JUSTICE FOR ALL PROJECT IN ALBANIA Annual Report: October 1, 2017 – September 30, 2018
THIS REPORT IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE SUPPORT OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (USAID). THE CONTENTS OF THIS REPORT ARE THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE EAST-WEST MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF USAID OR THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT.
JUSTICE FOR ALL PROJECT IN ALBANIA Annual Report: October 1, 2017 – September 30, 2018
Prepared under:
USAID Contract Number AID-OAA-I-13-0035 / AID-182-TO-16-00001
Submitted to:
USAID/Albania on November 1, 2018
Contractor:
East-West Management Institute, Inc.
Disclaimer
This report is made possible by the support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents of this report are the sole responsibility of the East-West Management Institute and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
CONTENTS TABLE OF ACRONYMS II INTRODUCTION 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2 JUDICIAL REFORM 2 CIVIL SOCIETY 2 INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM 2 COMPONENT 1: STREAMLINED, EXPEDITIOUS AND TRANSPARENT COURT PROCEEDINGS 4 EXPECTED RESULT 1.1: COURTS PERFORM THEIR FUNCTIONS MORE EFFICIENTLY, AVOIDING UNPRODUCTIVE HEARINGS AND UNNECESSARY DELAYS. 4 EXPECTED RESULT 1.2: COURT SESSIONS TAKE PLACE IN COURTROOMS WHERE HEARINGS ARE VERBATIM RECORDED AND ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC 11 EXPECTED RESULT 1.3: PUBLIC HAS EASY ACCESS TO THE COURTS. 13 EXPECTED RESULT 1.4: JUDICIAL LEADERSHIP IS STRENGTHENED AND UNDERTAKES AN ACTIVE ROLE IN THE JUDICIAL REFORM PROCESS 14 STEPS FOR NEXT QUARTER 21 COMPONENT 2: PUBLIC DEMAND/PRESSURE FOR IMPROVED JUSTICE DELIVERY23 EXPECTED RESULT 2.1: A JUSTICE SECTOR CSO COALITION/NETWORK IS FORMED WITH AN ESTABLISHED STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN. 23 EXPECTED RESULTS 2.2: CSOS BECOME IMPORTANT ACTORS IN THE JUSTICE REFORM PROCESS, BRINGING CITIZENS’ CONCERNS TO THE ATTENTION OF THE JUDICIARY AND POLICY MAKERS AND EXERTING PRESSURE FOR CHANGE; 24 EXPECTED RESULTS 2.3: CSO’S PROVIDE CONCRETE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENTS IN THE JUDICIARY, EITHER THROUGH THE LEGAL REFORM PROCESS OR ON THE GROUND REFORM PROCESSES; 24 EXPECTED RESULT 2.4: CITIZENS DEMAND FOR IMPROVED JUSTICE DELIVERY IS INCREASED; AND 24 EXPECTED RESULTS 2.5: CIVIL SOCIETY CAPACITY TO PROVIDE GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT IS INCREASED. 24 COMPONENT 3: INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM 27 EXPECTED RESULT 3.1: CORRUPTION AND OTHER ECONOMIC CRIMES ARE BETTER EXPOSED TO THE PUBLIC 27 EXPECTED RESULT 3.2: THE QUALITY OF INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM IS INCREASED THROUGH THE PRODUCTION OF HIGH QUALITY, DOCUMENTED, FACT BASED CROSS-BORDER AND NATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE PUBLICATIONS 29 EXPECTED RESULT 3.3: A MORE POLITICALLY ENGAGED CITIZENRY IS PROMOTED 31 EXPECTED RESULT 3.4: INDEPENDENT AND OPEN MEDIA IS STRENGTHENED. 35 ANNEXES (SUBMITTED SEPARATELY) TABLE OF ACRONYMS AC Appeal Chamber BIRN Balkan Investigative Report Network CC Constitutional Court CMWG Court Management Working Group CSO Civil Society Organization DAR Digital Audio Recording DARCRA Digital Audio Records Central Records Archive DC District Court EWMI East-West Management Institute, Inc. GOA Government of Albania HCJ High Council of Justice HPC High Prosecutorial Council IDRA Institute for Development Research and Alternatives IMA Investigative Media Advisor IMO International Monitoring Operation IREX International Research and Exchanges Board IT Information Technology JR Justice Reform JWD Justice without Delay MCAT Media Content Analysis Tool MDCC Meeting of the District Court Chairpersons MOJ Ministry of Justice NGO Non-Governmental Organization RFA Request for Applications TNA Training Needs Assessment USAID United States Agency for International Development WG Working Group
II | JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 USAID.GOV INTRODUCTION The East-West Management Institute, Inc. (EWMI) is pleased to submit the following annual report covering activities for the Justice for All Project (hereinafter referred to as “the Project”) for the period October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018
This serves as a summary report of the work that has taken place specifically over the fourth and final quarter of project year 3, and more broadly over the past year. The report is designed to highlight the successes and challenges of the past but to also provide a clear picture of the challenges ahead. Specific programs or initiatives are described in detail in the Project’s Quarterly Reports submitted as follows:
• Quarter 1 – 01 Oct 2016 to 31 Dec 2016 submitted on 16 January 2018 • Quarter 2 – 01 Jan 2017 to 31 Mar 2016 submitted on 13 April 2018 • Quarter 3 – 01 Apr 2017 to 30 Jun 2017 submitted on 13 July 2018 The overall goal of the Project is “to improve court performance through implementation of comprehensive judicial standards in efficiency, transparency, accessibility and accountability and, ultimately, increase public confidence in the judicial system” and through its remaining two components has made significant strides towards creating sustainable change in each key area.
USAID.GOV 1 | JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
JUDICIAL REFORM Albania continues to struggle to implement the mandates required by the Judicial Reform Package passed in August 2016. The failure to convene a functioning High Council of Justice (HCJ) and the slow progress in vetting judges and judicial candidates contributes to a lack of leadership in the judiciary, and to increasing delays and backlogs as judges retire or resign but are not replaced. The Project, however, has essentially created one very important means of providing judicial leadership, through its support to the Meetings of the District Court Chairpersons (MDCCs). These sessions of the leadership of the 22 district courts enables the judges to identify emerging problems, develop consistent solutions, and strengthen their leadership skills. This is particularly important as the District Courts are faced with implementing recent and in some cases far-ranging amendments to the civil and criminal procedure codes. During the past year, the Project has facilitated five such MDCCs.
The Project is also providing important support to the District Courts through its Justice without Delay (JWD) initiative, which is being implemented (to varying degrees and in coordination with the OSCE) in all 22 district courts. JWD is vital to promoting judicial leadership, improving coordination with other justice sector institutions (the postal service, charged with service of process, being the most important), and increasing transparency and efficiency in the courts. The biggest improvements have been in civil cases, whereas courts in criminal cases are having a more difficult time implementing certain new provisions of the amended criminal procedure code. Another challenge is the bottleneck at the High Court, where the waiting time for a case hearing is five years and increasing, largely due to the failure to replace retiring judges: although the Court is budgeted to have 19 judges, it currently has only four. The Project will work with the Court in the coming year to implement recommendations already made to improve efficiencies, but the core problem is and will likely to remain a shortfall of judges at the apex of the system.
The Project also continues to support digital audio recording (DAR) in the courts, in particular maintaining the central server, and to provide support and training for public information officers. It is also working with the School of Magistrates on a series of court management and leadership modules, including training 50 women judges on leadership and resiliency.
CIVIL SOCIETY In February 2018, USAID directed the Project to eliminate the Civil Society Component (Component 2), due to a change in the strategic priorities of the US Government in Albania. Some important achievements were accomplished during the period that the Project supported civil society, however, primarily the establishment of the Justice for All Coalition, which has grown to include 31 CSO members, and which continues to participate in the reform process, including leading the revision of the Public Legal Education Strategy and Action Plan.
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM The Project’s Component 3 seeks to strengthen investigative journalism. This is also a challenging area because investigative journalism is expensive and time-consuming and because of an absence of support
2 | JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 USAID.GOV for probing journalism in the mainstream media, explained by the political and business interests of media owners. Journalists who dare to delve into corruption or economic crimes are often subject to threats, violence or intimidation. At the time of submission of this report, two of the five jouralists JFA had made small grants to had left Albania, seeking asylum in Western Europe and Canada. Finally, there is also a pervasive weakness which comes from lack of capacity in basic journalism: the process of finding stories and telling them in a style that is compelling to the audience.
One of the ways that the Project is addressing these challenges is by organizing and delivering “Developing an Investigative Mindset in the Digital Age” (DIMS) trainings, aimed at young journalists with the premise that an investigative frame of mind is needed at all levels of journalism. The training, provided to 63 journalists, addressed the major problem of effective story-telling across all platforms, from text to video. It included video for digital and smart phone, story-telling techniques, most effective use of photographs and graphics, structuring stories in text and video, and writing and adapting stories for social media.
The Project has also made a significant grant to the Albanian branch of the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) to support and promote independent and open media. This 18 month grant has resulted in a significant body of investigative reporting and journalism on court and crime reporting, including 338 stories from under reported areas of the country; raised the capacities of a group of regional journalists reporting from all provinces of Albania; boosted video production, with 60 items published at www.reporter.al; and led to the public being told many stories which might otherwise go unreported.
A final important accomplishment during this reporting period has been the establishing of the first ever fact-checking service to function in Albania. The new service, ‘Faktoje’ (English: evidence), started work in February 2018, and is being implemented largely through a grant to the Gender Alliance for Development Centre (GADC), which hired a team of five young reporters who had previously been trained under the US Embassy’s “Media Lab” Project. The website, which can be viewed at www.faktoje.al, features a fact-o-meter (Faktometer) aimed at giving the audience an instant idea of whether a statement is true or false, or somewhere in between. Through mid-October, Faktoje has checked 110 news/declarations and posted 36 video stories.
USAID.GOV JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 | 3 COMPONENT 1: STREAMLINED, EXPEDITIOUS AND TRANSPARENT COURT PROCEEDINGS
EXPECTED RESULT 1.1: COURTS PERFORM THEIR FUNCTIONS MORE EFFICIENTLY, AVOIDING UNPRODUCTIVE HEARINGS AND UNNECESSARY DELAYS. ANNUAL SUMMARY: This result is being achieved through two ongoing initiatives, both of which will be expanded in the coming year. The first is the Justice without Delay (JWD) initiative, the core objective of which is to assist courts in looking at the causes of delays, reasons for postponements, and how addressing those in a targeted way can reduce the number of hearings in a case and thus reduce costs to the court and the parties alike. Courts are measured at the start of the initiative (baseline), again at the six-month mark (implementation study) and then annually thereafter. Results to-date conform to prior year results with few exceptions. The most common causes of postponements/delay remain: • Failure to provide timely service of summonses/notices caused by lack of infrastructure within the Albanian addressing system, lack of professional service of process by the post office, lack of sufficient/accurate information provided by the parties and/or the attorneys; and • Failure to appear, despite proper and adequate service of notice, on the part of one or more parties and/or their representatives. The second ongoing initiative is the monthly meeting of District Court Chairpersons. Implemented as a direct outgrowth of the JWD initiative, these meetings serve as the only centralized initiative that enables Courts to discuss standardizing their practices, how to interpret and implement new legislation, and developing a unified approach to emerging challenges and sharing successful solutions. The first meeting was held in early 2018, with four additional meetings held before the end of the project year, and with two additional meeting already scheduled for next quarter. The Project expects to continue these meetings, discussed in more detail in section 1.4, throughout the coming year.
PROGRESS ACHIEVED To date, all 22 district courts have implemented at least one element of the JWD program. Seventeen courts have completed the first six months of implementation.1 All 17 receive ongoing monitoring and evaluation from the Project, and as of this submission 14 have completed both the baseline and initial implementation/stocktaking reports.2 Results can be seen in the overall reductions in civil cases as illustrated below, while the criminal cases are subject to more detailed discussion in section 1.1 Problems Encountered and Solutions Developed. Although many courts did not meet their initial targets, all courts produced a reduction in civil cases compared to the initial baseline.
1 Kruja, Korca, Tropoja, Puka, Durres, Kukes, Lezha, Dibra, Shkodra, Pogradec, Kurbin, Elbasan, Mat, Tirana, Fier, Vlora and Berat District Courts have completed the first six months of implementation of the initiative. Meanwhile Lushnja and, Gjirokastra DCs are under implementation. Saranda, Permet and Kavaja DCs have completed the first steps of the initiative but have not started implementation yet. 2 Implementation studies are completed at the 6-month mark and then on an annual basis.
4 | JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 USAID.GOV
PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED AND SOLUTIONS DEVELOPED The JWD initiative did suffer some setbacks as to criminal cases due to amendments to the criminal code and the criminal procedure code, as well as the implementation of a brand new, first of its kind in Albania, juvenile procedural code. These amendments set a legal requirement for a minimum of three hearings, even in expedited cases where two were previously the norm. The amendments also placed an increased burden on the courts in terms of scheduling because each of the initial three hearings must be heard by a different judge. In small courts this creates delay when the judges must recuse themselves
USAID.GOV JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 | 5 and no other judges are available. Further exacerbating the situation are extensive delays on the part of the HCJ to assign judges among the courts.
The ongoing backlog at the High Court continues to undermine JWD achievements in the District Courts because when cases are appealed to the High Court they are placed in a queue where the average wait-time before a case is considered is five or more years. The project year saw the backlog in the Supreme Court increase substantially, a trend expected to continue as the resignations and dismissals due to the vetting process have brought the number of judges from the budgeted 19 down to four as of September 30, 2018. At the time of this report’s submission, the Court Chairperson’s successful re-evaluation by the IQC had been appealed to the vetting Appeals Chamber by the Public Commissioner, further complicating the Court’s already complex situation. It is assumed that the High Court will continue to be unproductive and that its backlog will continue to grow for as long as the crisis continues and no new judges are appointed.3
The OSCE has not yet launched the JWD website. The Project and USAID have signed off on the site, its content, and marking and branding, but as the OSCE is taking the lead on this initiative there is little
4TH QUARTER UPDATE OF SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES
Stocktaking Assessment of JWD Courts: During the final quarter the Project collected data for the preparation of the first implementation reports in Tirana Criminal Division and Elbasan District Court. The Project completed the data collection activities for the first and second annual reports for Kukes, Korca, Kruja and Puka; the reports will be finalized next quarter.
The Project also coordinated with District Courts of Vlora, Fier and Berat for data collection for the six-month implementation reports and all three Courts agreed to dates early next quarter.
The six-month implementation reports for Tirana District Court, Criminal Division, Mat and Elbasan District Courts were completed, disseminated and are attached as Annex 1A. In Tirana District Court, the largest court in Albania, the implementation report for the criminal section was prepared in two formats, one comparing the results of the baseline and implementation for criminal cases adjudicated under the procedural code prior to the amendments of August 2017, and another specifically constructed to study the cases adjudicated under the new procedure. The first implementation report (old procedure), reflects slight improvements, but the court failed to reach its action plan targets. The defendants and their representatives as well as the prosecutor were the main actors causing postponements. The Project in collaboration with the court will establish follow up actions to assist the court to reach the established goals.
3 Judicial appointments cannot be made at this time because the Judicial Appointments Committee is non-functioning as multiple members have been dismissed through the vetting process.
6 | JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 USAID.GOV
Implementation Report Results Tirana DC – Criminal Division Implementation Report Results Tirana DC – Criminal Division
The second report on cases adjudicated under the new procedural code, will serve as the baseline report for the comparison to the next annual report, and also enables the Court to begin to understand the impacts of the procedural code amendments.
Mat District Court attained and partly exceed the goals set in its action plan. While it is possible to construct a comparative chart for the civil cases as shown in the graph below, for criminal cases this is not possible due to the significant amendments to the procedural code. Defendants and their representatives as well as prosecutors are the main instigators of postponements. The findings reflect a relatively high percentage of hearing productivity, at 78% for the analyzed civil cases and a reduction in the number of unproductive civil hearings, from 32% to 22%, thus surpassing the Court’s 25% goal. The
Implementation Report Results Mat DC findings from the criminal cases under the new procedural code show that 81% of the hearings are productive. Results will be discussed early next quarter with the Court Chairperson. The Elbasan District Court reached and surpassed its action plan goals. No additional follow up is needed as the Court intends to continue all activities implemented and thus the Project will now conduct stocktaking assessment on annual basis. Implementation Report Results Elbasan DC Implementation of JWD in Additional Courts: During this quarter, the initial implementation continued in the District Courts of Vlora, Berat, Lushnja and
USAID.GOV JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 | 7 Gjirokastra. Likewise, the Assistants to the Court Chairperson of Korca, Durres, Lezha, Kavaja and Kurbin continued their work in their respective courts. In light of Vlora District Court’s strong commitment to the initiative, an assistant to the Court Chairperson was added and began working in September 2018. Several courts continued their efforts to improve efficiency by building bridges with their interlocutors, including:
Vlora District Court: The first six months of implementation in Vlora District Court concluded at the beginning of this quarter. The Court Clerk submitted the final report summarizing the length of the proceedings and the reasons of postponements, as well as the active measures taken by the Court. Leaflets were distributed to almost 2,000 Court customers (parties, representatives of local institutions and public) to inform them about the initiative. The Assistant to the Chief Judge reported that the Court has taken active measures to minimize the postponement of hearings by warning attorneys that fines will be imposed for unexcused postponements, and by notifying the heads of local institutions when the institution has caused a delay. Collaboration with local institutions such as the judicial police in criminal cases and the Directorate of Civil Registry in civil cases had been reported as a challenge for the Court.
Gjirokastra District Court, implementing the initiative for the fifth month, took active measures including reporting to the Head of the Prosecution Office the unexcused absence of prosecutors, accepting only one request for postponement due to the non-availability of a defendants attorney; requesting parties submit final conclusions in a specific upcoming hearing; as well as reminding institutions that do not reply to the court in due time and assessing fines when that reminder fails.
Lushnja District Court reports that the parties and the attorneys are responding well to the introduction of the parties information form prepared under the initiative. Most attorneys have readily adopted the practice of including the completed form when they file the lawsuit. The Court continues to assess the main issues associated to service of summons and documents as this remains a challenge. The Court has faced issues using electronic means of notifications due to non-active phone numbers provided presumably to avoid Court notifications and cause purposeful delays. Fines have been levied against attorneys who continuously ask for postponements without cause. The Court us also dismissing cases when the initiating party and/or the attorney fails to appear without a reasonable explanation.
Berat District Court completed the initial six months of implementation and reports that active measures have been applied to limit court delays. Approximately 1,350 Court customers were informed of the initiative and 800 leaflets were distributed. The Court implemented new procedural amendments allowing for sanctions on attorneys that cause postponements without presenting proper reasons.
Saranda District Court faced challenges finding suitable candidates for the JWD court clerk, with two consecutive vacancy announcements failing to provide appropriate candidates. The Project is working with the leadership of the Court to address this issue.
8 | JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 USAID.GOV Permet District Court completed the first steps for the implementation of the initiative. The retreat with the judges, project representatives and mentoring judge was held in Korca on July 23-24. Judges discussed the results of the baseline study and drafted an action plan. The local interlocutors meeting took place in September 20, 2018, with 22 representatives of local institutions (Municipality, Administrative Units, Region Council and Prefecture, Immovable Property Registration Office, Detention Facility, Police Department, “Institutions should come together and overcome Prosecution, etc.) attending and receiving the challenges by increasing cooperation among central and court’s action plan. The JWD Clerk will begin local government even though the leaders of these work early next quarter. institutions might be assigned from different political forces. This initiative makes us more responsible and Lezha District Court remains one of the most gives this opportunity to all, not just to the court. There is active courts sustaining the initiative. Under the need for an increased understanding and responsiveness leadership of the Chief Judge, a new report has on undertaking responsibilities” been drafted that examines the reasons for Astrit Alija, Prefect, Regional Prefecture postponements, focusing especially on those hearings that have been postponed at least twice consecutively, and that recommends ways to avoid or address such continuances. The Chief Judge and representatives of Lezha Prosecution Office and Judicial Police met to discuss issues of concerns for both institutions in the framework of an effective judicial process. An official letter has been sent from the Chief Judge to a detention facility under the territorial competencies of Lezha Court, requesting that it take measures to submit needed documentation on time.
Durres District Court initiated measures against failure to serve court notifications by the Postal Service. The Chancellor will now keep in constant communication with the Postal Service and inform it every time a Court notification has failed to be served properly. The Court will require the local postal service to take measures against the delivery employees that do not comply with the rules of service. Thanks to the support of the Assistant to the Chief Judge, the Court is sending monthly reports to the Durres Prosecution Office with a summary of hearings postponed due to prosecutors’ failure to appear. The monthly summary identifies the judge of the case, the case number and hearing date and the prosecutor that
caused the delay. The bi-monthly report prepared Kavaja District Court JWD Leaflet by the assistant stated that only 13% of the civil cases concluded for the reporting period took
USAID.GOV JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 | 9 more than five hearings while only 6 % for the criminal cases.
The Kavaja District Court Chief Judge, newly appointed judges and project representatives met to discuss ways to advance the implementation of JWD in light of the delegation of two judges to the court for an extended period. The local interlocutors meeting has been scheduled for early next quarter. The informative leaflet has been updated to include new provisions resulting from the amended procedural codes.
JWD Website: Following feedback from USAID requesting a change in the format of logos, the Project followed up with the OSCE website manager, the changes were made, and the website was forwarded again for marking and branding clearance from USAID, which was received. The OSCE has been notified that it can, from the perspective of the Project and USAID, launch the website, but such has not happened as of this writing.
Automatization of data collection: The Project and representatives of EURALIUS IT department met to discuss the MoJ request for assistance with the maintenance of the courts’ case management system. EURALIUS shared relevant information regarding needed features within CMS in light of the civil and criminal procedural changes. The Project assessed the new proposed features with the aim to categorize them by importance and determined to share them with the Chief Judges under the Chief Judges Meeting umbrella. The Chief Judges agreed that they will study the changes with the aim to review if the importance remains or other items have come up as most important to be develop based on the current court practice.
Institutionalize and Promote JWD: The project organized one retreat and two District Court Chief Judges Meetings (see the Stocktaking Assessment of the JWD Courts and Judicial Leadership section).
In the framework of JWD initiative, a letter summarizing issues that the courts face regarding court notifications was sent by the Chief Judge of Lezha to the General Director of the Postal Services as well as to the regional directors. The purpose was for the letter to be discussed among regional directors in the general meeting of Postal Services. The letter emphasized the issues and challenges faced by the courts due to failure of service of court notifications/documents with the aim to improve the relationship with the postal services which are one of the major outsourced court service. The letter is attached as Annex 1B.
Following such communication, the Project and OSCE representatives met with the General Director of the Albanian Postal Services to discuss the creation of constant communications bridges between the JWD courts and the postal services as the main subcontractor of the courts that deliver court notifications. The Project shared with the representatives of the Postal Services data regarding the successfulness of court notifications as well as postponements related to notification failure as found in the baseline studies of the JWD courts. As follow up steps, the Project will share with the Postal Services the parties information form developed under the initiative. The Director will participate in a joint meeting with the chief judges to seek ways to improve the service. The Postal Services welcomed as well the possibility to organize training of postal officials on service of court notifications.
Backlog Reduction of the High Court (HC): The assessment on the High Court and its backlog as prepared by Project’s international expert Dr. Heike Gramckow was translated in Albanian. The report will be shared with the High Court and the recommendations will be discussed in order to determine the technical and financial assistance of the Project. First steps toward these will start early in the next
10 | JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 USAID.GOV quarter. However, the Project anticipates challenges since the High Court is currently operating with a limited number of judges, due to resignations and dismissals by the vetting commission.
EXPECTED RESULT 1.2: COURT SESSIONS TAKE PLACE IN COURTROOMS WHERE HEARINGS ARE VERBATIM RECORDED AND ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
PROGRESS ACHIEVED This result is being achieved, among other things, through incremental support to the digital audio recording (DAR) program initially implemented under the JuST Project. In year 3 no further investments were made in hardware or software for courtroom implementations and none was requested from Project counterparts. Instead investments were made to begin to correct the operational issues within the DAR Central Server Archive (DARCRA). Within Year 3 a new software solution known as “BackUpChain” was identified as the correct solution, purchased and deployed to all 38 courts in the country. This new system provides greater reliability in transferring files to the central archive and provides system generated messages when processes fail or are interrupted, which can be monitored at the court or central level. It also offers greater insight into the volume of data transfers, allowing courts to better manage server space. Once the HJC is formed and can make decision regarding archive policies, it will allow for informed decision-making with regard to both hardware needs and records retention practices.
The Project closely supported Elbasan District Court in its move to a new courthouse facility, expanding from just two courtrooms to ten. Direct training on the use of DAR was provided to all judges and court secretaries, courtroom and courthouse signage was provided, and public information leaflets were disseminated to inform court users of the expanded implementation of DAR and their rights regarding recordings.
The Project also supported Tirana District Court to develop a plan of action to free up courtrooms converted to archive space and return them to their intended use and to further release an archive room for conversion to the dedicated juvenile proceedings/hearings room. That plan was completed and an MOU finalized late in the year and will be implemented in Year 4.
PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED AND SOLUTIONS DEVELOPED Following national elections in 2017 a new Minister of Justice was appointed in mid to late September 2017 and the Project intended to work with the Minister in Year 3 to implement plans to transfer all DARCRA administration to the ZABGj. This transfer was not realized due to the MOJ’s lack of understanding of the system, and an initial reluctance of the MOJ to accept that it owned the DARCRA
USAID.GOV JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 | 11 central server, which was overcome when the Project provided the JuST documents documenting the full transfer of rights and title to the MOJ. The situation was further exacerbated by the shifting of all MOJ technical staff with knowledge of the system to the national IT center for government institutions. As a result, the Project decided to postpone transfer until after the HJC is formed.
The level of expertise among court IT staff remains a concern, but should be resolved, even if only in part, by the establishment of the Centre for IT for the Justice Systems.
4TH QUARTER UPDATE OF SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES Encourage more open hearings and the use of digital audio recording (DAR): All 38 Courts are in production in the central server and the project is closely monitoring the transfer of the audio files and providing appropriate feedback to Court ITs when issues are faced. During this period only a few minor issues have been encountered in the High Court, the Appellate Administrative Court, and the First Instance Serious Crimes Court, but all issues were promptly addressed with the collaboration with the courts’ IT specialists.
Within the final quarter of Year 3, the Project focused on fine tuning the DARCRA software and reviewed the profile of data for each court. The data showed that there were grounds to believe that some courts were manually copying DAR files from each courtroom and then manually loading them to the courts’ local server. Chief Judges, Chancellors and the IT Specialists of all courts in Albania were asked for their feedback on the automatic and/or manual backup of the DAR files; the courts responded that the DAR system is PAKS+ updated report maintained correctly in each court and the transfer of audio recordings from each courtroom system to the Courts local server occurs automatically. The Project will continued to assess the data to determine why certain anomalies occur.
During the review of the profile of the data of each court, the Project was also able to identify the need to address additional storage capacity for six court servers in order to ensure proper space for the storage of DAR records. The project addressed these issues to the Chief Judges, Chancellors and the IT Specialists of these Courts. The courts’ feedback was received and recommendations on appropriate steps were given to the courts and the Office of the Administration of the Judicial Budget.
The Project developed a refined PAKS+ report for the measurement of DAR usage in the Administrative Courts, which was shared with the Chairs of those courts. Following receipt of positive feedback the enhanced report was deployed to all the Administrative Courts. This marks the implementation of more reliable and accurate reporting from these Courts.
In order to address archiving issues at the Tirana District Court due to the lack of space and staff for criminal and civil cases, the Project prepared an MOU between USAID, Tirana DC and the State Judicial Archive to improve cooperation and introduce best practice models. Pre-ceremony visits were
12 | JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 USAID.GOV conducted in the premises of the Court as well as at the Archives. The signing ceremony will be held early next quarter.
EXPECTED RESULT 1.3: PUBLIC HAS EASY ACCESS TO THE COURTS. As noted in prior annual reports this expected result continues to be achieved through two direct initiatives. First, courts are assessed during their implementation of the JWD initiative and recommendations are made to the court regarding access issues such as customer service hours, types of information available to the public via signage, forms, leaflets etc., and changes to the physical environment. Second, the Project continues to fund seconded Media and Public Relations Officers to strengthen public and media access to the courts. Reform laws contained specific legal requirements for courts and the HJC to proactively address public and media relations by appointing both Public Information Officers (PIOs, who are judicial civil servants) and a Press Judge, while the Council is required to appoint one member to “be responsible for maintaining the relationship of the judiciary with the public.” To date the courts and the current Council have done a poor and non-standardized job of conducting media and public relations functions; if the public perception of the judiciary is to improve, this must become a priority activity.
PROGRESS ACHIEVED The Project, working within the context of the new law, continued to support select courts assess their current practices versus best practices, identify gaps and key issues, and to begin to draft uniform guidelines for all courts that can be presented to the new Council for adoption nationwide. Courts were selected for participation in this activity based on the Project’s assessment of the leadership shown in the JWD program and the willingness of the court to proactively participate.
The additional courts selected were District Courts of Durres and Lezhe and both those courts have work extensively to adopt more open practices. Durres District Court, for example, created self-help videos and posted them on its website (see 4th Quarter Update of Specific Activities for more details on this initiative). Lezhe created four brochures outlining the impacts of legislative changes on court users, and Durres followed suit. The Chairs of both Courts introduced the brochures to the Chairs of the other 20 District Courts, and are working on creating a single unified version that can be used in all courts.
PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED AND SOLUTIONS DEVELOPED The Courts and Council having no organized approach to public and media relations remains an issue due to extended implementation of the reform and the continued lack of a governing body in the form of the HJC. The Project’s efforts continue to lead to a well-formed packet of sub legal acts, guidelines and recommendations that eventually will be presented to the new HJC, but the shrinking pool of judges due to vetting and concomitant increase in caseloads means that fewer counterparts are available to address topics such as media and public relations. The budget presented by the courts and Council for 2018 included an increase of 72 employees, some of which should have covered the required MPROs, but the legislature funded only 12 of these new positions.
USAID.GOV JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 | 13 4TH QUARTER UPDATE OF SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES The Project continued to work on media and public relations in Durres and Lezha District Courts this quarter, with Project MPROs continuing to directly serve the public and journalists.
Lezha District Court has adopted a variety of ways to relay information to court users, including in- person availability of the MPRO, email, and phone calls. A self-serve leaflet stand was installed were all brochures prepared by the Court and forms for different requests are available. Surveys on court customers and attorneys have been prepared based on CEPEJ methodology in order to find ways to improve the judges and court administration work.
The Durres District Court MPRO, in collaboration with the Court’s IT department, prepared three short videos that have been posted on the Court’s website, Facebook page and YouTube channel. They address: • how to find case information on the courts website; • how to search information regarding my case; • how to find the court calendar; how to find the random case assignment results. A new form to request copies of the DAR records to be sent by the Court via email was prepared as well. Requesting parties still needs to go to the Court to present the form and pay the fee, but they do not need to come back if they choose for the files to be sent via e-mail.
During July, around 1,700 persons have been assisted by the Information Corner of the Court. The MPRO provides assistance on updating the webpage and Facebook page of the Court. The MPRO also prepared two press releases that were distributed to the media.
The draft strategy on Public and Media Relations for the Court was translated into Albanian and will be shared with the Chief Judges of the District Courts Durres Court form on requesting DAR copies online at an upcoming meeting.
EXPECTED RESULT 1.4: JUDICIAL LEADERSHIP IS STRENGTHENED AND UNDERTAKES AN ACTIVE ROLE IN THE JUDICIAL REFORM PROCESS
PROGRESS ACHIEVED Building on insights gained through the JWD initiative, the Project established the practice of holding the general meetings of District Court Judges to address discrepancies and variations in the practices of the courts and implementation of new legislation. These meetings provided the 22 District Court Chairs with the opportunity to meet and discuss processes, challenges, and potential solutions together for the first time in over seven years. The Project facilitated five meetings between February and September
14 | JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 USAID.GOV 2018, with its role limited to logistics – all other aspects were developed, conducted and owned by the judges themselves, including setting agendas, moderating, action planning, task assignments, and follow up. Strong leaders have emerged and consistent practices have been implemented in several topical areas as a result. More detailed information is contained in the 4th Quarter Update below as well as in prior quarterly reports.
The Project built a solid relationship with the lay members of the HJC through several formal meetings designed to orient them to the functions of the HJC, fundamentals of court administration, and the role of the Project in supporting their future efforts. The embedded presence at the HCJ has contributed to strengthening the relationship with HCJ senior management and increasing their capacities by providing technical support in real time as needed.
The Project provided a series of trainings to build the leadership capacity of judges, including: The Role of Chief Judges under the New Model of Court Administration, Executive Team Leadership, Judicial Independence, Managing Trials Effectively, Why Court Administration, and Judicial Resiliency for Women Judges. Each of these trainings cover a variety of topics, such as leading strong teams and ethical leadership, that not only strengthen judges’ confidence and capability, but also equip them to build a culture of engagement where they become more confident in their abilities and enthusiastic to contribute to the ongoing work of court reform.
PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED AND SOLUTIONS DEVELOPED The vetting process speed and individual proceeding length remains a challenge and unpredictable factor. The working calendar is randomly updated, and the "priority list" criteria has not been fully respected. Individual case investigations take up to eight months before subjects have a public hearing. Almost all IQC decisions are appealed at the Appellate Chamber either by the dismissed subject or by the Public Commissioners on his/her own initiative or upon IMO recommendation. The appeal process effectiveness is closely linked to the IQC operations, investigation length and decisions' reasoning deadline. Unfortunately, the delay has caused concern and discouragement among lay members, the Secretary General and senior administrative staff who are all eager to start building the new institution. In the interim, the Project has maintained frequent contact offering trainings to focus attention on future activities and encouragement to sustain morale.
The Project identified some systemic problems linked to asset declarations, integrity, ethics and professionalism. All these findings need to be addressed in the future by the HJC policies and strategies related to ethics and judicial discipline. The majority of dismissed judges failed to justify legitimate sources of assets, while few individual cases are supported by well- reasoned analysis in the professional proficiency or background sections.
The proposed structure for the governance of the new Information Technology Center (ITC) continues to be a major concern. The Project holds significant differences of opinion with Euralius and the MOJ regarding the structure and policies of the future ITC Center. The Project has sought to ensure the independence of the judiciary by removing executive branch control over the judiciary’s IT governance, which has been compromised by allowing two MOJ representatives to sit on the governing board. The Project has also argued for an integration between the court administration/case management unit and the technology unit which rarely is achieved when the IT system and staffing is located and managed elsewhere (i.e., the MOJ).
USAID.GOV JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 | 15 With numerous donors conducting a wide array of reform projects, chaos might well overwhelm the new HJC and its administrative staff. Therefore, establishing a clear and focused strategic planning process with attention to change management is critical. The Project will work with the HJC to ensure a strategic planning process that aligns the activities of the new institution with the needs of the courts. To accomplish this, the strategic planning process will follow the same approach being taught through the Project developed Court Administration Program curriculum on Strategic Planning. This training will also be shared with the HJC and its administrative staff to strengthen their capacity to support the courts under the new model of court administration. STTA will be used to mentor the new Council on its role in ensuring judicial independence is a central tenet of their leadership.
A final challenge relates to donor coordination. The Project has developed an effective communication with Euralius, COE and OSCE that will alleviate much duplicate and/or counterproductive assistance provided by multiple donors that leads to confusion on the part of the counterparts. A combined workplan schematic was developed with Euralius identifying the lead donor on areas of overlap. In addition, the Project is working to build the capacity of the Secretary General to oversee and monitor donor coordination.
4TH QUARTER UPDATE OF SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES District Court Judges Leadership Meetings: The Project facilitated the fourth District Court Judges meeting on July 5- 6, 2018, hosted by the District Court of Vlore and attended by 20 Chief Judges. Agenda items included discussions on implementation of the agreed outcomes of previous meetings, issues related to uncollected judicial expenses, court security, and differing interpretations of procedural articles with an impact on the transfer of case files to the Appellate and High Courts. Key outcomes and outputs included: • Joint letter to be addressed to the Chief Justice of the High Court requesting a unifying decision related the required processes for cases involving property division; • The courts will collaborate with the bailiff’s office for the collection of the judicial expenses; and • Joint letter to be addressed to the Ministry of Interior to ensure that courts are considered as institutions of importance and therefore to be protected by state police.
4th Chief Judges Meeting 5th Chief Judges Meeting
The Project put together a shared drive for the Chief Judges to access documents. The first documents to be uploaded were the leaflets prepared by the Lezha and Durres district courts with the support of
16 | JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 USAID.GOV the project. The Chief Judges agreed to review them in order to agree on unified leaflets for all district courts.
On September 21, 2018, the fifth District Court Judges meeting was held in Saranda, attended by 14 Chief Judges. Outcomes of this meeting included: • Letter addressed to the Minister of Interior for the need to amend the Council of Ministers Decision on Court Security so that the State Police would offer 24 hour protection for the courts; • Letter addressed to the Chamber of Advocates and the Psychologists Order for them to provide to the courts with the list of members offering pro bono services for juveniles under the new procedural legislation; and • Request for assistance submitted to the Project requesting funding for human resources to be hired in the Appellate Courts to assist those courts in complying with legal requirements service and notifications of decisions. Funding requested for 12 months’ time. Administrative Court Judges Leadership Meetings: The project contacted the Chief Judges of the six Administrative Courts whom embraced the need for a meeting of this format and were more than willing to participate. The Project will work with the chief judges to organize the first such meeting during next quarter.
Monitoring Assembly: The Project continued monitoring the Assembly throughout the year. Generally, consensus and progress was lacking due to an opposition boycott and strong objections on the proposed amendments to some key justice reform laws. Approval of the Status Law amendments failed several times since the 84 votes required by law was not obtained. As a result, the HCJ was unable to nominate newly graduated magistrates in July, while the SoM Board could not decide on the number of candidates for the upcoming academic year. Furthermore, the parliamentary impasse and deadlock negatively impacted SoM ability to organize the admissions test in October 2018. A cadre of nine candidate magistrates representing former legal advisors will start the one-year accelerated initial training course. There is an increase in judicial vacancies due to the vetting process and retirement. The lack of a backup strategy for filling vacancies is a major concern, therefore the Project will offer technical expertise to the HJC upon their establishment to address this challenge in the strategic planning process.
A similar impasse was noted at the Legislative Council activities. From January 2018, the Council failed to revise, reformulate and approve the repealed articles of the status law and justice system governing institutions. The majority of the repealed articles address judicial disciplinary measures, while others provide for HJC plenary session competencies. The deadlock still persisted as opposition Council members support the need for other constitutional amendments which is strongly opposed by the parliamentary majority members.
The Assembly approved of a decision to establish a Coordination and Monitoring Committee, a special body that will ensure coordination among new justice institutions upon their establishment. Considering the Committee mandate, the Project followed the establishment process including the call for expressions of interest posted twice and the public hearing session held by the Laws Committee for each of the nine candidates. The process lacked a coherent and consistent interviewing approach by the Laws Committee. Subsequently, a majority of candidates interviewed poorly, failing to demonstrate the commensurate skills and abilities to become Committee members. The Assembly approved only four
USAID.GOV JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 | 17 members, while re-opening the call for expressions of interest for one vacancy. The Project will follow the process which is expected to be completed next quarter.
Vetting process: The Project monitored the vetting process throughout quarter. The IQC activities progressed during July, with 4-5 daily hearings for a total of 29 priority subjects. However, the work significantly decreased during August with only one hearing session. No hearings were held in September when activities focused on decision writing and organization of lots.
By the end of this reporting year, the vetting process was completed for the CC and HC judges. The CC is deadlocked as only two judges were confirmed, while four others were dismissed. One dismissal became final after the Appellate College decision on September 25, 2018, while the other session is scheduled for October 24, 2018.
The HC functioning is in jeopardy as five judges were dismissed and four were confirmed, including a HJC candidate, two other judges and the Chairperson. However, the IMO recommended that the latter decision be appealed and the Public Commissioner submitted an appeal against one of the confirmed judges.
Regarding the HJC, the vetting process is ongoing with one candidate yet to be vetted. Completion will pave the way for the General Meeting of judges and the Council’s establishment. Currently, out of 16 judges running as candidates, four were dismissed while 10 were confirmed. Three of the confirming decisions were appealed by the Public Commissioner. There is only one final decision issued by the Appellate College, and the process is ongoing.
Dismissal trends include but are not limited to: problems with assets declaration, hidden assets, lack of legitimate income, as well as inappropriate contacts. The vetting process identified judges/prosecutors lacking integrity, due to not declaring committed crimes and convictions or admitting fictitious contracting acts or financial transactions. The assets formula calculation remained a significant challenge as different panels interpret it in various manners. Significant concern persists regarding the vetting process as some subjects have been vetted for the three components (assets, “I will never forget the three days spent together. background and professionalism), some based on two This is the first time, during 26 years as a judge, (assets and background) and a few others only on the that someone is aware of the stress and the assets components. Several commissioners are pressure under which we deliver justice. I was subject to public allegations of a conflict of interest impressed by the training methodology and with vetted subjects or lacking qualifications by the seminars quality, a real group therapy, so much parliamentary opposition. needed in these times. I left the event with best impressions. Thank you for this special The AC workload is closely linked to the experience!” Commission’s speed and reasoning capacities. AC Fier District Court Judge activities increased in September with two final Participant at Judicial Wellness Training decisions on a Shkodra Appeal Prosecutor and a CC judge. Both were excluded from the justice system
18 | JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 USAID.GOV and banned from being advocates for 15 years, based on the latest new law “On advocacy”. Dismissed subjects have the right to appeal the decision at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
Judicial Leadership Development: The project conducted two two-day Judicial Resiliency trainings for 50 women judges in Shkodra on July 18 – 20, and again in Vlora from September 26 – 28. This was the first time a judicial wellness training was delivered to women judges. The program aimed to increase awareness of prevalent judicial stressors and personal risk factors, identify coping strategies and protective processes that develop resiliency, experience mindfulness as a tool to increase self- awareness, identify barriers to change and behaviors that work against wellness goals, and develop personal wellness goals that promote greater resiliency. Given positive feedback from the participants, the Project will propose that the SoM include this topic for judge’s continuous training calendar.
Technical Support to High Judicial Council: The Project enhanced the relationship with HJC lay members, the current Council’s Secretary General and the Directors of HR/Finance Department, Legal Issues Department and Judicial Budget Administration Office. Weekly meetings were held in September with the same -senior Administrative personnel to discuss upcoming activities and develop strategies for the interim period until the HCJ is established. Of particular concern is the HCJ facility, the Information Technology Center, and drafting priority sub-legal acts.
The Project responded to an HCJ request for a legal opinion on court chairpersons mandate termination. Based on the four proposed solutions and background information attached to the request, the Project considered that not all available legal resources and analyses were exhausted. Technical support and expertise will include further increase of current administration capacities, as a solid foundation for the new Council. The legal department will be supported to conduct background and legal analysis, as well as a risk assessment of each option and to present findings to the HCJ so that they can make a well informed decision.
The Project in cooperation with Euralius will coordinate regular meetings with HCJ lay members and candidate judges until the establishment of the HJC. The aforementioned concerns will be discussed at the next meeting scheduled for October. The Project will lead a discussion on best practices in Strategic Planning and the role of the HCJ in the process, as well will introduce a draft guide for Council Members.
Ministry of Justice: In July, the Project and the USAID Country Representative met with the MOJ to discuss retention and destruction of court case files. The Project proposed that the regulation on the methodology for managing the judicial archive be amended to address destruction of court case files. The Project reiterated its offer to assist both the courts and the CJA to collectively define the protocols by which cases will be classified and subsequently destroyed and to work with both when exceptions to the standards arise.
The Project attended a meeting with MoJ on the draft advocacy law. Discussions focused on disciplinary measures and a unified approach to ban lawyers breaching the ethics/integrity component. A major concern was whether a dismissed judge should be able to practice as a lawyer.
In July, the Project was asked by the MoJ to comment and review nine draft Council of Ministers (CoM) Decisions prepared by the MoJ on the implementation of justice reform laws. These nine draft CoM Decisions were shared with OPDAT as several were related to the prosecution offices and special structure for anti-corruption. In August, the Project provided comments on all nine draft decisions. The
USAID.GOV JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 | 19 Project also received a revised draft CoM Decision on the establishment of a governance structure for IT in the judiciary (previously drafted by the Project in collaboration with EURALIUS). The Project worked on the revised version together with EURALIUS and OPDAT to make further changes to the draft in order to align provisions with best international practices. Work on this draft will continue next quarter. Draft decisions are very important for the implementation of the reform laws. Thus monitoring and supporting the drafting process is crucial to achieve effective results and minimize conflicts for the newly established HJC. As a result of the process, the Project determined that training on drafting sub- legal acts is highly needed by the MOJ and HJC Legal Unit.
In August, the MoJ requested assistance in establishing a single unified electronic registry of court experts. The Project received a draft instruction prepared by the MoJ on the establishment of the registry for court experts and started to work on its revision. The Project submitted comments on the MoJ draft instruction advocating for a more streamlined process for the registration of court experts through automation and a revised scoring system for court expert evaluation. JFA committed to proceed with this activity until completion. Together with the comments, a table was prepared and shared with the MOJ as a temporary tool for expert registration until the development of the Electronic Registry of Experts.
Technical Support to the School of Magistrates: Court Management Training: The Court Administration Program (CAP) continued to progress during this quarter by completing five modules, resulting in a total of ten modules completed through the last year that will be ready for publication next year. Next quarter, the Project will conduct ToTs on the Strategic Planning and Human Resources management modules and an advanced faculty development training for all CAP faculty. The SoM Executive Director requested support on improving the magistrates testing examination; the Project will coordinate its response with Euralius next quarter.
The Project also met with Sokol Berberi, SoM Head of Continuous Training Department, to discuss the new academic year training calendar and CMWG plan of activities for 2018-2019. The Project shared needs assessment samples, a model curriculum on faculty development curriculum strengthening approaches, and e-learning best practices. The Project stressed that active learning approaches resulting from ongoing faculty development remains fundamental to effective continuous trainings.
The SoM remains committed to cooperate with donors, but also is concerned that donor projects frequently overlap, creating confusion to magistrates on different legal issues. It was agreed to explore the organization of a donor coordination meeting before the SoM Board approves the training calendar in October.
Donor Coordination: The Project met with Euralius short term expert on human resources, who will conduct a preliminary assessment on the formal criteria fulfillment by current HCJ administration. Both Projects share concern about a concrete organizational structure mapping the employee’s confirmation in duty or transfer. This task remains challenging, therefore the Project was asked to assist Euralius in conducting the exercise. Another meeting was held with Euralius expert on SoM to discuss collaboration on the CAP.
Cooperation with CoE was maintained throughout the year. The Project met with their IT expert who is drafting an IT Strategy for the judiciary, as well as the expert who will conduct a SoM continuous training needs assessment. The SoM training needs assessment will be conducted within October and
20 | JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 USAID.GOV will be shared with the Project for follow up with the SoM and HCJ given the latter’s responsibility for court staff training.
4TH QUARTER CHALLENGES AND SUCCESSES: This quarter the most significant success can be noted as: • Conducting two resiliency training with 50 women judges; • Achieved 90% participation rate in the Chief Judges Meeting; • 3 collective (joint) letters were sent to GOA institutions by the District Judges directly requesting cooperation to allow the Judges to be more effective and efficient in their work.
While the following challenges arose with regard to: • Assembly failure to approve Status Law Amendments resulting in no incoming class of magistrates for the 20118/19 academic year and no placement of the 2018 graduates in the courts; • Legislative Council failure to adopt repealed articles • Continued transitory period, lack of establishment of the HJC and HCJ limited competencies; • Increased number of vacancies in the judiciary in general and at the High Court in particular; • Summer vacation in the courts were a factor that affected JWD data collection activities.
STEPS FOR NEXT QUARTER • Hold three Chief Judges Meetings • Hold Interlocutors Meeting in Kavaja DC and start JWD initiative implementation • Finalize Court Clerk contract in Saranda DC and start JWD initiative implementation • Finalize implementation reports for the courts of Kukes, Kruja, Puka and Korca • Finalize and start the implementation of the MOU between Tirana DC and SAJS • Print four CAP modules • Finalize remaining four CAP Modules • Finalize HCJ Member Manual • Organize joint meeting between lay members, candidate judges and HCJ senior administration • Deliver in-house trainings for HCJ administration • Deliver one three-day faculty development training • Pilot three-day Strategic Planning Module • Pilot three-day Human Resources Management Module • Finalize CoM draft decision on IT Center
USAID.GOV JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 | 21
COMPONENT 2: PUBLIC DEMAND/PRESSURE FOR IMPROVED JUSTICE DELIVERY Special Note: In early February 2018, USAID directed the Project to redirect its efforts and plan of activities by eliminating the Civil Society Component (Component 2). This directive came as a result of a change in the strategic priorities for the US Government and its mission in Albania and resulted in USAID and the Project agreeing to implement the following activities in order to phase out Component 2:
1. Proceed with the provision of an international expert to facilitate the Coalition’s annual work planning retreat and provide logistical support for that retreat (March/April 2018); no other consultants or experts to be provided. Completed on April 11 - 12, 2018;
2. Provide a small ($10,000) 12 month grant for the Coalition to address the human resource needs required to assume the Technical Secretariat Role. Completed; Grant awarded on May 30, 2018, effective for the period of June 1, 2018 - May 31, 2019;
3. Provide Technical Assistance in the form of Component 2/EWMI staff expertise to support the transition until May 31, 2018; no other consultants or experts to be provided. Completed and no further assistance provided beyond May 31, 2018;
4. Allow all current grants within Component 2 to run their course and end as planned, with the exception of the grant to CILSP, which was reviewed and shortened to end within the current work plan year. Completed;
5. Make no new grants under Component 2. Completed;
6. Shift sufficient grant funding to Component 1 to provide small grants as determined appropriate to enhance judicial reform monitoring. Completed;
7. Make all needed amendments to the current work plan to reflect the above. Completed; Revised Work Plan approved by USAID on April 26, 2018;
8. Eliminate Component 2 from the 2018/2019 work plan entirely. Completed;
9. Appropriately address all staffing issues arising from elimination of Comp 2. Completed.
Below is a summary of Component 2 activities between October 1, 2017 and September 30, 2018.
EXPECTED RESULT 2.1: A JUSTICE SECTOR CSO COALITION/NETWORK IS FORMED WITH AN ESTABLISHED STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN. This result was achieved in Y1, with the Coalition Justice for All established on July 8, 2016, and by the time the project’s support came to an end, the Coalition counted 31 members.
USAID.GOV JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 | 23 EXPECTED RESULTS 2.2: CSOS BECOME IMPORTANT ACTORS IN THE JUSTICE REFORM PROCESS, BRINGING CITIZENS’ CONCERNS TO THE ATTENTION OF THE JUDICIARY AND POLICY MAKERS AND EXERTING PRESSURE FOR CHANGE;
EXPECTED RESULTS 2.3: CSO’S PROVIDE CONCRETE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENTS IN THE JUDICIARY, EITHER THROUGH THE LEGAL REFORM PROCESS OR ON THE GROUND REFORM PROCESSES;
EXPECTED RESULT 2.4: CITIZENS DEMAND FOR IMPROVED JUSTICE DELIVERY IS INCREASED; AND
EXPECTED RESULTS 2.5: CIVIL SOCIETY CAPACITY TO PROVIDE GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT IS INCREASED.
PROGRESS ACHIEVED Activities aimed at achieving these results focused on assisting the Coalition in the areas of: implementing their internal rules of engagement, adopting their strategic plan, developing their annual action plan, adopting their communications strategy, as well as strengthening the Coalition and its members.
Despite the cessation of JfA support, the Coalition continues to meet and act on its strategic plan and action plan. Updates are provided to the Project by member organization ALTRI as the awardee for the small grant noted as action item number 2 above.
The Internal Policy and Ethics Regulation was adopted throughout the course of the year. The latest amendments were made in their 7th General Assembly meeting, on July 19, 2018, and from that moment, it was renamed as the Regulation on the Organization and Functioning of the Justice for All Coalition. The strategic plan, associated action plan and communications strategy served as the guiding documents for the Coalition and for the Project to target its assistance and empower the Coalition to successfully implement actions to achieve its goals and objective. The branding and marking manual was also adopted throughout the reporting period.
The main activities of the Coalition have been reported in detail in the quarterly reports; however, a summary of activities until May 31, 2018 is presented below:
• The Project, in coordination with Save the Children (STC), served as its Technical Secretariat until May 31, 20018. As of June 1, 2018, the Project provided assistance through a small grant to ALTRI Center, one of the Coalition’s member organizations, to cover the technical secretariat role for one year. • Throughout the reporting period, the Coalition dedicated considerable effort towards the improvement of the Strategy on Public Legal Education (SPLE), as a contribution to the Assembly in the framework of the Justice Reform, with various meetings taking place with high ranking representatives of the Assembly.
24 | JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 USAID.GOV • A round of consultative meetings on the PLE Strategy with CS and local and central institutions were organized and moderated by the Coalition’s experts, in Korça, Shkodra, Vlora and Tirana. An improved draft was submitted to the Assembly on February 23, 2018. • A meeting of Coalition representatives with the Secretary General of the Institution of the President was held to discuss on the progress of the justice reform and ways of collaboration. • A meeting with the then newly-appointed Minister of Justice, Mrs. Etilda Gjonaj, was held to present the Coalition’s work to date and opportunities for cooperation with the MoJ. • Support was provided in the process to nominate and select lay members of the HJC and HPC. Following insufficient candidates being recruited after five calls for expression of interest, the Coalition undertook an awareness campaign in the regions, before the Assembly published a 6th call. With financial assistance from the Project, three Informative/Advocacy Meetings for Engagement of Civil Society in the HPC in the regions were conducted, and interviews in local TV were given. As a result, within the 6th call, five new candidates applied, including two from within the Coalition ranks. • A Public Statement was issued to convey concerns about the failure to improve communications and infrastructure at public service areas to enable better access to all categories of persons with disabilities. The Ministry of Education agreed to sign an agreement to establish a full training course for sign language interpreters in 2018, which has never been provided before. • Several interviews were given on access to justice issues and the vetting process. • Two General Assembly Meetings were held in the reporting period and three new organizations joined the Coalition. • A Work Planning retreat was held, with the support of an international expert, to make an internal analysis of the Coalition’s work, draft an action plan and make plans for the future. • An Agreement for the Coalition members to reconfirm their willingness to continue participating in the Coalition was signed by 24 member organizations. • A one-year grant was awarded to ALTRI, Coalition member organization, effective as of June 1, 2018, to cover the technical secretariat role. • All the grants under the Citizens for Transparency (CfT) Grant Scheme and Coalition- targeted grant scheme are completed, except ALTRI.
PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED AND SOLUTIONS DEVELOPED The delays in the Justice Reform process implementation presented a challenge for Component 2 and its counterparts. Justice reform has proven to be an ever-changing landscape, hindering the ability of the Coalition to respond in a timely fashion to implementation events. The Project was also keenly aware, however, that many of the Coalition members are risk adverse and therefore did not respond to developments as aggressively as might have been desired by internationals. The leading cause is the perception on the part of Civil Society that if they are too aggressive and too bold they will be subjected to pressure from the government and/or commercial interests, lose funding opportunities or suffer personal retaliatory actions in the form of lost employment opportunities, for example. This was a
USAID.GOV JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 | 25 known risk to sponsoring a self- determining Coalition, driven by Albanian citizens pursuing their own priorities, which may not always coincide with those of the international donor community.
The Coalition has also suffered some “growing pains,” which was to be expected in an organization that grew from 7 to 31 members over the course of 22 months. There have been concerns about how the Coalition was reaching agreements for public activities and how various members were non-participative during advocacy actions, but were only attending events where donors were present. The Project worked with the members to find a way to address the issues outside the Project’s presence lest some perceive that the issues were coming from the donor rather than from the members themselves. The Coalition has grown and continues to be active with the support of Save the Children, and is participating in the reform process and continues to lead the revision of the Public Legal Education Strategy and Action Plan.
GRANT STATUS SUMMARY Coalition Targeted Grants: As of September 30, 2018, the status of grants issued under Component 2 is, as follows:
• European Centre: Completed on March 30, 2018. • CILSP: Completed on July 10, 2018. • AWEN Network: Completed on April 30, 2018. • TLAS: Completed on February 16, 2018. • ALTRI Center: Ongoing, until May 31, 2019. The Coalition has received seven new requests for membership, with ALTRI as its technical secretariat coordinating the process. With regard to the improvement of the Internal Regulation, which is renamed Regulation on the Organization and Functioning of the “Justice for All” Coalition, the latest changes proposed by PC members were endorsed by the members. The PC, now called the Executive Board, has now a Director and Vice Director. The grantee has organized a General Assembly Meeting on July 7 and an Executive Board meeting on June 19, 2018.
Citizens for Transparency Grant Scheme: • Together for Life: Completed on January 3, 2018. • Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN): Completed on January 30, 2018. • Albanian Disability Rights Foundation (ADRF): Completed on April 9, 2018
26 | JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 USAID.GOV COMPONENT 3: INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM
EXPECTED RESULT 3.1: CORRUPTION AND OTHER ECONOMIC CRIMES ARE BETTER EXPOSED TO THE PUBLIC
PROGRESS ACHIEVED There are several aspects of the Albanian media environment which make investigative journalism a difficult path to be pursued. Some of these aspects are economic: investigative journalism is expensive and time-consuming. Others are editorial: there is an absence of support for probing journalism in the mainstream media, which can be explained by the political and business interests of media owners. But there is also a pervasive weakness which comes from lack of capacity in basic journalism: the process of finding stories and telling them in a style that is compelling to the audience.
Albania is also lagging behind in digital journalism which, given that most news and current affairs are increasingly conveyed over smart phones, is a serious problem. Accordingly, the Project organized a series of trainings in Tirana and other cities to help journalists and students better understand what new techniques the digital era is offering, keeping in mind the ethics of a good reporting and storytelling going along with it.
The Developing an Investigative Mindset in the Digital Developing an investigative Mindset in the Digital Age Age (DIMS) trainings were aimed at young journalists (DIMS) conduct by International Media Adviser, Michael Alexander. with the premise that an investigative frame of mind is needed at all levels of journalism from daily reporting to long investigations.
It also addressed the major problem of effective story-telling across all platforms, from text to video. Using work with smart phones, the journalists were given theoretical and practical training on how to produce better stories. The response was very encouraging, with much of the most useful work coming in feedback sessions. The DIMS trainings, devised and delivered by IMA (the International Media Advisor), consisted of six sessions in Tirana with condensed sessions in Shkodra and Gjirokastra. The Young reporters, Alba Hasko and Dea Kodra, participated courses included video for digital and smart phone, in developing an investigative Mindset in the Digital Age story-telling techniques, most effective use of (DIMS) held in Gjirokastër. photographs and graphics, structuring stories in text and video, and writing and adapting stories for social media. In total, 63 journalists received training.
USAID.GOV JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 | 27 Building on this first investment, there will be DIMS trainings in the public universities in Shkodra and Elbasan in the coming year to bolster journalism in the regions.
PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED AND SOLUTIONS DEVELOPED Continuous participation of journalists in the DIMS training has proven to be difficult as journalists are stretched thin in their daily workload with Albanian media outlets. This is especially true for regional journalists who play multiple roles with the regional outlets, making it difficult for them to book time and be engaged in trainings. The Project tried to address this issue through a thorough research of the present media environment as well as informal consultation with local journalists to ensure better timing and locations for session to better support high participation rates.
4TH QUARTER UPDATE OF SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES Training on investigative journalism and corruption: As the series of Developing Investigative Mindset for Journalists (DIMS) concluded in June 2018, during this quarter the Project has identified two public universities in Albania, where a considerable number of students study journalism. These are University of Shkodra and University of Elbasan. The Project has already developed a plan to hold a condensed version of DIMS trainings in these universities during the academic year 2018-2019 (three training sessions in each university for an approximate number of 25 selected students of journalism). Visits to the Department of Journalism in Shkodra University and Elbasan University were organized during June- July 2018 and preliminary talks on this plan have been held with respective chairs of journalism departments.
The Project has also identified the Department of Journalism of Tirana University as a potential partner for the inclusion of court and crime reporting in its curriculum. Preliminary talks took place in July 2018 and the Project will cooperate closely with this department in drafting a Memorandum of Understanding as well as developing a structured plan for this course.
Grants to journalists to support investigative reporting: During this quarter, journalists Elton Qyno completed and published his investigation into the case of a mysterious Peruvian politician who managed to find political asylum in Albania and commit fraud running into many tens of thousands of euros. The story of how Augusto Blacker Miller found his way to Albania on a tourist visa, was granted asylum after the most cursory process and persuaded gullible businessmen to part with their money was a model of dedicated research by Elton. He made huge efforts to track down the elusive Peruvian (something the Albanian police have still not managed), and managed to build a compelling story which exposed an extremely porous asylum ‘system’. The story has enjoyed widespread re-publication in online media in Albania. It was drafted with support and mentoring by the IMA and Component 3.4
The Socol Cobo story on early release/escape for serious criminals is a work in progress. A number of meetings aiming at advising and mentoring the journalist have been organized during July-August 2018, while the story stills needs to be worked on. A September update will be available for this story.
4 See: www.qualityjournalism.com.al/2018/08/08/ish-ministri-i-jashtem-i-peruse-fitoi-azilin-ne-shqiperi-por-humbi-gjyqin-per- mashtim/
28 | JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 USAID.GOV A new grant was awarded in June 2018 to journalist Fatjona Mejdini to support her in-depth research and report on the export of Albanian Roma child beggars to neighboring Kosovo. The story entitled “Nobody’s Children” is also still a work in progress.
EXPECTED RESULT 3.2: THE QUALITY OF INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM IS INCREASED THROUGH THE PRODUCTION OF HIGH QUALITY, DOCUMENTED, FACT BASED CROSS-BORDER AND NATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE PUBLICATIONS
PROGRESS ACHIEVED The Project has had a twin channel approach to encourage investigative journalism: through a request for applications (RFA) for all Albanian journalists and through its partner BIRN Albania, the leading investigative journalism outlet in the country.
The RFA produced a modest response and in these 12 months, the Project mentored and produced three investigative stories with another 2 in production. Over the same time BIRN Albania produced 25 in-depth investigative stories.
The three Project reports cover people trafficking through Northern Spain to the UK, the dangers of food hygiene in Albania and the mysterious case of a Peruvian diplomat who flouted Albania’s asylum law to commit hundreds of euros of fraud.
Human https://www.reporter.al/brenda-kampit-te-shqiptareve-ne-bilbao-shtegu- Elvis Narbolli trafficking i-pasem-i-klandestineve-drejt-britanise-se-madhe/
Diplomat www.qualityjournalism.com.al/2018/08/08/ish-ministri-i-jashtem-i- Elton Qyno fraudster peruse-fitoi-azilin-ne-shqiperi-por-humbi-gjyqin-per-mashtim/
Food http://www.qualityjournalism.com.al/2018/06/25/ushqimi-i-rrezikshem-i- Dashimir Bikaku hygiene shqiperise-nevoje- urgjente-per-nderhyrje-nga-ana-e-qeverise-pasi- danger probleme-te-renda-jane-ekspozuar/
Two other stories are in production; one examines the plight of a family seeking justice in the light of Albania’s law on releasing prisoners for treatment on grounds of ill-health, the second is an investigation into Albanian Roma children forced to beg in Kosovo by their parents with neither family nor the states prepared to look after their welfare.
On the other side, BIRN Albania has produced investigative stories with a wide range of subject matter from sexual abuse of mentally ill people, corruption at all levels of government, organized crime’s huge profits from drugs and murder. The stories have been produced by BIRN’s team of journalists in Tirana with significant contributions coming from the regional reporters.
USAID.GOV JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 | 29 Investigative stories I mbytur në borxhe: Ujësjellësi i https://www.reporter.al/i-mbytur-ne- 03.04.2017 Kukësit i gëzohet shkëlqimit të borxheujesjellesi-i-kukesit-i-gezohet-shkelqimit-te- Ivana Dervishi
rremë të çmimit ndërkombëtar rreme-te-cmimit-nderkombetar/ Koncesioni i laboratorëve: pas https://www.reporter.al/koncesioni-i- Aleksandra 11.05.5017 kompanisë “guackë” në Holandë laboratoreve-pas-kompanise-guacke-ne-holande- Bogdani
qëndron Pegasus qendron-pegasus/ Nëndrejtori i AKBN-së bën biznes https://www.reporter.al/nendrejtori-i-akbn-se- 18.05.2017 me firmën nën hetim për ben-biznes-me-firmen-nen-hetim-per- Lindita Cela
kontrabandë kontrabande/ Koncesioni i hemodializës i https://www.reporter.al/koncesioni-i- 22.05.2017 transferohet kompanisë guaskë në hemodializes-i-transferohet-kompanise-guaske-ne- Besar Likmeta
Amsterdam amsterdam/ https://www.reporter.al/fushata-ne-shkoder- Fushata në Shkodër, vende pune në 15.06.2017 vende-pune-ne-burgun-e-recit-ne-kembim-te- Elvis Nabolli burgun e Reçit në këmbim të votës
votes/ Vendimet e falsifikuara e bënë https://www.reporter.al/vendimet-e-falsifikuara- 06.07.2017 varrmihësin vlonjat pronar të Lindita Cela
ben-varrmihesin-vlonjat-pronar-te-karaburunit/ Karaburunit (VIDEO) Loja e dyfishtë e ish zv/drejtoreshës https://www.reporter.al/loja-e-dyfishte-e-ish- 07.08.2017 së doganave në kontrabandën e zvdrejtoreshes-se-doganave-ne-kontrabanden-e- Edmond Hoxhaj
naftës ‘virgine’ naftes-virgine/ Përfitues dhe viktima: Skema e https://www.reporter.al/perfitues-dhe-viktima- 18.08.2017 grabitjes dhe e tjetërsimit të 342 ha skema-e-grabitjes-dhe-e-tjetersimit-te-342-ha- Lindita Çela
tokë në bregdet toke-ne-bregdet/ Fondi i Sigurimeve vazhdon biznesin https://www.reporter.al/fondi-i-sigurimeve- 24.08.2017 me kompaninë farmaceutike të vazhdon-biznesin-me-kompanine-farmaceutike-te- Lindita Cela
dënuar për mashtrim denuar-per-mashtrim/ende-pa-nisur-mire-punen/ “Pazari” i doktoraturave vë në https://www.reporter.al/pazari-i-doktoraturave-ve- pikëpyetje ligjshmërinë e dhjetra 18.10.2017 ne-pikepyetje-ligjshmerine-e-dhjetra-gradave- Lindita Cela gradave shkencore në
shkencore-ne-infermieri/ Infermieri (VIDEO) Investimet ‘strategjike’ në turizëm https://www.reporter.al/investimet-strategjike-ne- 10.11.2017 ngrihen mbi prona të kontestuara Lindita Cela
turizem-ngrihen-mbi-prona-te-kontestuara/ (VIDEO) Transaksionet brenda familjes, https://www.reporter.al/transaksionet-brenda- 19.12.2017 zbardhen dyshimet për pasurinë e familjes-zbardhen-dyshimet-per-pasurine-e- Elton Qyno
Klemend Balilit kelmend-balilit/ Lidhjet nepotike pas tenderit të https://www.reporter.al/lidhjet-nepotike-pas- Hysen Likdisha, 29.12.2017
kaldajës që helmoi 60 fëmijë tenderit-te-kaldajes-qe-helmoi-60-femije/ Vladimir Karaj Eksperimenti hetimor 15 vjet pas https://www.reporter.al/eksperimenti-hetimor-15- 30.12.2017 ngjarjes, “shpëton” të dënuarin për vjet-pas-ngjarjes-shpeton-te-denuarin-per-vrasje- Edmond Hoxhaj
vrasje të dyfishtë te-dyfishte/ Vdekje “të papritura”, Autoriteti https://www.reporter.al/vdekje-te-papritura- 12.01.2018 fajëson viktimat e aksidenteve në autoriteti-fajeson-viktimat-e-aksidenteve-ne- Sami Curri
minierën e Bulqizës minieren-e-bulqizes/ Brenda kampit të shqiptarëve në https://www.reporter.al/brenda-kampit-te- Bilbao, shtegu i pasëm i Elvis Nabolli, 25.01.2018 shqiptareve-ne-bilbao-shtegu-i-pasem-i- klandestinëve drejt Britanisë së Taulant Kopliku
klandestineve-drejt-britanise-se-madhe/ Madhe ‘Peshkatarët’ e zhdukur të Vlorës https://www.reporter.al/peshkataret-e-zhdukur-te- 02.02.2018 Lindita Cela
janë viktima të trafikut të drogës vlores-jane-viktima-te-trafikut-te-droges/
30 | JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 USAID.GOV PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED AND SOLUTIONS DEVELOPED: Investigative journalism continues to be a difficult proposition in Albania. Many journalists are too busy with their daily work to spend the time required on stories. On the other side, censorship and self- censorship patterns have a considerable impact on journalists’ decision to pursue investigations on stories of public interest and published them in mainstream media. The mentoring experience has revealed a reasonable capacity for finding and researching stories but weaknesses in amassing the correct information in an audience-friendly form and told interestingly. Effort continues to be directed at the importance of the whole journalist endeavor – from finding the story to telling it well.
4TH QUARTER UPDATE OF SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES Media Capacity Assessment Tool (MCAT): IDRA assembled a panel made up of a group of 20 people who read and absorb news and media but with different socio-demographic profiles. They were asked to rate the Faktoje website on 10 performance indicators ranging from impartiality, relevance to site design and user-friendliness. After discussion the panelists gave their scores from 1 to 5. The result was very encouraging with the Faktoje output and site getting an average mark of 3.9. The report also has a selection of comments and suggestions from the panelists many of which Faktoje will act upon and the report has formed very useful feedback for the journalists to shape and improve their output.
IMA Mentoring, capacity building and on-the-job training: During this period most of the IMA’s effort centered on investigative story mentoring and plans for Component 3 activity in Year 4. Elton Qyno investigative work for the story of the Peruvian diplomat wanted for fraud in Albania after being granted political asylum was excellent. But, he shows a weakness, very common among Albanian journalists, when it comes to presenting and telling the story in an appealing and coherent way. This took several re-writes and paid dividends in an unusual and interesting story. Similar work continued with two other stories, the early release of prisoners on medical grounds and the trafficking of Roma children between Albania and Kosovo. Mentoring of Faktoje focused mainly on their video work which showed great improvement – especially in a series of beach reports spotlighting whether laws and regulations were being properly observed.
There were a series of meetings through June and July aimed at developing media plans for the coming year. These included the expansion of Faktoje, developing a structure plan for its future as an independent entity, instituting a conference on misinformation in the media to be held on World Fact Checking day, the inclusion of court and crime reporting on the curriculum at Tirana University, establishing training courses at Elbasan and Shkodra universities and the extension of the BIRN contract.
EXPECTED RESULT 3.3: A MORE POLITICALLY ENGAGED CITIZENRY IS PROMOTED
PROGRESS ACHIEVED The core grant program with BIRN Albania is specifically designed to support and promote independent and open media. It has run for 18 months and has produced a significant body of investigative reporting and journalism at court and crime reporting level. The partnership has played an important role in raising the capacities of a group of regional journalists reporting from all the provinces of Albania. This has led to the public being told many stories which might otherwise go unreported. This has included
USAID.GOV JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 | 31 • 338 court and crime stories many from under-reported areas of the country which get little media attention • Training regional journalists to raise their capacity in investigative and digital journalism techniques • Boosting video production with 60 items published on reporter.al • Monitoring on court transparency supported at local level by BIRN
The IMA, Michael Alexander, and BIRN Editor, Vladimir Karaj, conducted a one-day follow up training for regional journalists on “Court and Crime Reporting” Project. The training was held on 17-19 November in Durres and was designed to sharpen the skills of local reporters in advanced techniques on court and crime reporting, as well the use of multimedia tools BIRN - News and Events. Some 18 journalists participated in the training, during which BIRN Albania presented the Manual on Court and Crime Reporting5. The manual provides an easily understood description of the judicial system, tips sheets on court and crime reporting, as well as advice about protection of sources and whistle blowers. Taking into consideration that many of the journalists have TV experience but little training, the IMA presentation was focused mainly on video story-telling. Their main problem in providing the Project with video stories is pressure of time with many working for several channels simultaneously. The IMA relayed useful suggestions and mentoring for better storytelling and urged them to take more photos. The journalists were able to air their problems which mainly focused on Court Access.
BIRN Albania has also made major strides in gaining audience for its website reporter.al; Analytics for the year showed a significant proportionate improvement comparing to the previous reporting period, with increased interaction in all categories.
REPORTER.AL STATISTICS 1 October 2017 – 30 September 2018
Reporter.al webpage 1 October 2017 - 30 September 2018 Users 368,440 Visits 788,985 Page views 1,065,068 Facebook Posts (articles posted) 1,685 Shares 8,623 Posts’ Likes 77,661 Comments 6,354 Impressions 12,395,652
5 See here: https://www.reporter.al/manualidrejtesise/
32 | JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 USAID.GOV COURT TRANSPARENCY ASSESSMENT To increase the transparency and accountability of courts, BIRN Albania monitored the level of transparency in 38 courts and the Constitutional Court in the country. This was done through a well- planned methodology which entrenched online monitoring of the webpages and response to level to Freedom of Information (FoI) requests as well as individual visits to the courts to assess the fulfilment of 40 indicators related to Article 7 of the FoI Law: “On Information that should be Made Public without Request”. On this purpose, in January 2018 BIRN Albania conducted a training with the 12 regional journalists slated to carry out the monitoring of the courts, in order to explain the procedures and the monitoring on the ground. The data-gathering process lasted from February to April 2018. Regional journalists were instructed to send Freedom of Information Requests to all the courts in their regions and ask for Audio Recording and Verdicts of the Cases of Public Interest. Also, each journalist had to visit each court individually to monitor the level of access to courts, court hearings, and public information published at the premises. An extensive list of indicators was also used to monitor courts’ webpages online.
The report pointed out that most of the 38 courts and the Constitutional Court in Albania failed to fulfil at least half of the 50 reviewed indicators. The average level of transparency for all courts is only 48 %, displaying considerable differences between different categories of indicators. The findings of this monitoring report indicate that the courts have scored higher transparency level regarding indicators such as “access to court” and “cases and courts decisions” whereas the less transparent categories at national level were “financial transparency” and “internal organizations”. This report will be shared and discussed with the Chief Judges of 38 courts and the Constitutional Court of Albania in an event to be organized by the Project in close cooperation with BIRN Albania planned for 30 October 2018.
PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED AND SOLUTIONS DEVELOPED The 12 regional journalists being used by BIRN Albania are mostly mid-career journalists working for several outlets in their localities. The MCAT performance reviews into their work have shown good progress from baseline to midline but a levelling of performance at endline. BIRN has more training scheduled for the journalists in the 18-month extension of the contract and a repeat of the early improvement in their work is expected.
Component 3 has intensified interaction with interlocutors and partners aiming at planning better- focused activities with a higher impact and avoiding overlapping between organizations whose focus is on media development in the country.
4TH QUARTER UPDATE OF SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES Core Program Grant to BIRN Albania - Court and crime reporting: During the quarter, with the help of the editorial team the local journalists engaged in the project produced nine news pieces and two analyses. Furthermore, 13 news pieces on court and crime and three in-depth stories on the judicial reform were produced by BIRN Albania’s editorial team. In total, the news, analysis and features produced during the reporting period on crime and court reporting received more than 200 republications in the Albanian media.
During the 4th quarter, production of news, analysis, and features as part of the court and crime reporting project, focused on two main categories: coverage of the judicial reform and the activity of
USAID.GOV JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 | 33 vetting institutions, as well as the coverage of court cases and crimes issues through the support scheme for local journalists, which aims to provide on the job training and capacity raising to a network of local reporters, while providing coverage of underreported stories and raising the capacities of local media outlets.
The news pieces from the vetting process are focused on the daily coverage of the Independent Qualification Commission, IQC, and its public hearings, stories on upcoming cases as well as cases appealed in the College of Appeals. The coverage produced by local reporters has focused on important crime and court cases from different regions of Albania.
Investigative stories: As a complement to the ongoing local coverage of courts and judicial reform, two additional investigative pieces have been produced by BIRN editorial staff and local journalists in the context of this project, based on in-depth original research and focused on stories of high relevance and importance. The stories produced in this quarter include: Court Verdicts that Freed Convicted Drug Lord Exposed - Vladimir Karaj, Elton Qyno - 9 July 2018; Police Accused of Entrapment to Pressure Villagers on Behalf of Logger - Sami Curri - 11 July 2018; Also, BIRN Albania has strengthened its capacities to produce multimedia stories, by producing in total 13 video and photo reports.
Core Program Grant to BIRN Albania - Court Transparency Assessment: During this reporting period, BIRN Albania finalized its monitoring report on the level of transparency of courts in Albania, which has been peer-reviewed by the experts of the Component I and 3 of the Project. The final copies of the report, both in Albanian and English language are ready to be shared with all the relevant actors.
The report points out that most of the 38 courts and the Constitutional Court in Albania failed to fulfil at least half of the 50 reviewed indicators. The average level of transparency for all courts is only 48 % displaying considerable differences between different categories of indicators. The findings of this monitoring report indicate courts have scored higher transparency level regarding indicators included in the “access to court” and “cases and courts decisions” whereas the less transparent categories at national level are “financial transparency” and “internal organizations”.
BIRN Output and Republications: The BIRN Albania output indicators have shown a substantial improvement in the last quarter both on their webpage and social media.
Reporter.al webpage
Users 75,503
Visits 145,582
Page views 204,662 Facebook
Posts (articles posted) 349
Shares 1,384
Posts’ Likes 9,736
Comments 1,253
Impressions 2,037,832
34 | JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 USAID.GOV EXPECTED RESULT 3.4: INDEPENDENT AND OPEN MEDIA IS STRENGTHENED.
SUPPORT FOR FAKTOJE - FACT CHECKING SERVICE
PROGRESS ACHIEVED The main focus of Component 3 activities during this reporting period has been the establishing of the first ever fact-checking service to function in Albania. The new fact-checking service, ‘Faktoje’ (English: evidence), started work in February 2018. The official launching was organized on 8 May 2018 in Tirana and attracted more than 65 journalists, media experts, practitioners and representatives of civil society organizations and academia.
The project is presently being implemented by two local non-governmental organizations: Gender The Project and Faktoje Journalists celebrate the May 8, 2018 public launch of Faktoje. Alliance for Development Centre (GADC) and National Centre for Social Studies (NCSS). NCSS has taken responsibility for the quantitative side of monitoring and evaluation.
A team of five young reporters was hired from GADC in a transparent and well-planned process aiming at avoiding any conflict of interests. The five young journalists have been through training provided by the US Embassy’s “Media Lab” Project. The editor-in chief, Alma Janka left a job in TV to lead the team of five journalists. The journalists have worked closely with web designers in Tirana to produce a clean- looking, friendly site which can be viewed at www.faktoje.al.
The site features a fact-o-meter (Faktometer) created by the team, aimed at giving the audience an instant idea of whether a statement is true or false, or somewhere in between. The site has made an impact on social media through their presence in Facebook and Twitter.
The fact-checking methodology, which is in line with that of International Fact-Checking Network where “Faktoje” aims to be a signatory member, is employed by the team in searching and verifying public statements through primary sources and using In the media room the Faktoje staff discuss topics/stories to expert’s opinions for the factual information. The be fact-checked process is to look at statements entirely on merit not swaying on party politics or other potentially prejudicial factors.
Up until 15 October 2018, 110 news/declarations have been fact-checked by the team and 36 video stories have been prepared and broadcast by Faktoje. Various stories fact-checked have been taken and republished by other media as well. (Photo 4)
USAID.GOV JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 | 35 Monitoring: Monitoring and evaluation for Faktoje’s work comes in several forms. The second grant partner – NCSS – provide the quantitative data of how many stories are being produced, what types of stories etc.
The progress of the journalists’ work is being assessed by IDRA, who will also carry out work to qualitatively assess the website through a specially selected panel. An IDRA panel report conducted during the reporting period encouragingly showed that Faktoje website gets relatively high rates (3.9 out of 5) on main performance indicators ranging from impartiality, relevance to site design and user- friendliness.
Trainings: The team has received continuous training from the IMA and other experts in fact-checking journalism; ways of making the site interactive, using video, graphics and photos to increase the impact of their stories. In June 2018, the Project brought in the expertise of Professor Scott Talan from American University in training the Faktoje team on using social media to maximize reach and audience engagement. The team was provided with four on-line guest speakers with key experts of the American University and well-known investigative journalists from the US. Award winning reporter and writer Chuck Lewis and Pulitzer Prize winner John Sullivan gave advice on how to pursue investigative reporting. The USA Today’s editor and writer Lynne Perry and media expert Jeremiah Patterson focused on using social media and how to think digitally.
Three workshops with “Faktoje” team and grantee’ representatives (GADC and NCSS) were organized and facilitated by the Project during the months of June, July and September 2018. These workshops were planned to set a tradition of periodical discussion on daily operational activities as well as on the main challenges for the future such as: funding, plans for regional exchanges with other fact-checking services, social media boosting, and cooperation requests with other media outlets. Two important topics in the center of those meetings were Albanian local elections 2019 and preparations for the electoral campaign and elections. 10 October 2018 a monthly workshop with Faktoje staff
Activities: During the reporting period Faktoje and its staff has made several appearances on TV, starting with an interview of the editor Alma Janka to the Albanian Public Broadcaster in April 2018, only a few weeks ahead the Faktoje’ official launching.
The fact-checking service was also introduced to the public through a TV documentary entitled “Political Lies” broadcast by Top Channel TV in late September 2018, in prime time. Faktoje staff has been continuously invited in different TV programs as Ora News TV and Fax News TV to explain the fact- checking and its importance.
11 April 2018 Faktoje’s first public interview with TVSH Presentations of the Albanian fact-checking service program “Good Morning Albania” before the launching event. took place in different public and private universities,
36 | JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 USAID.GOV invited by their journalism departments. Faktoje was presented to students and lecturers of University of Tirana, European University of Tirana and Beder University during May-June 2018, giving its journalists and the operation itself a first professional and valuable presentation to the Albanian public.
PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED AND SOLUTIONS DEVELOPED The Project is breaking new ground with the establishment of the first Albanian fact-checking service at a time when media situation in the country has not been sustainable and the mainstream media has been under pressure of political or business interests. The online media has been blossoming in the meantime, with no clear standards for regulation being provided or self-regulation being promoted. Challenges of Faktoje in making its own way in this difficult environment are various; quality journalism has to be provided from the team, which should be acquainted with the highest professional standards, in order to make the difference.
Based on this, the Project has been providing continuous on-job mentoring and different trainings on video journalism, use of social media to engage audiences as well as discussions on editorial judgement. Aiming at learning from the best practices, the Project also organized two exchange visits for Faktoje team in Kosovo and Croatia, respectively in May and October 2018. Faktoje fact- checkers met with journalists of Kallxo.com in Kosovo and Faktograf in Croatia to discuss on methodology and gain more experience in using Faktoje journalist Andi Bora and Project Team Leader, Elira fact-checking during elections. Canga exchange visit to Croatian fact-checking service, Faktograf Secondly, sustainability and organizational development is another challenge for Faktoje, whose team is a very professional one, but lacks proficient managerial skills. Following the regional experience, management of the team comes at the moment from the lead partner in the grant, GADC, a newcomer to the media world and an incubator for the fact-checking service. The boundaries between management (the publisher) and editorial processes are well defined in the grant agreement. Yet, the aim is for Faktoje to stand in its feet and ensure future total independence and sustainability.
In this regard, the Project has drafted a mid-term strategy for “Faktoje”, which envisages all steps needed to ensure this entity’ future independence, professionalism and self-sustainability through a diverse pool of funding. This strategy accompanied by respective timeline and an organogram of “Faktoje” is still in the process of internal discussion and evaluation and will be soon formalized. As a first step to this strategy, the Editorial Board of Faktoje will be established in the next quarter; the Project has drafted the scope of work and is at the moment identifying relevant high professionals to be its members.
USAID.GOV JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 | 37 4TH QUARTER UPDATE OF SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES Support for Faktoje - Fact Checking Service: The Project worked closely with the Albanian fact-checking service Faktoje to draft a development plan as well as further improve professional skills of the team members. Below are the main activities held during the last three months:
Events/Activities: A workshop with the Faktoje team, grantees’ representatives (GADC and NCSS) was organized and facilitated by the Project on 18 July. The discussion focused on daily operational activities as well as main challenges for the future such as funding, plans for regional exchanges with other fact- checking missions, social media boosts and cooperation’ requests with other media outlets. Albanian elections 2019 and Faktoje preparation for the election campaign and elections were other topics of interest discussed during the workshop.
On the other side, the Project has drafted a mid-term strategy for Faktoje, which envisages all steps needed to ensure this entity’ future independence, professional high performance and self-sustainability through a diverse pool of funding. This strategy accompanied by respective timeline and an organogram of Faktoje is still in the process of internal discussion and evaluation and will be soon formalized.
As a first step to this strategy, the Editorial Board of Faktoje will be established in the next quarter and the Project has drafted the scope of work and is at the moment identifying relevant high professionals to be part of this board.
Training/Mentoring: The Project has been providing continuous advising and mentoring to Faktoje journalists. This work focused mainly on their video work which showed great improvement – especially in a series of beach reports spotlighting whether laws and regulations were being properly observed.
Performance of Faktoje: Faktoje, has been operating smoothly during the reporting period, with 34 stories fact-checked and published in its webpage from 1 July to 31 August 2018.
Faktoje has maintained this standard by posting 4-5 material per week, be it texts or videos.
Journalists, professionally led and organized by the editor, have posted qualitative materials that in various cases have been distributed by other online media quoting Faktoje.al. This was a contribution towards raising the site’s credibility and number of followers on YouTube.
Ten videos have been produced by Faktoje staff while a series of videos on the beach standards all over Albania attracted many viewers and raised visibility on the Albanian media as well. The most viewed among others were the video story on the landslides in Gjirokastra as well as the situation regarding different beaches of the country, where journalist checked personally whether the conditions/parameters were respected or not. The video news about the situation of Shengjini’s beach reached more than 63 000 viewers on YouTube.
An IDRA panel report conducted during the reporting period encouragingly showed that Faktoje website gets relatively high rates (3.9 out of 5) on main performance indicators ranging from impartiality, relevance to site design and user-friendliness.
38 | JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 USAID.GOV 4TH QUARTER CHALLENGES AND SUCCESSES: This quarter the most significant success can be noted as:
• Organizing two successful workshops with Faktoje team as well as GADC and NCSS representatives on daily operation and challenges for Faktoje • Faktoje’s series of “beach standards” video stories’ attracted a high number of viewers and was taken as an idea on by other local media as well • Successful preparatory work to finalize two main grants of Component 3 for the next period; BIRN grant and GADC grant
While the following challenges arose with regard to: • Story proposed by the grantee journalist Fatjona Mejdini needed additional review/ work to be finalized and its publication has been postponed for the next quarter • Story proposed by the grantee journalist Sokol Cobo has not been finalized due to the delays of the journalist and inability to bring more information to complete the story • Summer vacation of public officials and politicians were a factor that affected the fact- checking operation for a considerable part of the reporting period (July-August 2018).
STEPS FOR NEXT QUARTER • Establishment of the Advisory Board for Faktoje • Hiring of a deputy editor for Faktoje • Hiring of a media coordinator for Faktoje • Bring in international expertise to develop and conduct a data journalism and in-depth reporting training for Faktoje fact-checkers and local journalists • Organize an exchange visit for Faktoje members to the Croatian fact-checking service, Faktograf and conference Empowering Investigative Journalism • Organize an exchange visit for Faktoje members to the Italian fact-checking service, Pagella Politica • Organize two sessions of the condensed DIMS trainings in Shkodra and Elbasan University • Continue on-job training and mentoring for Faktoje team by Project staff • Develop a communication plan to ensure Faktoje visibility • Organize an informal meeting with local journalists covering court and crime issues • Continue working with BIRN Albania to ensure a good coverage of justice reform as well as timely fashion stories on court and crimes issues in the regions
USAID.GOV JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 | 39
SUCCESS STORY District Court Chairpersons Meet to Unify Practice, Proactively Address Reform and Implement Change from the Ground Up
The Meetings of the District A unique characteristic of Albania’s judicial history is that judging occurred Court Chairpersons serve as the in a high degree of insularity and isolation. For decades, judges had little opportunity for interaction, collective decision, or participation in the sole mechanism for judges to reform process. In 2018, USAID identified this gap and initiated meetings address common challenges, of Chief Judges that allow for ownership, buy-in and responsibility for develop solutions, and manage reform on the part of the judges. change. The importance of the Meetings of the District Court Chairpersons in facilitating a unified approach to leadership among Chief Judges in a formal
and conscious way is vitally important. The meetings have focused on “In my opinion, the Meeting of the unifying the different practices that have been established in the courts District Court Chairpersons is the best after the entry into force of major amendments to both the civil and experience I’ve had towards learning criminal procedure codes. and understanding the work of Court Particularly because the MDCC are conducted largely by the judges, leaders, in all aspects. The MDCC is of where they set the agenda, moderate discussions, and follow up outside of crucial importance that should be the meetings, they perform a unique role in promoting an identification further supported and developed as an with the goals and ethical standards of the judiciary. Providing the Chief indispensable instrument for Judges an opportunity to gather in regular settings promotes judicial strengthening the judicial power.” independence in its implicit endorsement of the idea that judges should Enkeledi Hajro, Tirana District look first to their peers in defining their own highest standards of conduct Court Chairperson and performance.
The MDCC is expanding the judge’s capacity to solve problems. The ultimate test of the success of a professional is the ability to solve problems… and those problems usually involve vital and deep outcomes.
“The three meetings that have already The MDCC focus on processes which challenge judges to apply new ideas happened have insured various benefits to the solution of old problems, thereby reinvigorating the judicial leader. for the courts, for example, the unified In exchanging views and debating the appropriate resolution of difficult administrative practices between them administrative issues, the Chief Judges are given an opportunity which have been large and of practical value. does not exist anywhere else in the system to test new ideas or have their In this view, I think that the organization old ideas challenged, completely “off the record”. There is also value in of these forums should be continued in simply discovering that no one else has a solution for a real dilemma. In a regular basis, for which your project surveys of judicial programs which provide structured opportunities for deserves maximum respect and this type of interaction, the exchange of views with colleagues and peers is appreciation.” consistently rated the most valuable aspect of the program. Admir Belishta, Korca District Perhaps most importantly, the MDCC is creating a judicial collegial Court Chairperson culture. This process of acculturation is deeply meaningful for the nature and extent of an independent judiciary. In the future, the immersion of individual judges into the life of the profession will mean that new Chief Judges are guided chiefly by those who are themselves part of the special community or who have contributed to its development.
USAID.GOV JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 | 43 SUCCESS STORY Just in time for Summer: Faktoje publishes video series of fact-checked stories on the quality of beaches in Albania
Faktoje is Albania’s first fact Aiming at attracting an audience by providing highly relevant and practical checking service and works information, this summer Albania’s new fact-checking service introduced a series of fact-checked stories on the quality of beaches in Albania. The series include to hold public officials and five of the biggest beaches in the country and with the highest numbers of government institutions tourists, such as Shengjin, Velipoja, Durres, Golem and Zvernec. accountable. Faktoje reporters identified these areas and fact-checked by themselves the criteria of safety and quality of the beaches, as prescribed by the legal obligations approved by Albanian Government.
“The preliminary idea was presented during the daily newsroom meeting in the last week of May 2018”, Andi Bora, one of Faktoje journalists says. “It was right in the beginning of the touristic season. It was very much up to date and in the public interest. We all agreed this story had to be pursued. The only thing we couldn’t predict was how much viewers it would attract”, he says.
Work started with a thorough reading of a decision of The Council of Ministers, dating back in May 2014, with regard to the legal obligations on conditions and
safety of the beaches as to safety and cleanliness. Gathering information on Faktoje’ journalist, Merxhan Daci, reporting from Durres beach five identified beaches was the next step.
“Fact-checking methodology is very clear and leaves no room for interpretations: Faktoje reporters would go and check by themselves if the aforementioned conditions were fulfilled”, Alma Janka, editor of Faktoje explains. “Our next challenge was to produce video-stories with our own capacities”.
Video reporting training came into help to Faktoje’s journalists and each of them “This is just an example of how fact- was given the chance to be a presenter of the covered-story, to shoot and based reporting impacts the audience. participate in the video editing process of the final version. It took five day-long Facts really matter and are crucial in trips to Shëngjin, Velipojë, Durrës, Golem and Zvërnec to shoot everything. The gaining public trust” stories from each beach showed that not all conditions were fulfilled, revealing thus many weak points of the monitoring system on this regard. Andi Bora, Faktoje Journalist They were published during summer and the number of views were well beyond expectations. Altogether more than 75,000 views in Faktoje' YouTube Channel increased Faktoje presence in the media significantly.
These stories had a great impact on the audience. The work done by the Albanian fact-checking service was followed up by other mainstream media
outlets as well as “Ora News TV” or “Fax News TV” which produced reports based on the timely work of Faktoje’s journalists.
44 | JUSTICE FOR ALL IN ALBANIA: ANNUAL REPORT – 1 OCT 2017 – 30 SEPT 2018 USAID.GOV