Police
Reporters Without Borders: Journalists beaten, detained and footage deleted by police during protests
RSF lists cases of journalists attacked in Tirana, from a News24 reporter physically assaulted to an AP photojournalist taken away by force.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 21, 2026, 12:20 · Updated 12:24 · 2 min read
In brief
- News24's Renaldo Salianji was physically assaulted, while Osman Stafa was prevented from filming detentions on Oct. 19.
- Photojournalist Hameraldi Agolli, an AP contributor, was taken away by force, and another journalist had footage deleted from his phone.
- Seven police officers have been suspended, but it is unclear whether this is linked to the attacks on journalists.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has published a list of cases of violence against and obstruction of journalists during the protests in Tirana, accusing the police of interfering with media workers.
The documented cases
According to RSF, News24 journalist Renaldo Salianji was physically assaulted, while his colleague Osman Stafa and other media workers were prevented from filming the detention of protesters near Rruga e Dibrës on the evening of Oct. 19. Photojournalist Hameraldi Agolli, a contributor to the AP news agency, was taken away by force by police.
Taulant Kopliku of SYRI TV said an officer struck him on the shoulder and took his phone, which was returned to him with the footage deleted. Marsi Korreshi was hit in the back with a helmet and shoved while reporting live near Police Station No. 3, and Elkier Bushkolaj was wounded in the leg by a rubber bullet. Juljan Hoxha and photojournalist Felix Bilani said they were struck by police officers, while Glidona Daci of Klan News was hit by stones that the Association of Journalists attributes to the police.
RSF recalls that Reuters reported two of its journalists were hit by rubber bullets on Oct. 17, while Dosja.al editor-in-chief Izmir Akulli was hospitalized after being beaten on Oct. 13 while filming a police intervention against a student.
Suspensions and calls for investigation
According to the SafeJournalists network, the Police Oversight Agency has begun reviewing the allegations and seven police officers have been suspended, but it is unclear whether the measures are directly linked to the attacks on journalists. RSF and other organizations have called for full implementation of the State Police's guidelines on journalists' safety, independent investigations and a special hearing in Parliament. Albania ranks 83rd out of 180 countries in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index.
