Street artist Diver Santi has made a new work addressing the recent censorship of critical journalists at News24. Adi Krasta and Ylli Rakipi were fired from the news channel owned by Irfan Hysenbelliu after alleged complaints of Prime Minister Edi Rama about the journalists’ criticism.
As a result, the Council of Europe issued a media freedom alert warning the dismissals may have a “chilling effect on media freedom.”
Diver Santi’s work, entitled “Daily Breaking News,” features the image of Krasta with a black bar over his mouth, accompanied by the slogan “Don’t Speak the Truth.” Diver Santi previously formed part of the street art collective Çeta.
The work was installed in front of the News24 offices at the grounds of the former Tractor Factory in the outskirts of Tirana, and was produced by Debatik Center, one of the last remaining independent art initiatives in Tirana.
