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The Media, Too, Should Respect the Law
Tirana, April 13, 2006
The print and
broadcast media often publicizes photos of minor defendants and witnesses,
accused of, or damaged by different criminal offences. The law prohibits such
publications. Namely, article 130, item 4, of the Criminal Procedure Code reads:
“It is prohibited to publish personal details and photographs
of minor defendants and witnesses, accused or injured by the criminal offence.
The court may allow the publication only when the interest of the minor requires
so or when the minor has reached the age of sixteen years.”
The Albanian Helsinki
Committee deems it necessary to suggest to the print and broadcast media to
respect the above provision in the future. The issue involves defendants or
persons (or victims) damaged by this or that criminal offence who are minors.
Otherwise, failure to respect this legal requirement may be accompanied by
harmful consequences of a psychological, family, and social character, which, in
certain cases, may even violate the right to privacy.
AHC is also of the
opinion that the media should be more attentive in those cases when there is
information, or when it is known, that suicide occurred due to psychological
depression, because such phenomena may have a negative impact on other
individuals.
In spite of the above
objections, AHC appreciates the important role of the media and its
incontestable right to obtain and convey relevant information to the public
opinion.
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