The last 12 months have been tumultuous to say the least, but through it all, Exit has been here bringing you up-to-date information and reporting. Protests, elections, earthquakes, and political scandals, 2019 has been a year with no shortage of great stories. In no particular order, here are the 20 stories that were read, shared, and commented on the most this year.
Air Albania Takes Off with Turkish Aircraft Due to Lack of European License
Air Albania finally launched its first flights this year, but due to it not acquiring a European license, it was forced to wet-lease aircraft from Turkish Airlines. This meant that ‘Air Albania’ was able to use their European license and the Turkish company would be financially, legally and technically responsible for the airline. Combine this with the allegations that senior staff of Air Albania are Turkish citizens, 49% is owned by Turkish Airlines, and another 41% allegedly owned by Turkish-Albanian citizens, and it seems Air Albania is just a subsidiary of the Turkish flag carrier.
Two Journalists Fired Following Criticism of Albanian Government
Two of Albania’s most prominent journalists, Adi Krasta and Ylli Rakipi were fired this year, allegedly following government pressure on the owner of the TV station where they worked. Krasta was later given a job in Kosovo where he is free to broadcast without political interference form the Albanian government. His first broadcast, a monologue, went viral within hours of posting.
Albanian PM Rama Hires €750 an Hour Lawyer to Sue German Journalist
Following the publication of leaked prosecution wiretaps, published by German journalist Peter Tiede, Rama hired €750 per hour lawyer Matthias Prinz to sue him, despite his government salary being just €1400 a month. Tiede published wiretaps that contained the voice of Rama and senior members of the government appearing in alleged collusion to manipulate elections. Tiede said he received a letter from Prinz but threw it away and since then nothing has happened, probably because there is no legal basis for Rama to sue him.
Acromax Media – Albanian Government’s Tool for Online Political Censorship
In the summer, a number of citizens and activists complained that videos were being removed from their Facebook and YouTube channels by a company called Acromax. These videos were predominantly critical of the government or contained content that could be used to hold them to account.
Rama to Sell Off Albanian Citizenship in Fantastically Corrupt Cash for Passport Scheme
In a video seen by Exit, Rama announced at a glitzy conference in London that he would be selling off Albanian citizenship to wealthy investors via a scheme administered by Henley & Partners in a number of countries. During his speech he admitted he would be in trouble with the EU for this decision but that he would do it anyway. The EU delegation in Tirana and Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova both condemned his decision and said they had asked him to reconsider.
Wiretaps Show Socialists Collaborated with Criminals to Buy Votes
The Socialist Party (PS) of Albania rigged the 2017 general elections in collaboration with organized criminal groups through vote-buying, threatening of voters, and promising of illegal benefits. The findings of the investigation conducted by journalist Klodiana Lala of BIRN were initially published last night by the Voice of America.
Albanian Electiongate Deepens –Wiretaps Reveal Collusion between Socialist Leaders and Crime Bosses
The German newspaper Bild published six wiretapped phone conversations between members of a criminal organization and party and government leaders in the region of Durrës. Most notably, some of the conversations took place between Mayor of Durrës Vangjush Dako, also head of the Socialist Party for the Durrës Region and Astrit Avdylaj, the boss of an international drug trafficking criminal organization, and his gang members. To date, no one has been investigated, arrested or prosecuted for any of the crimes discussed on the wiretaps.
New Bild Wiretaps Implicate PM Rama in Vote Buying and Blackmail
A new series of wiretaps published by German newspaper Bild shows the extent of the alleged vote-buying activities of the Socialist Party during the early elections in the municipality of Dibra on September 11, 2016, which appeared to involve not only criminal groups, but also state officials, members of parliament, ministers, and Prime Minister Edi Rama himself. To date, no one has been prosecuted or arrested.
Municipality of Tirana Builds Memorial for Victims of Failed Coup in Turkey
The Municipality of Tirana has built a memorial commemorating the victims of the failed coup against the government of President Erdogan on July 15, 2016. This is possibly the first memorial in the world outside Turkey built to commemorate the July 15 victims. At the same time, no similar one was ever built in Albania for any similar tragic event.
Erion Veliaj’s Claim Tirana Won a UN Award Found to Be False
Mayor of Tirana Erion Veliaj has been caught out lying about an “award” that he claims Tirana won from the United Nations (UN) as “one of the 10 cities with the best economic performance”.
He made the extraordinary claim on social media, adding that “over the next four years we will make Tirana not only the most important role in Albania’s economy but most likely, even the most important economic pole of the entire Balkan region”. The award claim was fabricated nonsense, designed to impress his followers and gain political points. No such award exists.
Fake Profiles Take to Social Media to Support Veliaj and Rama
Prior to the 30 June local elections where the Socialist Party ran uncontested across the country, the government propaganda machine went into overdrive. This included hundreds, if not thousands of fake profiles and pages being set up on Facebook that would then comment supportive comments about Mayor of Tirana Erion Veliaj and Prime Minister Edi Rama as well as quelling any negative comments. The fraudsters behind the profiles didn’t cover their tracks well enough, and Exit was able to reveal the government’s tactic to pretend they had more support than they actually did.
Propaganda Busting – Erion Veliaj and His 25,000 Trees
Mayor of Tirana Erion Veliaj claimed to have planted 25,000 trees in one afternoon with the help of dozens of volunteers. Exit found this was not true, after speaking with several experts with experience in such projects who thoroughly debunked Veliaj’s claim as absurd.
Three Large Earthquakes Hit Albania
On 26 November, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake hit Albania, killing 52 people, injuring hundreds and making thousands homeless. Exit reported on the disaster from moments after the earthquake hit on an ongoing basis, and is still covering the aftermath today. Exit journalist Alice Taylor also corresponded for the BBC, Deutsche Welle, and Euronews international on the situation on the ground and the ongoing recovery efforts.
Propaganda, Lies, and Russian Spies
Following Exit journalist Alice Taylor’s reporting on the opposition protests and the wiretaps implicating senior government officials in election rigging, she was attacked by pro-government media and labelled a ‘Russian Spy”. She then had her residence permit revoked and had to take the Interior Ministry to court in a case that she won, in order to have her permit issued again. The actions of the government and those that smeared her were widely condemned by international human rights and media freedom organizations.
Thousands of Albanians Protest against the Rama Government
The spring was rocked by tens of anti-government protests organized by the Albanian opposition. Protests occurred after leaked prosecution wiretaps were published, implicating Prime Minister Edi Rama and senior government officials in vote-buying and election rigging. Protesters called for Rama to step down, following several government scandals including corruption, drug trafficking, and collusion with criminal gangs in buying votes. Their main poster read “This is the end of the thugs”. Some of the protests resulted in scuffles between protestors and police and minor vandalism, the police used tear gas and water cannons to subdue the crowds.
The Humans of Astir
Following the government’s announcement that it would demolish tens of “illegal” houses in Astir to make way for a road widening project that was partially won by a fraudulent company, Exit visited the area to interview residents. Rather than the ‘cavemen’ and ‘barbarians’ that the Mayor of Tirana had called them, Exit found kind, honest, humble citizens who had taken every possible step to legalize their properties. Their plight is ongoing.
How Albanian Diplomats Attempt to Influence and Intimidate Foreign Media Reporting
Albanian diplomats have been trying to interfere with media outlets in EU countries that report events in Albania, according to a number of sources. Following several articles published in Austria that were critical of the Rama government, Exit has learnt that the Albanian Embassy in Vienna has made requests to meet the editors and journalists responsible, in an attempt to influence them.
A French journalist who reported on the anti-government protests also found that his editor had been contacted by the Albanian embassy in France, as they wanted to discuss the “problematic” reporter.
International Media Freedom Delegation: Albania Not Meeting Human Rights Obligations
An international media freedom delegation that visited Tirana in June expressed their concern over the deterioration of press freedom and a failure to meet obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.
They noted that the situation in Albania was one of the worst in the region and was deteriorating, leading to “particularly worrying concerns” that the current climate was paving the way for increased violence and threats to journalists. They criticized politicians, in particular, stating that every side of the political spectrum was “engaging in hostile rhetoric against the media”.
Since their visit, things have gotten worse with the government passing the controversial “anti-defamation laws” and Prime Minister Edi Rama calling journalists “human rights abusers” and “liars” in parliament.
Albanians Want to Leave Their Country, What Is Driving This Mass Exodus?
A recent study by Gallup found that Albania placed fourth in terms of countries its citizens most want to leave, beaten only by Haiti, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Interestingly, even Syrians were more inclined to stay in their war-torn country than Albanian’s in theirs.
Albania also sits at the top of the “Brain Drain Index” which measures the number of young, educated people who want to leave the country permanently. 32% of Albanians that fit in this category said they wanted to go, and never return.
Albania and Its Deterioration of Media Freedom
2019 was not a good year for media freedom in Albania. Armies of fake profiles and paid commentators patrol social media, ready to pounce on articles that portray the government in a bad or critical light. In addition to this, the propaganda and highly one-sided information that is pushed out from ministries via social media and press releases destined for embassies, continues to increase.
Mayor of Tirana Erion Veliaj refuses to give press conferences or answer questions from any journalist that have not been handpicked and vetted. Prime Minister Edi Rama has his own TV station – ERTV where he pushes out round the clock coverage of his political activities.
