Video Shows Police Using Pepper Spray on Altin Goxhaj and Shpend Gashi in Tirana Café

 Journalist Shpend Gashi (left) holding a mobile phone and lawyer Altin Goxhaj (right) wiping his eyes inside a Tirana café following an encounter with "Shqiponja" police officers.

 Footage published by Albanian media outlet JOQ appears to show officers from the “Shqiponja” police unit entering a café in central Tirana and spraying pepper spray toward the table where lawyer Altin Goxhaj and journalist and political analyst Shpend Gashi, both public figures, were seated.

According to accounts from those present, they were filming and documenting events when the incident occurred. They reported burning sensations in their eyes, faces and bodies. The video also appears to show a young man being struck by officers.

The incident raises serious questions about police use of force inside a civilian establishment and the treatment of people documenting events in public interest. Further clarification is needed regarding the circumstances that led to the intervention.