Public Broadcasting Service and Censorship: The Albanian Experience

Sevada Guco; Juliana Bylykbashi

doi:10.63931/ijchr.v7iSI1.214

Authors

Sevada Guco Directorate of Integration and International Legislation
Juliana Bylykbashi Department of Civil Law, Faculty of Law, University of Tirana, Albania

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63931/ijchr.v7iSI1.214

Keywords:

Freedom of expression, Public broadcasting service, ECHR jurisprudence, Albanian Public Radio Television, Censorship

Abstract

Over the past decades, audiovisual broadcasting has undergone significant changes. Since its creation, it has been mostly provided by public enterprises under a monopoly regime, being a reserved activity. Economic and technological developments have increasingly made it possible for other operators to enter the field of audiovisual broadcasting, thereby allowing market competition. Beyond this, public broadcasting service continued to be preserved, playing an important role as an essential element of pluralistic communication and social cohesion. Certain public broadcasters have been banned by the government or private groups for political, religious, or moral reasons, or for controversial content. Censorship standards vary widely by country and can change within a country at different times. Nowadays, public broadcasters face primary threats from commercial challenges, while also contending with political influence. Such is also the case with the Albanian Public Radio Television. Thus, this article focuses on the Albanian model and experience of public broadcasting, providing a historical overview, starting from the communist period until nowadays, viewed in relation to censorship and editorial independence. The purpose of this manuscript consists in analyzing media freedom, highlighting the public broadcasting service, the elements for ensuring its independence, taking into consideration ECHR jurisprudence.

Author Biographies

Sevada Guco, Directorate of Integration and International Legislation

LLM Sevada Guço is a legal expert with over 18 years of experience in public administration, currently serving at the Audiovisual Media Authority (AMA). She holds a Master’s degree in Constitutional, Comparative, and European Law and is finalizing her PhD in Civil Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Tirana. A licensed attorney since 2006, she has extensive expertise in media law, EU legal harmonization, copyright, and broadcasting rights. She has contributed to legislative drafting, interinstitutional coordination, and has published in international legal journals on topics including forensic psychiatry, victim rights, and constitutional law.

Juliana Bylykbashi , Department of Civil Law, Faculty of Law, University of Tirana, Albania

Prof. Asoc. Dr. Juliana Bylykbashi graduated from the Faculty of Law, University of Tirana, in 1996. She has extensive legal experience in civil, administrative, commercial, and labor law, including representation before all levels of the judiciary and the Albanian Mediation and Arbitration Center (MEDART). A member of the National Bar Association since 2008, she has also been a full-time lecturer at the Faculty of Law, University of Tirana, teaching Social Law and Insurance Law. She holds a Master’s degree in Civil Legal Sciences, a Doctorate in Civil Law (2014), and the academic title of Associate Professor (2021). She is the author of numerous scientific publications in her fields of expertise.

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