Reporters sans frontiéres  protesta contro la proibizione fatta dalla direzione del Partito socialista per il canale della televisione pubblica RTSH di occuparsi dello sciopero della fame intrapreso da una parte dei suoi deputati sul viale Deshmoret e Kombit. Il 4 maggio 2010, un’equipe della RSTH si è recata sul posto quando Armela Imeraj, portavoce del partito socialista, ha ingiunto loro di andarsene immediatamente “per la propria incolumità”. Di fronte alla tenacia dei giornalisti, intenzionati a portare avanti il lavoro intrapreso, le guardie del corpo del partito sono intervenute e li hanno obbligati ad andarsene con la forza. Le proteste di Artur Kopani, direttore di RTSH, rivolte al presidente del partito socialista Edi Rama non hanno ottenuto niente.

Contattata telefonicamente da Reporters sans frontiéres , la portavoce del Partito socialista ha giustificato questa posizione con generici motivi di sicurezza. Ma è evidente che la sicurezza dei giornalisti sulla pubblica via come in qualunque altro luogo non è responsabilità del Partito socialista ma delle forze di polizia.

Anche se l’obiettività di RTSH potrebbe essere messa in discussione, questo non giustifica il fatto che gli si impedisca di lavorare liberamente nelle strade delle capitale. Non si può fare a meno di denunciare a giusto titolo gli abusi di potere commessi dal governo albanese contro i media pubblici e privati, nonché di far ricorso alla censura.

“Such use of violence is intolerable,” Reporters Without Borders said. “It shows that certain businessmen who are allied with the government think they are all-powerful and do not have to account for their activities. We hail the universal condemnation this attack has received from the political class and the rapid police response, which suggests there is a will to put an end to impunity.”

The press freedom organisation added: “The fact that those involved in this incident are well known should help make people aware of the problem and encourage a debate about the press freedom situation in Albania.”

Baze, who edits the leading newspaper Tema and produces the investigative TV programme Faktori +, was attacked and badly beaten by businessman Rezart Taçi and two of his bodyguards at about 11 p.m. on 2 November. After the assault, Baze was taken unconscious to a military hospital.

The bodyguards have been arrested and an arrest warrant has been issued for Taçi, who nonetheless insists that he did not himself hit Baze. A close ally of Prime Minister Sali Berisha, Taçi is the owner of ARMO, an oil company that was privatised a year ago. In his investigative reporting, Baze has often accused him of using his government contacts to avoid paying taxes.

Baze has exposed major corruption cases in the past and this is not the first time he has been the target of violence. On one occasion shots were fired at his car, and at the end of last year his car caught fire for unclear reasons. He was hit in public by the supporters of some of the Socialist Party’s leaders in 2005.

In January of this year, police prevented Tema’s journalists from entering the newspaper’s headquarters as a result of an economy ministry decision, despite the fact that it had been overturned by a court.

Corruption, property deals and smuggling are all sensitive subjects in Albania, which was ranked 88th out of 175 countries in the 2009 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index. The press is politically very polarised and some privately-owned newspapers are linked to powerful business groups. This leaves little room for investigative journalism and independent economic analysis.