The head of the Executive Committee in the Confederation of European Trade Unions, Ricardo Gutierrez, has reacted regarding the case of the journalist Elton Qyno.
He adds that SPAK's inspection of the apartment and private office of Albanian journalist Elton Qyno and the seizure of his documents and mobile phone are totally unacceptable.
Gutierrez's statement:
SPAK's inspection of the apartment and private office of Albanian journalist Elton Qyno and the seizure of his documents and mobile phone are totally unacceptable. This is an attack on media freedom and the right of journalists to protect the confidentiality of their sources.
SPAK is trying to find out who is behind the information leaks. Instead of investigating its own prosecutors and investigators, it is violating legal standards for the protection of journalistic sources by requiring journalists to reveal their sources.
We hope that the Court of Appeal will accept Qyno's appeal and force SPAK to immediately return its equipment. We stand in solidarity with Qyno and call on the authorities to respect the European principles of the protection of sources and freedom of the press. Albania remains a dangerous place to be a journalist. We call on the authorities to abandon repressive practices.