AHC: Parliament Should Restore Live Broadcasts of Its Sessions

16 October 2006

The Director for Public Relations at the Parliament of Albania has notified the editorial offices of the private media that starting on October 11, 2006, there shall be no live broadcasts of the plenary sessions of the Parliament. The reasons for this decision was explained with the need to sign specific contracts with the private TV stations.

The Albanian Helsinki Committee (AHC) considers this not only as a hasty order, but also as a move that contradicts the right of access to information based on the fact that public access to uncensored information is guaranteed by international instruments, the Constitution of the Republic of Albania as well as the Law on Access to Information.

Based on the article 79 of the Constitution of the Republic of Albania, the parliamentary meetings are open, with the exclusion of the cases when holding in camera meetings is required by the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister or one fifth of MPs, which also has to pass the majority vote of the Parliament.

Furthermore, Article 105 of the Rulebook of the Parliament of Albania, stipulates that its activity is open and is achieved through ��the coverage of the activities of the parliament and its bodies in the print and visual media�.

AHC estimates that any lack of clarity or gap that could exist in the Regulation of the Parliament or other provisions related to this issue should not lead to issuing such orders.

AHC suggests to the Parliament of Albania to urgently restore the violated right of access to transparent information and not to condition it with the drafting or adoption of formal or administrative procedures.