TIRANA, April 3 /ATA/ Minister of Interior Besfort Lamallari emphasized that “all individuals who endanger the lives of citizens or State Police officers, or who attack government buildings with Molotov cocktails, will be prosecuted in accordance with the law.”
Responding to journalists’ questions regarding the arrest of protesters during opposition demonstrations by the Police and their subsequent release by the courts, Lamallari clarified that “it is necessary to distinguish between protesters who exercise their constitutional and legal rights peacefully, as prescribed by the law on assemblies, and those wielding Molotov cocktails, who are not protesters but lawbreakers.”
“Deploying Molotov cocktails against public property, thereby putting at risk the lives and health of both bystanders and State Police personnel, constitutes an illegal and criminal act,” Lamallari emphasized, adding that such acts exceeds the limits of lawful protest, which is recognized as a democratic mechanism in all countries worldwide.
According to him, protesters who flagrantly break the law and endanger the lives of State Police officers—whose role is to maintain order and public safety—must face the consequences prescribed by law, whether they act as instigators, organizers, or perpetrators.
Minister Lamallari noted that recent protests saw fewer peaceful participants and a rise in individuals engaging in violent or unlawful acts, including throwing Molotov cocktails, who are now under law enforcement scrutiny.
Minister Lamallari stressed that “it is imperative for the State Police to ramp up efforts in documenting these incidents, ensuring evidentiary support for their unlawful nature, and thereby guaranteeing the enforcement of security measures and the accountability of those responsible, in full compliance with the rule of law and human rights standards.
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