TIRANA, Sept 9 /ATA – By Maela Marini/ – Prime Minister Edi Rama said Tuesday that that individuals who deliberately start wildfires should face the same legal consequences as murderers, calling for harsher penalties than those applied to illegal construction.
Unveiling a new legislative package on property and territory protection, the government head criticized sentencing guidelines that impose tougher punishments for unauthorized construction than for intentional arson.
“I strongly oppose the idea that fire-setting carries lighter sentences than illegal building,” he said.
“It is unacceptable that setting a fire, such as the one in Gramsh, results in a sentence of 3 to 8 years, while illegal construction in a protected forest area is punished with 5 to 10 years in prison,” Rama stated.
The Premier argued that while illegal structures can be demolished, restoring burned forests takes decades.
“Deliberate arson should be treated as murder when it destroys the heritage of generations in just a few nights and puts lives at risk,” he said. “When the forest burns, homes go with it. That’s premeditated destruction – and should be treated as such.”
/j.p/u.sh/
