SEEMO concerned over eviction of Albanian newspaper TemA from its offices

VIENNA, Jan 20 – The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organization (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in South East Europe and an affiliate of the International Press Institute, is concerned about the recent eviction of the Albanian newspaper TemA from its premises by the Minister of Economic Affairs, Genc Ruli.
According to information received by SEEMO, the Minister of Economical Affairs unilaterally cancelled the newspaper’s 20-year contract for the premises. An unexpected police siege followed and the staff of the newspaper was evicted from their offices. The police gave no official explanation, alleging only that the orders came from Prime Minister Sali Berisha. A lawsuit by TemA followed and the Court of Tirana decided in favor of the newspaper on 6 January. However, neither the Minister of Economic Affairs nor the Prime Minister have yet responded to the Court of Tirana’s decision.
The eviction of TemA, which has frequently criticized official corruption, is regarded by many as a sign of the growing political pressure exerted by the Berisha government against critical voices in the media. This pressure by the authorities has led to increased self-censorship in Albania.
SEEMO strongly condemns such actions carried out by the authorities against critical media, said SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic.