TIRANA – A shutdown order has been issued by Albanian authorities against the RTV ‘Ora’ after National Health Inspectorate (ISHSH) and the Audiovisual Media Authority (AMA) claimed that government instruction allowing only one guest in a TV show had been violated.
The news was made public by RTV Ora, which also published copies of two fines and shut down decision. On May 11, the ISHSH fined the broadcaster 8,500 euros for having three guests in journalist Artur Zheji’s “360 degrees” political show, instead of one allowed by the government. On May 14, the same fine went to journalist Sonila Meco’s “Tempora” show because she had invited two guests the previous day. On the same day, May 14, AMA demanded the shutting down of the channel’s activity, ordering the interruption of its broadcast signal.
“The closure of the television happened because people were allowed to speak out in the studio,” Brahim Shima, RTV Ora news director said on Friday, adding that the closure had been done intentionally. He added that no government institution had conducted any inspections in the premises of the television before imposing fines and issuing a closure order. Shima claimed ISHSH has based their decisions on screenshots and videos from shows, without actually inspecting the premises of that RTV.
“Such a measure against a TV with an informative and opinion- making profile is an act of war not only towards a media subject but against the critical journalists,” said the Union of Albanian Journalists (UAJ) in a statement released on Friday.
According to the statement, this act is a negative investment of the government and institutions commanded by it which will bring Albania further down in the expected index of media freedom.
“Such costs are refusable for the image of a country which aims at becoming an EU member country,” the UAJ’s statement said calling on Albanian journalists to strengthen their professional solidarity and continue doing their job transparently in face of country’s political demagogues.
For his part President Ilir Meta said on Friday he was deeply concerned by the decision of the public authorities to order the closure of RTV ‘Ora’, particularly when reports of the international and European organizations raise the alarm over the regress of freedom and independence of media in Albania.
The head of the opposition Democratic Party (DP), Lulzim Basha called the act of the shutdown s an effort to drown critical voices of journalists. Labeling PM in a post on Twitter on Friday as ‘Ramavirus’ Basha said that the government head has infected dozens of women with Covid -19 while refusing to close the textile manufactures, but when it is the question of critical voices like that of journalist Sonila Meco he fines and closes the media. Basha said that ‘Ramavirus’ is the greatest evil of Albania. /argumentum.al
