TIRANA, Sept. 30 /ATA/ – Prime Minister Edi Rama called on Wednesday for a new approach to the use of pre-trial detention in Albania describing the country’s current figures as a serious problem for the justice system.
Speaking at the presentation of a draft package of amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code, Rama said the initiative was also prompted by concerns raised by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and other European and international bodies over the treatment of people held in pre-trial detention.
Rama said about 62% of people in Albanian prisons were being held in pre-trial detention, compared with a European average of around 26%, citing Council of Europe data as of January 31, 2025.
“Albania’s justice scales lean heavily towards the repressive weight of the state,” Rama said, calling the figures a serious national challenge that needed to be addressed by parliament, the judiciary and the executive.
He said the proportion of pre-trial detainees was 24.8% in Greece, 21.5% in Serbia, 14.3% in North Macedonia, 12.4% in Romania and 7% in Bulgaria.
Rama also highlighted the length of pre-trial detention, saying the average stay in Albania’s general jurisdiction was 253 days, compared with about 155 days in EU countries.
At the Special Court, he said, the average period rose to 616 days, or more than 20 months, compared with an average of about five months in Europe.
“These are shocking figures that speak for themselves,” Rama said, adding that prolonged pre-trial detention had consequences for individuals, families and society.
He said the proposed changes should strengthen safeguards for human rights while improving the conditions and resources available to the judiciary.
Rama also urged critics of Albania’s justice reform to consider the country’s pre-trial detention figures when assessing its impact.
/m.q/j.p/u.sh/
