a change of rules which would restrict the freedom of movement of journalists.

 

Media freedom in Albania suffered in 2021 due to concerns over the further solidification of government control over the flow of information. 14 alerts were recorded with 24 individuals or media entities affected. The independence of the system for media regulation also came under threat, while the establishment of a new government agency which would centralise control over public relations and government information raised further worries about media’s access to information. The MapMF documented a few cases of heavy-handed police action in 2021. In July, journalist Ergys Gjencaj from televi‐ sion channel News 24 was tackled to the ground and detained for an hour after he tried to film an anti-drug operation by police near the Military Academy in Tirana. The police also roughly pushed Gjencaj’s colleague Klodiana Lala and obstructed both from filming. In a serious case in November, reporter Anila Hoxha from Top Channel and her colleague Endrit Aga of A2CNN TV had their lives endangered by a police officer as they tried to report from a mountain on the death of a businessman. As they were reporting from the scene, one of the media workers was pushed by the policeman and almost fell down a steep precipice. Hoxha suffered injuries and scratches. Journalists also faced obstruction in car‐ rying out their professional duties from other sources. In April, Ora News journal‐ ist Isa Myzyraj was physically restrained by a security guard of the mayor of Tirana as he tried to ask questions to the politi‐ cian. The same month, Ora TV journalist Ronaldo Sharka and his reporting crew were intimidated and forcibly ejected from an electoral meeting organised by the Mayor of Tirana by a large group of the politician’s supporters. Other journalists faced physical violence from private individuals. In October, Ledio Guni, an operator for Fax News, was physically attacked in Tirana while he was document‐ ing a dispute. In December, Besarta Demushaj, another journalist with Fax News, was physically and verbally attacked by two men while she was reporting in Tirana. Online harassment of journalists re‐ mained a concern, with women journalists often facing the brunt of attacks. In August, the co-editor of Exit News, Alice Taylor, received an insulting message on‐ line containing a death threat in response to a text she’d posted on her journalistic blog. Journalists in Albania meanwhile continue to operate in an extremely difficult climate for accessing information from government sources. Concerns over the ability of journalists to hold power to account in‐ creased in June when the Albanian Parliament announced a change of rules which would restrict the freedom of movement of journalists inside the building. 

Under the change of regulations agreed by the National Assembly, members of the me‐ dia were no longer permitted to enter meetings of parliamentary committees and other sessions, with journalists also facing greater barriers in speaking with MPs. The changes – developed without consulting the media – came into force in September, leading to expressions of protest by media organisations. At the same time, reporters working for inde‐ pendent media are regularly discrimin‐ ated against when seeking information or comment from ministers. Journalists viewed as representing “opposition” out‐ lets are denied accreditation or barred from asking questions at press confer‐ ences. International fears over the independence of the system for media regulation in Al‐ bania also worsened in July when the Albanian parliament voted to elect a new head of the country’s Audiovisual Media Authority (AMA), disregarding calls from the EU to wait until September when opposition parties could participate. The fig‐ ure appointed was Armela Krasniqi, a close associate of the Prime Minister with longstanding links to the ruling Socialist Party. Before her appointment, she had been working at the state news agency. Previously, she was employed as Director of Communications in the office of Prime Minister Edi Rama. International press freedom groups raised serious concerns over the appointment of a politically par‐ tisan figure to lead the influential and nominally independent body. 

In September, Prime Minister Edi Rama then approved a new agency to centralise control over public relations and government information. The new Agency for Media and Information, announced during the first meeting of the new parliament, plans to regulate public and media relations for every ministry and other central institution in Albania. Under new rules, ministry spokespersons would be prohibited from talking to the press directly and all information or comment released will have to first be approved by the new director general. Endri Fuga, another key ally of the PM who has overseen Rama’s public relations for the past eight years, was appointed to head the body, raising concerns that the new body would be used to further solidify government control over the flow of information in Albania. The government pushed ahead with its establishment despite concerns from international media freedom organisations. While legal threats remain less frequent in Albania, there was one major case in 2021. Ahead of the general election in April 2021, the Special Prosecution Against Organised Crime ordered journalists Andi Bushati and Armand Shkullaku to hand over a database that contained the personal information of more than 910,000 voters in Albania. When they refused, citing concerns regarding source confidentiality, the Special Court of First Instance in Tirana ordered the seizure of all devices of their media outlet, LAPSI.al, as well as their mobile phones, servers, computers, and USB drives.