Albania: CFWIJ is Alarmed by The Death Threats Against Alice Taylor

Location: Albania
Date: September 23, 2021

Alice Taylor, the founder of Balkanista.com and co-editor for Exit News, received death threats over social media. A Facebook user messaged Alice that he would find her and have words with her, even threatening to rip her skull off. Taylor replied, saying she would report him to the police, to which the individual continued to accost the journalist. Alice filed a complaint with police in Tirana, and the cybercrime authorities will reportedly investigate the matter. Thus far, the authorities have not reached the individual. The messages were sent to Alice after she had posted an article related to the arrival of Afghan refugees in Albania.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is alarmed by the death threats against the journalist. We demand the cybercrime authorities apprehend the criminal behind the harassment as online threats can often manifest into physical attacks.

The International Press Institute (IPI) has condemned the online death threats against Alice. They have asked the Albanian police to launch an immediate investigation. The statement read, "We call on authorities in Albania to put an end to these kinds of attacks and send a clear message that online harassment will not be tolerated." IPI also warned that if such threats are not investigated properly, they can persist.

Oh just what I wanted. pic.twitter.com/OQJRZzTFuF

— Alice Taylor (@The_Balkanista) August 21, 2021

🔴 IPI calls on authorities in #Albania to swiftly investigate the death threat against @ExitExplains co-editor Alice Taylor (@The_Balkanista).

The online threats directed at Taylor and other journalists in Albania will persist if they are met with impunity. pic.twitter.com/jLmWQogCSm

— IPI-The Global Network for Independent Journalism (@globalfreemedia) August 24, 2021

This is not the first time Alice has suffered harassment. In 2019, she was bombarded by comments on the Electiongate scandal and opposition protests. She was accused of being a "Russian spy" by the state-backed media. At the time, her residence permit was revoked while she was pregnant and unable to travel. Alice won her permit appeal after she filed a complaint against the Interior Ministry and state police in court. She also won the defamation cases she filed against newspapers that attributed false propaganda to the journalist. 

The Albanian Media Council also condemned the threats against Alice in a strong statement. They stated, "These threats from Facebook accounts that may come from individuals, companies, politicians or even political groups who have a reason to be afraid of the work of independent journalists, are a clear expression of violence against the media that exists in the country." The council also asked the government to take responsibility for the volatile landscape of press freedom in the country. 

As of September 23, it became apparent that despite having registered a complaint against the perpetrators, little action was taken by the law enforcement authorities to ensure Alice’s safety. Alice was made aware that the file has still not been passed over to the cybercrime department and is still sitting on a desk in the Tirana Directorate of Police.

CFWIJ spoke to Alice about this negligence in her case.  "I am horrified to discover that even after doing part of the police's job for them, they have not made a single step of progress in over a month. In recent years, there have been zero convictions for crimes against journalists which sends a terrifying message. It shows that 1) the government doesn't care about the lives of journalists, and 2) that crimes against us can be committed with impunity. I have seen first hand what happens when impunity reigns, as was the case of Daphne Caruana Galizia in Malta. The police, which are supposed to protect me, have failed and I am left looking over my shoulder and triple locking my door when I am home alone with my children, in case this threat is real and imminent,” she said.

"The fact this threat happened online, doesn't make it any less real or traumatic,” she went on to add.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is appalled by the targeted death threats against Alice Taylor and the subsequent negligence of the law enforcement authorities. We demand that the case should immediately be prioritized given the persistent and disturbing nature of the threats. Cybercrime authorities must ensure that they apprehend the individual behind the online attacks and ensure Alice’s safety.

The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.

If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.