An explosion shook the offices of Albania's largest daily newspaper causing damage but no injuries, Associated Press reported. A bomb detonated Sunday at 2020GMT outside the offices of Shekulli "Century" in Albanian), the newspaper's editor�in�chief Robert Rakipllari said.
Fifteen staff members were working at the time, he said. "We have had no conflict. We have had no threats. I'm sure this was some type of warning, but I can't explain it," Rakipllari told AP. "It was a great shake and the Internet stopped for a second because of the explosion," Rakipllari said.
The bomb, containing 220 grammes of explosive, was thrown into the main editorial room, reportedly by two strangers, and broke several windows. Police immediately began an investigation. The paper's staff, who said they feared for their safety, declined to speculate about a motive for the attack in a country where the media has never been targeted by violence, Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) said.
Journalists in post�communist Albania have often been targeted by politically motivated violence since the demise of the communist regime in 1990. Earlier this month an Albanian newspaper journalist, Engjellush Serjani of the Dita Jug regional newspaper, was beaten unconscious by unidentified people.
The Vienna�based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in South East Europe and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), urged the Albanian authorities to find and prosecute those behind the attack.
According to SEEMO, on December 11, Engjell Serjani, director of Dita Jug newspaper and correspondent for Gazeta Shqiptare, was attacked and beaten up by two unknown persons in the city of Gjirokastra. Serjani was leaving a bar next to his office for home, when two persons stopped him and started hitting him until he lost consciousness. Later, Serjani recovered consciousness and was able to go to a hospital to have his injuries treated. The two perpetrators managed to escape.
Oliver Vujovic, SEEMO Secretary General, condemned the attack, "Physical attacks on journalists are both unacceptable and alarming. Journalists must be able to report without fear of harassment and intimidation. This case is very worrying because this is not the first time that a journalist in Albania was physically attacked. This and other acts of violence against journalists are obviously aimed at intimidating the work of journalists."
Vujovic said, "SEEMO takes every physical attack on a journalist in a country of transition very seriously. Particularly because in previous years in South East Europe several journalists have been killed due to their professional work."
