10 June 2025
Civil society organizations express deep concern over the public post by MP Ardit Bido targeting Kristina Voko, Executive Director of BIRN Albania.
This post amounts to public vilification of the leader of an independent organization working in the fields of media, transparency, and public accountability. By distorting a discussion held in Parliament, the post presents a legitimate and legally grounded intervention as suspicious, anti-national, or linked to foreign interests.
On 8 June, during a hearing of the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights and Means of Public Information with civil society organizations on the annual reports of independent institutions, including the Audiovisual Media Authority (AMA) and the Albanian Radio Television (RTSH), Kristina Voko raised a clear legal standard1: the obligation of the public broadcaster to provide inclusive information and content, including for national minorities and persons with disabilities.
This is a matter recognized by the Albanian legal framework and is directly linked to the public mission of RTSH. National minorities have the right to be informed in their own language, and RTSH has an obligation to serve the entire public, not only the majority. Therefore, presenting this request as a threat to the national interest is inaccurate, dangerous, and discriminatory.
Even more concerning is the way in which the post uses ethnic belonging as a means of delegitimization. In a democratic society, no one should be attacked or discredited because of their origin, language, or ethnic belonging. Using ethnic identity to target a representative of civil society and portray her as “foreign” or “against the national interest” is unacceptable.
This case takes place in a particularly sensitive context, as citizens, activists, media, and civil society organizations are raising concerns about the Zvërnec project and the Vjosa-Narta protected area, as part of the civic mobilization known as the “Flamingo Revolution”. These concerns relate to environmental protection, transparency, public consultation, accountability, and respect for the rule of law.
In this context, the attempt to portray critical voices as “enemies”, “foreign”, or motivated by ethnic belonging seeks to shift attention away from real issues of public interest and to create a climate of intimidation against civil society, media, and citizens participating in public debate.
Civil society has the right and the responsibility to participate in parliamentary hearings, raise legal and institutional concerns, and demand accountability from public institutions. Participation in a parliamentary process cannot later be used as material for personal attacks, ethnic targeting, or public vilification by elected representatives.
1 Law No. 96/2017 “On the Protection of National Minorities in the Republic of Albania”, Articles 3 and 14.
Law No. 97/2013 “On Audiovisual Media in the Republic of Albania”, as amended by Law No. 30/2023, dated 13 April 2023, provides in Article 91(1) that RTSH, as the public broadcaster, provides radio and television services to inform, educate and entertain the public, serving the nation and all groups of society, including national minorities. The same law, in Article 47(1)(c) and Article 47(2), provides for specific measures that audiovisual media service providers must undertake to enable persons with hearing or visual impairments to follow programmes, including sign language, teletext, subtitling and audio description.
Law No. 10 221/2010 “On Protection from Discrimination”, as amended, in particular Article 1, includes ethnicity, language, disability and belonging to a particular group among the protected grounds; Article 3 defines hate speech and harassment; and Article 32 sets out the powers of the Commissioner for Protection from Discrimination to examine complaints and conduct administrative investigations.
Attacks of this nature do not remain without consequences. When a civil society representative is publicly targeted by an elected official because of her origin or critical position, the message goes beyond the individual case: it tells all those who speak up, especially women leading independent organizations, women journalists, and women activists, that participation in public debate can be turned against them through public vilification. This chilling effect damages the very foundations of a democratic society, where criticism and accountability must be possible without fear of retaliation.
We call on MP Ardit Bido to withdraw the post and issue a public apology.
We call on the Parliament of Albania, the Speaker of Parliament, and the Parliamentary Group of the Socialist Party to clearly distance themselves from any language that targets representatives of civil society, media, or citizens on the basis of ethnicity, language, origin, or critical opinion.
We call on the bodies responsible for parliamentary ethics and conduct in the Parliament of Albania to review this case, as the use of a parliamentary hearing for public vilification and ethnic targeting undermines the standards of conduct expected from Members of Parliament and may discourage civil society participation in parliamentary processes.
We call on the Commissioner for Protection from Discrimination to assess this case within the scope of its legal mandate, taking into account the use of ethnic belonging as a tool for targeting, delegitimization, and public vilification by an elected representative.
Signatory Organizations
- Science and Innovation for Development Centre (SCiDEV)
- Together Foundation
- Qëndresa Qytetare
- Albanian Center for Economic Research (ACER)
- Albanian Center for Quality Journalism (ACQJ)
- Association of Journalists of Albania (AGSH)
- Citizens.al
- Albanian Helsinki Committee (KSHH)
- Albanian Media Council (KSHM)
- Faktoje.al
- Information Network and Active Citizenship (INAC)
- Albanian Women in Audiovisual (AWA)
- Partners Albania for Change and Development
- Children’s Rights Centre Albania (CRCA-ECPAT Albania)
- Amfora Centre
- Civil Rights Defenders Albania
- European Movement Albania (EMA)
- Academy of Political Studies (ASP)
- Gender Alliance for Development Centre (GADC)
- Institute of Political Studies (ISP)
- Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development — All Green Centre 22. Together for Life Association (TFL)
- ResPublica Centre
- Alliance Against LGBTI Discrimination
- Education for Change Centre
- Beyond Barriers Association
- Albanian Disability Rights Foundation (ADRF)
- Center for the Study of Democracy and Governance (CSDG)
- Different & Equal
- Center for Gender Justice in Albania
- Environmental Resource Center in Albania 32. Albanian Women Empowerment Network (AWEN) 33. European Center for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) 34. ARSIS Initiative
- Albanian Media Institute