Albania: a rapporteur expresses deep concern over proposal on criminalisation of defamation

Back Albania: a rapporteur expresses deep concern over proposal on criminalisation of defamation

Andrej Hunko (Germany, UEL), PACE monitoring rapporteur for Albania, has expressed his surprise at the draft amendments to the criminal code regarding “Defamation towards senior officials or elected officials.”

“Just a year ago, when it adopted Resolution 2019 (2014), the Assembly welcomed the abolition of prison sentences for insult and defamation and the abolition of special protection against defamation for specific categories of people, and called on the parliament to fully decriminalise defamation. These proposals go fully against these recommendations. I am very concerned by this development,” he said.

The rapporteur called on the Albanian parliament not to adopt these proposals and instead to move towards full decriminalisation of defamation as called for in Resolution 2019 (2014).

Resolution 2019 (2014)

12/11/2015

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Albania became member of the Council of Europe on 13 July 1995. Following its accession, a Council of Europe presence headed by the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe was established in Albania, and succeeded, in June 2003, by the establishment of the Information Office of the Council of Europe. Since January 2011, a Council of Europe Office in Tirana is set up as a new institutional form of co-operation.

As representative of the Secretary General in Albania, the Office works to promote the Council of Europe values and standards pertaining to human rights, rule of law and democracy. It facilitates the effective co-operation between the various Council of Europe bodies located in its Headquarters in Strasbourg and the domestic and international partner institutions in Albania.

The work of the Council of Europe in Albania is dedicated to assisting the Albanian authorities to continue bringing the Albanian legislation, its institutional practices and policies fully in line with its obligations stemming from its Council of Europe membership.

European Court of Human Rights