An Albanian journalist and camera operator from Top Channel were threatened by employees of Ovvital, a poultry farm owned by a man allegedly linked to organised crime.
Albania is currently experiencing a severe bird flu outbreak, prompting the TV crew to visit the site.
Video footage from the scene reveals a member of staff telling the journalist that he knows “how to cut women into pieces”.
“Earlier, I was the one who could cut a woman into pieces, but now I have a little girl myself,” he said to the female journalist.
One also said, “If you were both men, you would both be dead in the woods.”
The farm is owned by Xhevdet Troplini, who, according to Albanian police, is suspected of being involved in organised crime. A 2020 investigation into him yielded no results, however.
The Audiovisual Media Authority spoke out about the incident, noting the assailants threatened and physically manhandled the journalists. They called it a “flagrant violation against freedom of speech”.
However, it has not yet been established whether Top Channel was on the premises of the farm and, if so, whether they had permission to be there.
