After months of internal wrangling and international pressure, Albania’s Socialist Prime Minister, Edi Rama, has postponed the adoption of media laws that would have muzzled the few online critical voices left.

The postponement had more to do with European Parliament President Sassoli’s visit to Tirana last week than with international and local media watchdog protests against the draconian laws. Many fear it is only a matter of time before the international community looks the other way, and Rama bulldozes the laws through parliament.

Rama has repeatedly called critical media outlets “garbage bins,” not hiding his deep distaste, and hinting at what he would like done with them. Many of the largest TV stations and newspapers have fallen in line and now rarely criticize him. Those few journalists that were critical of Rama are now often jobless, or have been forced to move to neighbouring Kosovo.

This is what happened to Adi Krasta, a leading journalist and a host of a number of popular news shows. He was fired from his job and forced to move to Kosovo for speaking out against Rama’s rule.