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Prime Minister Edi Rama spoke today at the roundtable of the 8th National Conference on the Right to Information.
In his speech, Rama said that he has taken steps to improve the working climate for journalists and to reduce legal pressure on the media.
"I don't want to go into detail because then the glass will break if I talk about what it has to do with freedom of expression. I want to say that in the meantime, we have also made another commitment that shows the opposite of what is said from the glass half empty to decriminalize defamation of journalists. It is not that there has been any journalist criminally hit by government lawsuits in these years, nor have there been any lawsuits against journalists, because we have banned all lawsuits for many years. We will also take this next step, a step that goes towards further relaxing the situation of journalists. I also do not believe that it is freedom of expression, but it is freedom of defamation. But this topic is not for this table and I do not want to break the glass now. I hope I addressed some things. We are not in the conditions where we express will, but we are in the conditions where we systematically try to materialize the expressed will with progress.
Even in this aspect, we have made enough progress, in my opinion, to be optimistic, that we can make more progress, not enough to say that you are looking for 'chicks on a skewer' that we have performed some miracle. Absolutely not. I understand the complaints because you live with this job and you do not have to be satisfied with us. Meanwhile, we have a duty to be satisfied with you in all cases", said Rama.
Among other things, Rama stated that there will be no penalties for defamation of journalists.
"One thing that would be worth formulating is the article on the decriminalization of defamation for journalists, not for politicians and not for elected officials. Whoever is elected by the people should be punished if he slanders. This is our belief. Whoever works to inform the people about us, the elected officials, should slander without being punished," said Rama.
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