Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović said Tuesday that Albania’s proposed anti-defamation legislation, expected to pass this week, is incompatible with freedom of expression.

Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) states, “Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers.” Mijatović expressed concern that the ‘anti-defamatory package’ would give the Albanian government discretionary powers to regulate online media, falling outside of European standards and limiting media freedom.

The draft bill is set to amend laws No 9918 “On electronic communications of the Republic of Albania” and No. 97/2013 “On Audio Visual Media in the Republic of Albania.” The amendments would impose a mandatory registration of online media platforms, with heavy fines up to USD $1,000 on unregistered online media outlets.

Concerns over the administrative interference with freedom of expression have caused disagreement among various organizations protecting journalistic freedom. The European Federation of Journalists stated that the draft bill needs to be improved to be in accordance with EU law, further urging the government to scrap the bill.

Moreover, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) released a legal analysis of the proposed bill making recommendations to improve the contents, which were partly approved by the Prime Minister. The regulatory board showed support for the new law, but scrutinized the state regulation. However, with the final draft of the bill incorporating the recommendations of the OSCE, there appears to be no indication that the Prime Minister will scrap implementation.

Outrage over the draft bill led to protests on Wednesday morning, with many wearing black scarves covering their mouths to symbolize the government’s intention to silence online media. Representatives of the Albanian Media Council were also in attendance at the protest.