Albania: Three attacks in one week amidst public broadcaster financial crisis

In the first half of September, in the space of just over one week, three attacks against journalists were recorded in Tirana, the capital of Albania. Against the broader context of a financial crisis for the national public broadcaster, RTSH, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is expressing concern about Albania's journalistic landscape and strongly condemns the recent rise in violent attacks against journalists there.

On 13 September, journalist Edon Kuçi and a cameraman from the investigative TV show Piranjat were attackedand verbally threatened with kidnapping by Sinan Idrizi, the biggest shareholder of Air Albania and president of FC Flamurtari, while they were reporting at the Selman Stërmasi stadium in Tirana. The video footageshows a physical escalation of the situation when Refik Halili, president of FC Tirana, intervened by forcibly seizing Kuçi's phone in an attempt to interrupthim from carrying out his journalistic duties.

On 11 September, journalist Lorena Resulaj and cameraman Nertil Mataj were physically assaultedwhile on duty at a bar in Tirana on Islam Alla Street. The bar owner allegedly threatenedand punched both media workers, after they refused to leave while reporting. Police later arrested the suspect, shortly after the attack.

On 5 September, journalists Domenika Bajraktari and Enkel Elezi of the investigative TV programme STOP were attacked in Kamëz while gatheringinformation at the Kamëz-Vorë General Directorate of Property Tax on a story requested by citizens who had legal issues with property ownership and land divisions. Their reporting was interrupted by a violent assaultby an individual, which prevented them from filming their report. The perpetrator, who was arrestedby the police, hit Bajrakatari twice on her back with his phone, while the local Cadastre Director watched without intervening. The cameraman was forcibly removed from the premises while filming, resulting in damage to the camera.

These attacks occur at a time when the national public broadcaster, RTSH, is undergoing a dire financial crisis. Following complaints from several contributors who had not been paid for at least fourmonths, the newly appointed head of RTSH, Eni Vasili, admittedthe gravity of the financial situation for the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN): She blamed the previous management for the current crisis.

Alfred Peza, Vasili's predecessor and former politician, abruptly fired around 150 employees during his time at RTSH. This resulted in €1.8 million of debt, due to numerous lawsuits around unfair dismissal cases. The total debt for RTSH is €8 millionin liabilities, due to the previous team's mismanagement. However, this is not only a financial matter but also a reflection of structural weaknesses affecting Albania's public media sector. There is a recurringlack of transparency within editorial teams, and questions regarding the lack of payment for these workers are met with silence.

IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said: "The recent violent attacks on Albanian journalists raise cause for concern amidst a broader, troubling landscape for journalism. While the police intervened quickly in two cases, the larger issue persists. The police have not yet taken action on the attacks against Piranjat journalist Edon Kuçi, due to the presence of powerful political actors in the case. Inaction fuels impunity, which threatens democracy, journalism as a profession, and the public's right to know. We urge the Albanian authorities to investigate these cases further and to ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable.