Other threats to journalists, Kapshtice, 03.11.2024

Translations: Tirana 

On November 2, 2024, Greek authorities detained Albanian journalists and filming crews from A2 CNN and TV Klan for over four hours at the Kapshticë border crossing. The media teams were en route to Thessaloniki, Greece, to cover an event involving Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and the Albanian diaspora, scheduled for November 3, 2024. The detainment began when the TV Klan filming crew was denied entry at 10:00 a.m., with their passports temporarily confiscated. Shortly afterward, the entry was also denied to the journalists from both TV Klan and A2 CNN.

Greek border officials cited the lack of prior authorization from the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the reason for detaining the journalists, stating that a formal approval process was required for foreign media to film and broadcast within Greek territory. The Albanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs promptly submitted a verbal note as requested by Greek authorities. Despite this, the authorization process was delayed, taking over four hours before an email approval was received from the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

During this waiting period, journalists Elja Zotka of TV Klan and Fjorela Beleshi of A2 CNN faced additional restrictions. Greek border officers instructed them not to record or document the incident with their phones, limiting their ability to report in real-time. At approximately 5:30 pm, the journalists and filming crew had their passports returned and were allowed to cross the border.

Speaking to SafeJournalists Network, Fjorela Beleshi remarked, “We have previously covered events featuring Prime Minister Rama across Europe, including in Athens earlier this year, without ever being required to provide a verbal note from our Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Greek Ministry. This requirement is both unprecedented and unjustified.”

Albanian media organizations condemned the incident, denouncing it as an unjustified obstruction of journalistic freedom. On November 3, the Prime Minister of Albania expressed gratitude to the Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs for intervening and facilitating the journalists’ passage.