TIRANA, Oct 30 /ATA/ The leader of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, described the human rights situation in Albania as “dramatic” and “unparalleled worldwide.
Speaking during the Parliament’s plenary session on the Ombudsperson’s annual report, Berisha asserted that the Constitution has become a “dead letter” and that the most fundamental human rights are effectively inexistent.
The head of the Democratic Party said that the large-scale pretrial detentions signify a clear sign of the justice system’s collapse — a systematic infringement on citizens’ freedoms and rights, and a blatant denial of the Albanian people’s right to a due process.
“Citizens of any country are entitled to fundamental rights, one of which is the right to a fair trial. Yet, according to officials from these institutions, nowhere else in the world do people wait 16 years for a court case to be closed — a situation that inevitably fuels acts of vigilantism. This denial of justice, Berisha said, has led to 643 recorded cases of vigilantism, 180 murders, 220 injuries, and hundreds of other criminal offenses.”
Berisha went on to cite the statement of the head of the High Council of Justice, who, according to him, acknowledged that the 16-year case duration had been reduced by only 16 days over the course of a year.
“I assure you that Albanians, as well as citizens in any other country — even under dictatorships — are treated with more respect by their justice systems than they are in Albania. This is a justice system in absentia. Justice delayed for 16 years is justice denied — a kind of justice that fuels the outbursts we witnessed, such as the murder of a judge in the courtroom, something that can never, of course, be justified,” he continued.
Berisha stated that Albanians are being denied a long-held right to due process and emphasized that the Ombudsman should act as a strong advocate in Europe and globally to highlight the serious justice issues facing Albanian citizens.
The head of the Democratic Party further stated that the Ombudsman should serve as a voice for the citizens against the reform that drove Albanians toward taking the law into their own hands, as if the state did not exist.
/e.i/j.p/sm/
