Actual attacks on Albanian journalists during demonstrations on 11/03/2022, Tirana

Translations: Tirana 

On 11 March 2022, the Albanian state police assaulted at least two journalists during demonstrations in the state capital Tirana and the city of Durres. The journalists were reporting on demonstrations over the increased costs of food, fuel, and energy, which took place in multiple Albanian cities, involving thousands of Albanians. In Durres, Armir Sadiku, a cameraman for Syri.tv reported being hit by a man in plain clothes, whom he assumed was a police officer.

In Tirana, a female journalist was pushed and punched by a police officer, after which she ended up in the emergency department of the state hospital. Nertila Zef Haxhia, a journalist in Tirana working for JoQ News, ended up in the emergency department of the hospital after being assaulted by two police officers. “The first one hit me in the chest when I was reporting, while the second policeman kicked me several times”, she said.  Haxhia published a photo on her Facebook in which she lay in a hospital bed, writing: “As you can see in this photo, I have suffered from the attack from the police. The emergency personnel immediately took care of me and I am doing well.”