Albanian Media Council reacts with great concern to the latest developments where the Prosecutor’s Office has requested the seizure of the server and other assets of Lapsi.al.

Ethical standards of journalism stipulate that a journalist has the right and duty to protect the confidentiality of their sources.

Investigations are made to expose various issues and the task of the prosecution is to follow the source of the problems investigated, not the journalists who investigate it and their confidential sources.

Moreover, the seizure of the server of Lapsi.al, endangers not only the source of this investigation but also all the sources of previous investigations of LAPSI.AL, putting at risk all previous confidential sources of this media.

The indirect consequence of this action by the Prosecution’s Office is that it will cause intimidation to any person (whistleblower) who has denounced and may denounce to journalists in confidentiality the abuses of those in power.

AMC considers this irresponsible action of the Prosecution as a direct violation of the freedom of the media and demands, also in the name of the ongoing justice reform, to immediately withdraw from this action and to return back intact all the seized objects. The AMC calls on the national and international journalists’ organizations, the Council of Europe, OSCE, the EU Ambassador, the US Ambassador and other European Embassies in Tirana, to voice their support to this AMC statement in defense of one of the main pillars for a free press.