AJU: Journalists’ work obstructed, equipment damaged during protests in Tirana and Gjirokastër

In a statement, the union condemned the incidents, saying it had received further complaints and reports from journalists and media workers over the past 24 hours.

The union said the incidents included obstruction, pushing and damage to journalists’ equipment by both protesters and police officers during demonstrations in Tirana and Gjirokastër.
It also condemned the actions of police officers who obstructed journalist Elkier Bushkolaj near the Pyramid in Tirana on the fourth day of violent protests.

According to the statement, footage of the incident was captured by cameras belonging to several media outlets and by reporters’ personal devices.

The union reported a similar incident involving reporter Piro Nase in Gjirokastër, whose mobile phone was damaged by a protester while he was covering demonstrations and tensions near the local police station. Nase subsequently filed a complaint, the statement said.
Expressing solidarity with its branches in Gjirokastër, Berat and Tirana, the Albanian Journalists’ Union called on police officers to exercise greater responsibility and respect towards journalists performing their professional duties.

“We call for disciplinary action against uniformed personnel who obstruct or assault reporters and media workers on duty, or otherwise violate their physical integrity. We also call for action against officers who fail to intervene when journalists are threatened by crowds or aggressive individuals seeking to intimidate, blackmail or provoke them, including while they are reporting live,” the statement concluded.

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