The SafeJournalists Network expresses serious concern over the detention of Citizens.al journalist Vjolanda Peca by the Albanian State Police while she was reporting from a protest outside the Parliament of Albania in Tirana on 24 September 2026, as well as the continued retention of her mobile phone by the police following her release.
Peca was covering the protest in her professional capacity when she was taken by police and held at a police station.
According to information available to the Network on 25 September, Peca has since been released, but her mobile phone remains in police possession. The journalist herself has stated that the police gave her no explanation for seizing her phone.
The seizure or continued retention of a journalist’s professional device requires particular safeguards. Mobile phones used by journalists may contain unpublished material, communications with sources and other information protected by journalistic confidentiality. Any interference with such material must therefore have a clear legal basis, be necessary and proportionate, and be accompanied by safeguards protecting journalists’ sources and confidential information.
The Network is particularly concerned that this is not an isolated incident involving Peca. On 23 July 2026, she was also taken to a police station while covering a protest in Tirana.The fact that the same journalist has now been subjected to police intervention twice within a short period while reporting on public demonstrations requires a prompt and transparent explanation from the Albanian authorities.
SafeJournalists calls on the Albanian State Police and the competent authorities to:
- immediately clarify the legal grounds for Peca’s detention and for the seizure and continued retention of her mobile phone;
- return her professional device without delay unless its continued retention is based on a lawful, necessary and proportionate measure subject to appropriate procedural safeguards;
- disclose whether the device or any of its contents have been accessed, searched, copied or otherwise examined and, if so, under which legal authority;
- ensure the protection of journalistic sources, communications and unpublished material contained on journalists’ devices;
- clarify the circumstances surrounding the repeated police interventions against Peca while she was carrying out her professional duties; and
- ensure that journalists covering protests and other events of public interest can work freely and safely, without arbitrary detention, obstruction or unjustified interference with their equipment.
Police have a legitimate responsibility to maintain public order during demonstrations. At the same time, journalists covering such events perform an essential public-interest function and must be able to observe, document and report police actions without undue interference. The repeated detention of a journalist while reporting, combined in this case with the continued retention of her phone, raises serious concerns that require an immediate and transparent institutional response.
The SafeJournalists Network will inform relevant national and international stakeholders about the case and will continue to monitor developments concerning Vjolanda Peca and the return of her phone.
Every attack on journalists is an attack on democracy, public interest, and fundamental human rights.
Pristina – Skopje – Sarajevo – Zagreb – Belgrade – Podgorica – Tirana, 25 September 2026
Association of Journalists of Albania
Association of Journalists of Kosovo
Association of Journalists of Macedonia
BH Journalists Association
Croatian Journalists’ Association
Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia
Trade Union of Media of Montenegro
