Actual attacks against journalists, 24.01.2026, Tirana

Tirana •︎ Posted on

Actual attacks against journalists, 24.01.2026, Tirana

Translations: Tirana 

  • Case info

  • Personal info

  • Regional center
    Tirana
  • Who was attacked?
    Group
  • Group members' names and surnames
    Felix Bilani and Marsi Korreshi

  • Media outlet

  • Type of media platform
    Television
    Online Media
    Freelancer
  • Source of information about the incident
    https://agsh.al/2026/01/25/deklarate-mbi-sigurine-e-gazetareve-ne-protesta-25-01-2026/

  • Incident Data

  • Date of incident
    24.01.2026
  • City
    Tirana
  • Were authorities informed?
    Case was reported to the police
  • Perpetrator(s)
    Not known
  • Attacked by
    Authorities - institutions
    Security staff or agencie(s)
  • Means of incidents and attacks
    In person
  • Type of incident
    Actual attacks on journalists
  • Type of attack
    Other forms

  • Action by the authorities

  • Action taken by the journalists' association

  • Was journalist's association informed by the journalists directly?
    Unknown
  • What was the reaction of the journalists' association?
    The association reacted publicly

On January 24, 2026, during a public protest in Tirana, media workers were subjected to force while fulfilling their professional duties.

Journalists present at the protest were performing their professional duty to inform the public. The use of tear gas, high-pressure water, or other crowd-control measures in areas where media workers were operating, as it was reported in the media, placed their safety at risk and undermined freedom of expression and the public’s right to information. Reported incidents in the media, including the alleged spraying of photoreporter Felix Bilani and use of high-pressure water against journalist Marsi Korreshi while on duty, illustrate broader risks faced by journalists covering public assemblies.

SafeJournalists Network expresses solidarity with all journalists, camera operators, and photojournalists affected while carrying their duties.

****

Update on the case

On 6th February, In its response to the Safe Journalists Network, the State Police argues that the measures taken on 24 January 2026 were lawful, proportionate, and exclusively aimed at neutralising violent individuals who were attacking police forces with Molotov cocktails and hard objects. According to the Police, the deployment of crowd-control tools, including tear gas, spray, and water cannons, followed standard operational procedures and did not constitute a failure in implementation.

The Police maintains that any impact on journalists or media workers was indirect and unintended, attributing the effects of tear gas to adverse weather and environmental conditions rather than to operational misconduct. It categorically denies that journalists were ever a direct target of police intervention and reiterates its commitment to protecting freedom of expression and the safety of media professionals.

Finally, the State Police underlines that it is taking preventive steps to avoid similar incidents in the future, highlighting ongoing and planned training programmes, including additional training for 600 police officers in 2026, specifically focused on crowd control during assemblies and the safety of journalists.