Troll of the Month: Media platforms across Albania

The Balkan Troll of the Month is an individual, a group of individuals or a media outlet that spreads hate based on gender, ethnicity, religion, or other diversity categories. The Balkan Troll is selected based on hate speech incidents identified across the Western Balkan region.

On 6 October 2025, Judge Astrit Kalaja was shot and killed inside the Tirana Court of Appeal during a property dispute hearing. The perpetrator was named as Elvis Shkambi. Four days later, on October 10, 2025, another person threatened a security employee at the Court of Appeal of General Jurisdiction, saying, “You all deserve to be killed.” He was escorted to the Police station for further interrogation.

The murder of the judge occurred amid widespread public distrust in Albania’s judicial institutions, especially regarding property disputes and perceived corruption within the justice system. As a result, following the murder, several actors including journalists, politicians and family members of the perpetrator publicly issued statements that either justified or normalised the violence.

Amongst these narratives were direct threats made against judges including comments claiming they “will face bullets”, with media platforms amplifying these narratives. Gjovalin Shkambi, the uncle of the perpetrator Elvis Shkambi, openly stated that any judge who convicts his nephew “will face bullets.”

Online users turned to glorifying the murder, framing it as an act of ‘justice’ against a corrupt system, an act of righteousness. One example was an investigative journalist working at Stop, a show produced by TV Klan who turned to frame the incident to be a direct consequence of systemic failures that have “exhausted citizens,” emphasising the perceived injustice and frustration of the public. Furthermore, posts and coverage by JOQ, an online media platform, featured dramatised portrayals of the event that framed the perpetrator sympathetically while underscoring systemic injustice. The narrative presented Elvis Shkambi’s actions as a reaction to long-standing grievances, thereby indirectly normalising and justifying violence.

Alongside this, a GoFundMe campaign was launched by a person named Francesk Shkambi, who claimed to be a relative of Elvis Shkambi, to help cover the legal expenses of the latter. In the GoFundMe description, it was stated that the murder occurred because of the judicial system, and they expressed hope that “the Albanian government will carefully review this case and ensure that no one else suffers the consequences of the actions and mistakes made during this conflict.”

The GoFundMe has now been closed, but within two days it managed to raise $14,000 out of the $20,000 goal.

The overall media reporting on the case, mixing details of the event with emotive commentary, reinforcing the anti-judiciary sentiments, was both unprofessional and incorrect. The discourse surrounding the killing and its ‘so-called justifiability’ blurred the lines between institutional accountability and criminal violence, implying that such behaviours are acceptable if defined as a reaction to injustice. This rhetoric created a dangerous climate of hostility toward judicial actors, increasing the risk of copycat behaviour and further attacks.

Murder and violence cannot be justified under any circumstances, nor should it be glorified. The media has a role and responsibility to report the news without amplifying hateful, harmful narratives.