TIRANA, April 14 /ATA/ – Minister of Justice Etilda Gjonaj stated Sunday that all individuals who incited violence and have committed violent actions during the last night’s protests will receive punishment as stipulated by law.
Speaking at a press conference, Justice Minister said that eight police officers are undergoing treatment in hospital after suffering burns due to firecracker injuries as opposition protesters threw explosive devices at police.
“The yesterday’s protest organized by political parties is an evidence of the violence against the state institutions and as such it is punishable by law,” Gjonaj said.
“The right to protest, especially when it is organized by the citizens themselves, is an element of the democracy in a state, but when the protests are organized by the political parties as part of the fight for power, the protest is unjustifiable and it can’t serve as a tool to replace the democratic institutions. Violence is unacceptable and intolerable,” she stated.
“Yesterday, the Albanian citizens saw and understood that, just like the previous rallies over the past months, these protests serve no interest of citizens, instead they are protests marred by violent acts by the opposition’s leadership because of their panic from the justice reform and the new justice bodies that are being created. We are committed to prevent playing with Albania’s future by taking justice reform forward,” she said.
“Their purpose is already known. They are seeking to destabilize the country, especially in this period when the country is being closely monitored by the European Commission and the EU member states ahead of the decision to open the EU membership negotiations,” Justice Minister noted, adding: “It is clear to all that these acts of unlawful violence damage Albania, preventing it from moving forward on the path towards European integration.”
Gjonaj voiced support and called the law enforcement bodies and justice institutions to conduct a comprehensive and independent investigation and bring all perpetrators of the unjustifiable and unacceptable violence before justice.
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