The Albanian Special Prosecution against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) has threatened the Albanian media and journalists with criminal charges if they continue to publish the testimonies of Nuredin Dumani, a former contract hitman now turned into a collaborator of justice. This is another violation of media freedom after the pressure and seizing computers of the news site Lapsi.al after the publication of the lists of the so-called patrons of the Socialist Party which used citizens’ personal data to obtain electoral advantages for the ruling party ahead of 2021 general election.

Dumani exposed episodes of the organized crime, solicitations of murders, as well as links of criminals to politicians. SPAK warned the journalists they risk up to five years behind bars should they continue to publish what Dumani has been telling to the investigators. The investigative file is in the SPAK offices and it was them that leaked the testimonies first, but now it seems it has gone beyond the limits allowed by the state propaganda after members of the executive have been affected.

The order for the criminal prosecution of journalists has been signed by prosecutors Doloreza Musabelliu, Altin Dumani, and Behar Dibra. However, these prosecutors have also revealed investigative secrets and risk prison, because in their order they write that Nuredin Dumani and Henrik Hoxhaj are collaborators of justice, a revelation which is forbidden to be published.

It looks like leaking secrets like the status of the witnesses is not a crime, only the publication of information that would be a state scandal. The pressure from SPAK takes place in a time when international organizations have sounded the alarm for the media freedom in Albania and continuous threats over the media reporters and journalists from the authorities.