Aleksandër Çipa, head of the Albanian Journalists’ Union, called on GJKKO President Erion Bani to reconsider the rules and take into account proposals from the media community.

“We are determined to overturn this. This is a regulation, not a law, and regulations can be reconsidered when they contain such serious shortcomings,” Çipa told Report TV.

He said the rules were not only restrictive but also conflicted with Albania’s Constitution and existing legislation, creating what he described as a dangerous precedent for the public’s right to information.

The journalists’ union and other civil society groups are expected to challenge the rules, while Çipa said the campaign could also involve international journalists’ organisations.

The measures under criticism include restrictions on mobile phones and recording devices, a ban on cameras, rotating journalists when courtroom capacity is limited, and a requirement for media representatives to register 24 hours in advance to attend hearings.

Çipa said the restrictions undermined the principle of open hearings by limiting journalists’ ability to report from the courtroom.

“The requirement to register 24 hours in advance is simply an additional obstacle, while rotating seats is another form of censorship,” he said.

He said the rules risked limiting the public’s ability to obtain a complete account of proceedings at the special court.

“The regulation conflicts with the Constitution and our existing legislation,” Çipa said.

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The Union said it had received complaints from journalists alleging assaults and obstruction while reporting on clashes between protesters and police.

In a statement, UGSH urged the State Police to hold accountable any officers who use force against journalists carrying out their duties. It cited the alleged assault of photojournalist Vlasov Sulaj and the reported obstruction of reporter Kleida Muka as cases that should be investigated.

The organisation also warned that hostile and hate-filled rhetoric targeting journalists on social media and some online platforms poses a threat to press freedom and independent reporting.

UGSH further condemned the reported assault on political commentator Ilir Demalia, saying it was unacceptable that those responsible had not yet been detained.

The Union called on both police and protesters to refrain from violence and verbal abuse against journalists, while urging law enforcement authorities to investigate and prosecute attacks and threats against media workers performing their professional duties.

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In a statement, the Union said assaults on journalists, media equipment and news vehicles were unacceptable and constituted criminal acts that should not be tolerated.

“Interference with reporters’ microphones, attacks on camera equipment and aggression against media personnel carrying out their professional duties are punishable actions,” the union said, urging affected journalists to document and publicly report incidents of intimidation and violence.

UGSH called on the State Police to investigate all cases involving attacks, threats or attempts to obstruct journalists in the course of their work, regardless of the media outlet they represent.

The organization said journalists covering demonstrations in Tirana had been clearly identified through professional credentials and media insignia, making any attacks against them particularly concerning.

It also urged protest organizers to assume responsibility for what it described as acts of harassment, obstruction and aggression directed at media workers during the demonstration.

The Union further called on the country’s top police officials and the interior minister to ensure the protection of journalists and investigate allegations that some police officers had verbally accused reporters of working on behalf of foreign interests despite their official identification.

UGSH said today’s events represented one of the most serious recent incidents affecting media freedom and the safety of journalists, noting that it had previously warned about growing verbal hostility toward reporters on social media platforms and in parts of the media landscape.

The organization described the incidents as a troubling setback for press freedom and the right of journalists to report freely from public events and political demonstrations.

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According to the Albanian Journalists Union, the decision by Kosovo prosecutors is “extreme and represents a rare case of the relationship of the justice bodies in the Republic of Kosovo towards journalists from the Presheva Valley, who live under Serbia.”

The Journalists Union underlined that the case should be reviewed and handled in compliance with Kosovo law,  as a case involving an Albanian journalist, a minority living in a neighboring country (administratively in Serbia), who, before becoming a subject of justice, should receive penalties from self-regulatory executive mechanisms of the community and journalists’ organizations.

The Albanian Journalists Union calls on Kosovo justice bodies to consider the specifics and circumstances of a media representative from the Presheva Valley in this case.

According to the Journalists Union, the case constitutes a precedent with negative consequences and effects among the community of Albanian journalists who share influences and divisions in the media markets in the Albanian space and that of the Western Balkans.

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