Albania: Inquiry call after interior minister punches TV editor
| Publisher | Reporters Without Borders |
| Publication Date | 17 October 2003 |
| Cite as | Reporters Without Borders, Albania: Inquiry call after interior minister punches TV editor, 17 October 2003, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57b5b228c.html [accessed 6 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
October 17, 2003
Reporters Without Borders called for an investigation after the Albanian interior minister punched the editor-in-chief of a television station at a socialist party election victory celebration.
The minister, Luan Rama, attacked Ilir Babaramo at a restaurant in the capital Tirana on 14 October over criticism broadcast by the television Vision Plus. The minister's bodyguards also maltreated the journalist, said the press freedom organisation, condemning the attack.
The minister denied hitting the journalist, in a letter sent 15 October to the general prosecutor Theodori Sollaku. The next day the Albanian association of electronic media spoke out against the assault and called for the minister's resignation.
Referring to the assault as "highly symbolic", Reporters Without Borders said it was totally unacceptable for the country's top law and order official to hit a journalist because of criticism. It appeared to pose a threat to all journalists who took issue with the government's political line.
