar nga Enrik Mehmeti
Last night I faced such pressure: not to publish footage involving a police chief.
In my career as a journalist, I have learned to fact-check every news story I publish and to withstand any kind of pressure, whether from "the powerful" or from institutional leaders.
Last night I faced such pressure: not to publish the footage involving a police chief. Of course, such a request is unacceptable to me. I have never and will never accept such pressures, no matter who they come from.
As soon as I learned of the incident that a young man who had just turned 18 had been raped by a police officer and another person accompanying him, I immediately set out to obtain the footage and to obtain the testimony of the raped man. First, I asked for the footage, then I tried to calm the young man down and, if possible, to give me an interview about the incident. Surprisingly, although it was about the violence exercised by a police officer against a young boy, the police were very late in arriving at the scene, in fact, I was right after the incident while no officers had arrived. While we were preparing for the interview, another clash occurred. Again, the police were not there yet. I continued my work by interviewing the young man and his waiter colleague.
When I was trying to interview the business owner, only the deputy director of the Vlora Police, Klodian Kondi, appeared, without any other officers from the ready groups. I emphasize: no police officers. For this, I bear criminal responsibility for every word I am saying. After an hour, they asked me to appear at the police station. Among other things, I am asking a simple question to the deputy director of the police: "Did you ask me not to publish the footage where your colleague rapes the waiter?"
"I gave my statement, explaining that my presence at the scene had only one purpose: to do my job as a journalist. Today, to my surprise, I saw that my name was mentioned in the official statement, without any witnesses present, without any security cameras being viewed, and without any concrete evidence."
Therefore, what you have failed to do in gathering evidence and obtaining witnesses, I will bring to you. Today I begin with the testimony of Aron, the young man who was raped.
Listen carefully. If you cannot question witnesses or obtain video footage, administer this testimony as legal evidence.
Today I have received hundreds of messages of support from people who recognize my professionalism. This is my greatest strength: my followers and the trust of citizens. I promise you that I will never disappoint them in the face of any kind of pressure, whether from criminals or law-abiding police officers. Or worse: when they are both together at the same table.
Inviting justice to do its job, I have a call for the deputy director of police that if you cannot provide any facts for the accusation, I would like to have a public apology for tarnishing my name. I would not be surprised that there may be retaliation from colleagues of the police director in the future, but I remind you that today, there are no longer those central police directors like many years ago when they turned a blind eye to lawlessness. The police have excellent boys and girls and these individuals, like yesterday's case, are full of grit!
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Director General of Police Ilir Proda and Prime Minister Edi Rama for taking immediate measures regarding the incident that occurred.
I will never shut my mouth to publish only the truth, despite pressures of any kind, even criminal proceedings!
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