TIRANA, Sept 4 /ATA/ The Democratic Party MP and former Chair of the Education and Media Commission in the previous legislature Ina Zhupa, underscored the necessity for a Criminal Code that adequately safeguards the rights of journalists and media freedom, in alignment with the Council of Europe’s legal standards and EU directives, as outlined in the Rule of Law Guidelines and advocated by civil society and media stakeholders.
Following the technical presentation of the draft Criminal Code, Zhupa confirmed that with the start of the new parliamentary term, she will take this issue up, making use of all constitutional instruments at her disposal to engage with key stakeholders, guarantee strict adherence to European legal standards, and protect media freedom from any infringement.
Zhupa criticized the Criminal Code’s re-presentation as a sham hearing that excluded civil society and failed to address media freedom.
“A repressive approach and a malicious insistence on silencing and controlling journalists through the new Criminal Code—at odds with European standards. Articles that infringe on freedom of expression, the right to practice journalism, and free speech continue to be unjustifiably defended,” she added.
Zhupa also listed the articles that have drawn criticism from the Safe Journalists Network, partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) initiative, and civil society organizations in Albania, which, according to her, “remained unchanged.”
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