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The safety of journalists is not only about their physical protection, but it also safeguards their right to engage in the democratic life and report safely and freely. - Giulia Re, Council of Europe in Tirana

Cases of censorship against journalists are countless and occur daily. A major concern is the institutional barrier, where journalists are not invited to press conferences due to their critical stance. - Ola Xama from MCN TV

Isa Myzyraj - Journalist from Ora News and Head of Association of Journalists of Albania and the Alliance for Ethical Media - focused on the role of integrity in defending the public interest in a hostile media environment.

Aulona Hasbiu from Council of Europe Expert, shared a legal assessment of how Albania can adopt EU/CoE anti-SLAPP standards to protect journalists.

Dorian Matlija from ResPublica explained common patterns in legal cases targeting journalists and highlighted available support resources.

Our researcher Blerjana Bino stated that: The accelerated EU accession brings momentum for reforms to protect journalists and media freedom, but it must lead to real change,not just tick-the-box.

Panel 2 is underway! Authorities will respond on how domestic institutions can meet international standards, with representatives from Parliament, Judiciary, Police, and Council of Europe.

Panel 2: Ina Zhupa - Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Education and Means of Public Information - called for stronger legislative mechanisms and political will to protect journalists from threats and attacks.

Kostaq Beluri - prosecutor, director of the Directorate of Institutional Coordination, Republic of Albania - reinforced the role of justice institutions in treating threats to journalists as serious public interest cases.

Panel 2: Sokol Bizhga - Deputy Director General, State Police Directorate - emphasized the need for improved police protocols and response mechanisms for journalist safety.

Artur Metani, High Inspector of Justice, encouraged journalists to address issues with ILD and stressed the importance of transparency.

Rodica Ciochina from CoE highlighted the “Journalists Matter” Campaign’s goals to convert European standards into national-level protections.

Ardian Bita - point of contact for Safety of Journalists at the Interior Ministry & Focal Point for Albania for the CoE “Journalists Matters” Campaign - spoke on inter-institutional cooperation and building national frameworks aligned with this campaign.

In the final session, participants held an open discussion on enhancing alliances and stakeholder collaboration to protect journalists and media freedom, concluding with a call for continued cooperation and commitment to practical solutions.

🗣️Shprehim shqetësim për dy incidente të ndara, në të cilat fotoreporteri Gavrilo Andrić nga Serbia është sulmuar brenda vetëm disa ditësh, ndërsa po raportonte në mënyrë profesionale mbi ngjarje me interes publik.

🗣️Albania steps up joint action to promote media freedom and journalist safety event with SafeJournalists Coordinator contribution as key note speaker. coe.int/en/web/tirana/…

🚨#SJN is concerned by the recent incident in the Municipality of Kurbin, where journalist Ersid Karaj & the MCN TV crew were subjected to physical and verbal violence, & obstructed while performing their journalistic duties. 📷safejournalists.net/incident/other……

📌At the Inter-Parliamentary Delegation – 19th EU-Albania Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee (SAPC) Meeting MP-s referenced data provided by SafeJournalists Blerjana Bino 👉multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/en/webstreamin…