"A major independent news site in Albania has been censored and two journalists are under investigation for spreading news against the Albanian government."
This is what the well known site "Freedom of the Press" writes on its Twitter profile, as it shares the link of the "Exit.al" news, which explains the media situation in our country and the shut down of the most well known media in Albania "joqalbania.com" domain.
Alice Elisabeth Taylor's news is titled "Activist Arrested, Two Journalists Under Investigation, A Website Blocked After Government Actions".
Between the lines is written:
“The Albanian government has blocked access to the JOQ Albania portal over the weekend, following an order given by AKEP. Until now, it is not possible to access the site from Albania, while the police have launched investigations into the two directors of the site, Erland Dalliu and Gentian Çengeli, for spreading fake news about the earthquake in Albania, causing panic among citizens. Also, AKEP's website is out of order after a cyber attack by the Facebook account named "Anonymous Albania”.
The site joqalbania.com is not available to regular users, unless they are using a TOR browser, or are using a VPN in a foreign jurisdiction to mask the user's original location. Such methods are regularly used in countries with autocratic regimes such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, China and Russia."
The article also talks about the arrest and subsequent release of the activist Xhuljana Aliaj, who was also accused of spreading fake news and panic during the time of the earthquake.
Foreign media are paralleling Rama's regime and the pressure it is exerting on the media, with that of autocratic countries, where freedom of expression is censored or largely absent.
LINK DOWN BELOW:
https://twitter.com/freedomofpress/status/1201900498720378881?s=46&t=D-yOv1Lr8n5VnbcJ_3OX6A
A big independent news site in Albania has been censored and two journalists are being investigated after a disturbing government crackdown by the Albanian government. https://t.co/xHZnNVWDpn
— Freedom of the Press (@FreedomofPress) December 3, 2019
