The Association of Journalists of Albania (AJA) has issued a powerful open letter addressed to the Prime Minister and the President of Albania, urging the country’s leadership to publicly condemn what it describes as an unfolding genocide in Gaza and to take a clear, moral stand against the mass killing of civilians and journalists.
In one of the strongest public statements made by a professional body in Albania regarding the crisis in the Middle East, the journalists’ association warns that Gaza is being “systematically destroyed,” with children dying of hunger, hospitals turned into “silent cemeteries,” and journalists “the last remaining voices of truth”, being deliberately targeted and killed.
“This is not merely a political appeal,” the letter states. “It is a human plea. A cry from our conscience as journalists, as citizens, and as human beings.”
The Association condemns the actions of the Israeli government, accusing it of using starvation as a weapon of war, cutting off access to water, medicine, and fuel, and blocking humanitarian aid. Furthermore, the letter highlights the ban on international journalists entering Gaza, leaving only local reporters to document what is happening under extreme danger.
According to data cited from the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), at least 187 journalists and media workers have been killed since the start of the war a figure the AJA describes as an attempt to “deliberately silence” those bearing witness to war crimes.
“Albania is not a large country, but it has a voice that can be heard when it chooses to speak,” the letter continues. “It has a painful history that recognizes the scars of silenced crimes.”
The Association of Journalists of Albania is calling on Albanian leaders to:
- Publicly condemn the genocide occurring in Gaza
- Call for an immediate end to the killing of civilians and demand protection for journalists
- Support the unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid and media access to Gaza
- Endorse an international investigation into the use of starvation as a weapon and other violations of international law
- Speak with moral clarity, not diplomatic caution
In a stark conclusion, the Association warns that neutrality in the face of atrocity is tantamount to complicity:
“To remain neutral in the face of genocide is not diplomacy. It is complicity. It is a stain that history will not forgive.”
/Argumentum.al
