The Tirana Prosecutor’s Office has announced an investigation into what it calls, “the incidence that occurred with journalists and the anti-narcotics police operation.”
Earlier today, News24 journalist Ergys Gjencaj was attempting to film an operation near the Military School in Tirana. He was accompanied by reporter Klodiana Lala. The police officers attempted to arrest someone inside his car and then threw him to the ground. The police officers detained him for around one hour afterward.
The Prosecutor’s said that an “investigative group is investing the case regarding actions committed by police officers, to determine the legality of their actions.”
The Albanian Media Council also reacted via a statement published shortly after the incident.
“We react strongly to the violence exercised by the special forces of the State Police against News24 journalist Ergys Gjencaj and Klodiana Lala.”
They stated that it’s “unimaginable for a country aiming to integration into the EU, for journalists to be brutally treated because they are reporting from the scene which is their mission and task.”
The AMC noted that this is a pattern of recurring behavior from the police and cannot be considered isolated. They called on authorities to punish those involved and to issue a public apology to the journalists involved.
