Investigative journalist Artan Hoxha has been declared persona non grata by authorities of the Hellenic Republic and has been permanently banned from entering Greece, after being deemed “undesirable” and a “threat to public order and internal security.”
The decision was communicated on Tuesday at the Kakavija border crossing, where Hoxha was traveling toward Ioannina.
According to Hoxha, Greek border police stopped him at the passport control booth, seized his travel document, and held him for about an hour at the local station. At around 10:30 a.m., he was handed the official document barring him from entering Greece for an indefinite period. The notice stated that he:
- Has been classified as an undesirable person;
- Is considered a risk to public order, internal security, public health, or the international relations of one or more EU states.
Following the notification, Greek police marked a cross over the entry stamp in his passport and ordered him to leave Greek territory immediately.
This is not the first case of Albanian journalists being banned from Greece. Previously, the same measure was imposed on Top Channel journalist Marin Mema, who also remains prohibited from entering the country.
According to Hoxha, the decision to blacklist him was taken as early as early 2024, during Greece’s campaign for the European Parliament elections. Among the candidates of the ruling New Democracy party was Fredi Beleri, holder of both Albanian and Greek citizenship and currently convicted in Albania.
Hoxha had extensively reported on Beleri’s activities, including his role in the 1994 “Peshkopia Massacre,” where two Albanian soldiers were killed and dozens of recruits were taken hostage. The journalist has also faced legal proceedings in Tirana during 2023–2024 over these matters.
During the European elections campaign, Hoxha published investigative stories in several Greek media outlets, addressing cases in which Beleri allegedly assisted Albanian citizens convicted of crimes in Greece by presenting them as members of the Greek Orthodox minority.
Over the past 23 years, Hoxha has published numerous investigations on Albania–Greece relations and national security issues — from the scandal over Greek military cemeteries in Albania to the exhumation of villagers from Kosinë, falsely presented as fallen WWII soldiers. He also documented the 2018 Bularat incident, releasing footage showing the moment Konstandinos Kacifas opened fire on Albanian police.
Hoxha has described his designation as non grata as a politically motivated act by Greek authorities, which he says aims to penalize Albanian journalists who expose illegal activities that harm Albanian national interests.
