An ambitious government is enacting laws aimed at strengthening human rights and bringing Albania closer to the goal of EU membership in 2027. But behind the reforms and legal changes, criticism from journalists and activists is growing. Felicia Linsér, FUF's correspondent, describes snapshots from the spring in Tirana.
“There is a distrust of journalists. People claim that we are paid to do someone else's job or that we will change interviews afterwards,” says Entenela Ndrevataj.
She currently works at a civil society organization and calls herself an activist, but was previously active as a journalist.
When I meet her in a café in central Tirana, it is relatively quiet and peaceful. The Blloku district was once reserved for the political communist elite and home to dictator Enver Hoxha. Nregret panel away sitting one couple of older men and sipping coffee.
The capital has been bathed in sunshine in recent weeks, but this Thursday afternoon is rainy and gray. The persistent rain is a fitting backdrop for today's topic of conversation: journalists' shrinking democratic space.
In their latest report classifies the democracy institute V-Dem Institute no longer Albania as an electoral democracy but as an electoral autocracy. This means that the country is characterized, among other things, by serious shortcomings in freedom of expression and the press.
The relationship between politicians and journalists in Albania still arouses strong emotions among Entenela Ndrevataj.
– Journalists who have criticized the government's methods, such as the use of pre-recorded press conferences, have endured threats and hatred from Prime Minister Rama and other high-ranking politicians, she explains.
Many of our topics of conversation concern disinformation and threats directed at journalists by incumbent politicians.
Reporters Without Borders annual report World Press Freedom Index measures the conditions of journalists and the independence of the media worldwide. The confirms Entenela Ndrevataj's picture of the situation in Albania and lists widespread hostility towards journalists and high vulnerability to propaganda.
Human rights in the spotlight
A few weeks after our conversation, the Tirana Pride Parade is being held. for the fourteenth time. The sun has returned to the cityThe warmth and joy are captivating.
It all started in the early 2010s when a pair of brave activists cycled through the capital in protest against homophobia and transphobia. The action, which was supposed to be the starting shot for the Pride parade, was met with homemade pipe bombs. None of the activists were injured and the protest was able to continue. But to this day, almost fifteen years later, LGBTQI activists are still being targeted.
It was not until 1994 that homosexuality became legal in Albania. Rthe eagle has as goal of becoming an EU member already in 2027, something Sweden supports both politically and with development aidTo become a member, the country must update its legislation so that it meets EU standards, not least with regard to the protection of human rights.
When Graeme Reid, the UN Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, visited the country in 2024 he stated that authorities have shown a willingness to actively work to improve the situation. Among the successes is a law against anti-discrimination and that the government has made changes to the penal code with the aim of protecting LGBTQI people.
However, Reid notes that LGBTQI people still face discrimination in access to education, healthcare, employment and other aspects of everyday life. In his final report, he writes that people “also face obstacles when reporting hate crimes and seeking redress for alleged violations of their rights, often as a result of widespread prejudice and discriminatory attitudes towards LGBT people in society.”
EU membership is closely linked to the work to strengthen LGBTQI rights. But among many of the Albanian LGBTQI activists I spoke to during Pride The government's goal arouses conflicting feelings. For some, it is described as the "last hope." Others see it as overambitious.
Flamingo protests put the government to the test
During my last week in Tirana, protests erupted against the construction of a resort in the protected landscape area of Nartalagunen in Vjosa-Narta in southern Albania. The resort is linked to Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and has been quickly approved by the government, despite the area's protected status. The protests are being called the "Flamingo Revolution" because the resort threatens the area's flamingos.
The protests have also drawn attention to widespread corruption in politics and are calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama and his government.
The effects on wildlife have also attracted the attention of the EU. In European Commission resolution on Albania published on 17 June, they express disappointment that Albania has changed its investment laws in a way that weakens environmental protection in the country. They call on the government to immediately halt construction in Vjosa-Narta and recall that EU membership requires compliance with the EU Birds and Habitats Directives.
In the crowd I see familiar faces: LGBTQ– and women's rights activists and journalists whom I have come to know during the spring. But the Flamingo Revolution does not only bring together activists who usually scrutinize political power. Among the demonstrators are older and younger people with different party affiliations who has never protested before.
During the protests, I recall Entenelas Ndrevataj ambivalence around the issue of Albanian EU membership:
– EU membership is our last hope for life and dignity, but what we feel now is that we are losing hope. I was convinced that we would become part of the EU, but now I am not so sure. We are going backwards and I do not think there is any room for us anymore in the Union.
This is a chronicle. The author is responsible for analysis and opinions in the text.
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