Deputy Tom Doshi beats up one of BIRN’s journalists


Mjaft! Movement reacts: This is a shameful act
 
March. 12. 2008

Mjaft! Movement expresses its indignation about the violence exercised two days ago upon the journalist Besar Likmeta by the DP deputy, Tom Doshi.
 
Likmeta, who works for a well-known regional news agency, BIRN (Balkan Investigative Reporting Network), is brutally assaulted by Doshi at the bar of Hotel Sheraton in the presence of some clients and the barman. Another witness to this event was Arben Isaraj, who had accompanied Doshi at the Sheraton Hotel. He was not physically involved. However, he fiercely debated with the reporter.

Limeta had been working on an investigative article regarding the fake diplomas of the Albanian parliamentarians, an article which can be found at the following link (www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/investigations/8041/).
After independently investigating this offensive act, RIRN sent an letter to the Prime Minister, foreign diplomatic bodies in Albania as well as human right organizations, notifying them of this act as well as demanding their immediate reaction. You can find the on-line version at www.birn.eu.com/en/1/20/8541/.

Given that Doshi’s assault is not unprecedented we urge the media, diplomatic representatives as well as the civil society to intervene about this illegal act.

Mjaft! Movement called for a protest against this shameful act demanding the institutions’ reaction.

A FEW WORDS ABOUT TOM DOSHI

Tom Doshi won the 2005 Elections in the constituency no. 7 as a Socialist Party representative. In September 2006 Doshi disaffiliate himself from the socialist group and joined the Christian-Democratic Party. According to him, the main reason why he took this decision was the right-wing political viewpoints that he and his family had always displayed. Doshi has once stated that he represented the Socialist Party in the 2005 parliamentary elections because it was the demand of his constituents in Velipoja that he should be the one to represent their interests in the Parliament of Albania.

 “Such a demand was initially made by the local leaders of the Democratic Party in Shkodra and Velipoja. However, the leader of the DP, Sali Berisha did not accept his candidacy as a DP representative. Meanwhile an offer from the Socialist Party was made to me. I accepted the offer because I wanted to represent the interests of the locals in Velipoja”, state Doshi. However, according to the “I Vote” report  (covering the period January-July 2007), Doshi is one of the 19 parliamentarians who have never participated in any parliamentarian debates held during the forth parliamentarian sessions. Additionally, during the same session Doshi results to be one of the deputies who have frequently been absent in the plenary sessions.
According to the asset declaration facts (covering 2003, 2004, 2005) which are published in the “I Vote” report, Tom Doshi is the wealthiest deputy of the Albanian Parliament amounting to 1.090.171.456 lek.
It is worth mentioning that Tom Doshi has been involved in such incidents in the past. Last September Doshi hit inside the parliament’s building the Human Rights Party deputy, Leonard Solis.
MJAFT! MOVEMENT!

An open letter from the BIRN (March 12th 2008) addressed to the Prime Minister, Berisha.

The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN, a group of editors and media trainers in nine countries in the Balkans and publisher of Balkan Insight (www.balkaninsight.com) is alarmed and deeply concerned over the assault on our Albania editor, Besar Likmeta.

Likmeta was brutally attacked by MP Tom Doshi during an interview at the Sheraton hotel in Tirana in the evening of March 10 in front of another MP, Arben Isaraj, from the Socialist Party.

During research for an investigation about fake diplomas in Albania –
published on February 20
(http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/investigations/8041/)- Balkan
Insight obtained documents showing that one deputy, Tom Doshi, had a certified degree from Tetovo University despite the fact that he never
finished his studies in law.

The Balkan Insight investigation did not contain the name of Mr. Doshi.
However, as his Tetovo degree mysteriously disappeared from his CV on the web site of the Albanian parliament, Mr. Likmeta requested an
interview with Mr. Doshi`s to give him the opportunity to clarify the
matter.

Likmeta called the MP, Tom Doshi, on Monday, March 10th, around 9.30 and explained that in the documents Balkan Insight has obtained from the Ministry of Education, he is identified as having certified a law
diploma from Tetovo University. The university has informed the Albanian Ministry of Education that Doshi’s law degree is a fake.

Doshi agreed to meet for an interview at 10.30 pm at the Sheraton Hotel
in Tirana where he came with Arben Isaraj.

Through out the interview Doshi demanded to know why Likmeta was
covering this story and denied he had presented any fake documents. He
repeatedly told Likmeta that it was extremely brave of him to pursue
this story. Isaraj than asked Likmeta if he really lived in this country
and was he out of touch with reality.

“Then abruptly Doshi started hitting me with some sort of leather file
holder that he had with him. He broke my glasses and gave me a black eye
before leaving,” Likmeta said.

At the time of the attack in the Sheraton hotel bar, there were several
witnesses: two foreigners working on laptops, MP Isaraj and the barman.
No one offered help.

After Likmeta tried to get witnesses to give statement on the attack,
the barman ordered him to leave, or he would be kicked out.

BIRN is deeply concerned about this attack. We urge you to do everything
in your power to investigate this case and to prevent such incidents
from occurring in the future. It is important to note that the
journalist who was so badly mistreated was simple trying to give a
member of parliament a chance to tell his side of the story. Media
workers must be able to work freely.

We thank you for your attention.

Yours sincerely,

Gordana Igric
BIRN Regional Director Your Excellency,



COMPILED FOF THE MEDIA IN ALBANIA BY THE MJAFT! MOVEMENT’S DEPARTMENT OF MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION

Top