The well-known organization "Reporters Without Borders" (RSF) has called on members of the Albanian Parliament and government to advance the true decriminalization of defamation and insult to journalists.
From June 17 to 19, RSF reported on the state of press freedom in Albania before the parliamentary committee on human rights, media and public information, chaired by opposition MP Jorida Tabaku.
RSF reports that it also met with two government officials responsible for press freedom issues: Minister of Public Administration and the Fight against Corruption Adea Pirdeni and Minister of Justice Toni Gogu.
RSF’s Prague bureau chief, Pavol Szalai, traveled to Tirana after Albania fell three places to 83rd out of 180 in RSF’s 2026 World Press Freedom Index, a drop that disappointed Prime Minister Edi Rama. As part of the fast-track EU accession process, the Western Balkan country must meet several rule of law criteria, including improvements in press freedom.
“Since 2025, a dedicated body launched by the European Commission and the Council of Europe - the Platform for Dialogue with the Media - has discussed specific measures, but few of them have been implemented to date, and Albanian journalists continue to face pressure from politicians, media owners and organized crime,” RSF wrote in its announcement.
“Thanks to the dedication of all participants, the Media Dialogue Platform, led by Professor Mark Marku, has built trust between media professionals and Albanian authorities - a trust that is still fragile, but essential for sustainable progress in press freedom.
However, this trust has been threatened since Parliament voted only for a partial decriminalization of defamation, contrary to the agreement reached within the Platform.
"The parliament and the government must now do everything in their power to strengthen this trust: from fully decriminalizing defamation and insult, in line with the Platform's recommendations, to stopping political attacks against journalists and guaranteeing the safety of journalists," said Pavol Szalai, Director of RSF's Prague office.
Last year, the Platform agreed that defamation and insult should be fully decriminalized, a demand also made by the EU. However, the reform of the Criminal Code approved by the ruling majority in January 2026 decriminalized only defamation and only for journalists classified as “registered and known”, even though Albania does not have a registration system for journalists.
The legislation also left out other actors in the public debate and journalists' sources, such as whistleblowers. And online defamation, such as SLAPP lawsuits, are not uncommon in Albania, while media professionals continue to work in difficult economic conditions.
During the parliamentary hearing, attended by members of both the ruling majority and the opposition, as well as in meetings with ministers, RSF called for progress on this issue, along with other measures to restore journalists' trust.
These include refraining from discrediting media professionals and creating the necessary conditions for justice to be served for crimes committed against them - such as the unsolved murder in 2023 of a Top Channel security guard or the car bomb explosion of journalist Sami Curri in April 2026.
Progress in media transparency
The government, parliament, and media authority have partially addressed the lack of transparency regarding media ownership, a major problem in a country where private media is owned - and sometimes manipulated - by a few families with political connections and economic interests in heavily regulated sectors.
Following recommendations from Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and local stakeholders, a law passed in 2026 requires audiovisual media outlets to declare their beneficial owners.
The media sector has also made voluntary efforts to increase transparency: with the support of RSF and the Albanian Media Council, 33 media outlets have joined the Journalism Trust Initiative, an international ISO-type standard that aims to ensure transparent and ethical journalism.
In 2024, following a consultation with media professionals in Albania, RSF and the Media Council of Albania formulated 10 policy recommendations that aimed to inform the Platform launched a few months later. ©LAPSI.al
