BIRN Albania

Limited progress on electoral reform, few investigations into corruption and regular attacks against freedom of speech tarnished Albania's year as chair the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, OSCE, six rights organisations stated in a report published on Monday.

Lindita Cela has been named winner of CEI SEEMO's prestigious Award for Outstanding Merits in Investigative Journalism in 2016 for her uncompromising investigations into corruption scandals and organized crime, including the problem of human trafficking in Europe.

BIRN office in Albania had criticised an apparent initiative to restore defamation as a criminal offence in Albania and has called on the government to immediately distance itself from any such move.

On Wednesday, media reports said the government was intending to restore defamation as a criminal offence in the law code.