Press Release
End up pressures against  the journalists
(Appeal of the Association of the  Southern Journalists)

AHC received a letter dating May, 22, 2003 from the Association of Southern Journalists based in Gjirokatra.

This letter articulates all the concerns for what is called "increased level of the pressure exerted by the politicians towards the representatives of the press and regional media". The complaint presented there is that people vested in power have exerted power and pressure towards some journalists of the local media, because they denounced publicy some corruption cases,  which  implied as it was said,  some representatives of the  local and central government and politics.

The letter highlights a new attitude towards the journalists becoming object of investigation on the part of law bodies. Mention is made of one concrete case when a journalist was subject to a civil law suit on the part of the chairman of PBDNJ  Vangjel Dule, about some stories published against him in a minority newspaper. This action is denounced as a case of the violation of the free speech.

AHC is hesitant to pronounce about the core of this issue for as long as it is subject to the judicial examination. The right to address the court is entitled to everyone. On the other side AHC recalls once again to the generally accepted principle thast public personalities should be more tolerant, they objectively are more exposed to the criticism appearing in the press.
 
 

Tirana, 03.06.2003