TIRANA, July 30 /ATA/ – Democratic Party (DP) leader, Sali Berisha, has sharply criticized the draft of the new Penal Code proposed by the Albanian government, calling it a “major attack on free speech.”
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, the main opposition party leader said the proposed Code “comes out of the dens of the mafia” and envisages “almost double legal violence against citizens.”
Berisha emphasized that Albania’s Chief Prosecutor has stated that neither the Prosecutor’s Office nor other justice bodies were consulted on this code, highlighting the lack of transparency and involvement.
Berisha also criticized an article which, according to him, “serves to protect certain individuals, such as SPAK Chief Prosecutor Altin Dumani and Judge Irena Gjoka.”
“The code foresees imprisonment for minor offenses like parking violations or unpaid electricity and water bills, and halves the sentences for abusive officials. This absurdity crosses all limits and is an attack on the right to express opinions and to denounce injustice,” Berisha claimed.
/m.q/r.e/u.sh/
