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Harassed
January 26
Koha Jone, HARASSED
Police impounded six delivery vans of the independent newspaper Koha Jone, claiming that they were defective or lacked proper registration documents. On March 3, the newspaper's publisher and editor announced that Koha Jone would have to permanently discontinue two of its smaller publications, AKS and Sport Ekspres, due to financial constraints caused by the impoundment of three additional delivery vans.
February 26
Koha Jone's staff, HARASSED
Shortly after an explosion that killed four and wounded 27 in the center of the Albanian capital, Tirana, police raided the offices of the independent daily Koha Jone and arrested all 33 staffers present. No arrest warrants were shown. The newspaper's staff, including publisher Nikoll Lesi, were taken to Tirana Police Station No. 2 and questioned individually about the bombing. Police also raided Lesi's apartment and confiscated a hunting rifle and a safe box containing tapes from a 1994 trial in which two journalists from Koha Jone were convicted of slander and revealing state secrets. Lesi was then charged with illegal arms possession. CPJ sent a letter to President Sali Berisha expressing grave concern about the continued harassment of Albania's independent press and urged him to ensure that members of the independent media are not unfairly targeted during times of crisis.
May 28
Gianfranco Stara, Associated Press Television (APTV), ATTACKED
Spiro Ilo, APTV, ATTACKED, HARASSED
Eduardo del Campo, El Mundo, ATTACKED
Stara and Ilo, both journalists with APTV, and del Campo, a reporter for Spain's El Mundo, were beaten by police while observing a political rally in Skanderberg Square in the center of the capital, Tirana. Police also smashed Ilo's video camera and destroyed his film. CPJ condemned the attack and urged the authorities to order an investigation into the police beatings.
For more information contact europeweb@cpj.org