During a visit to the municipalities of Presheva and Bujanoc, the Albanian head of state met local officials, including Presheva Mayor Ardita Sinani, Bujanoc Mayor Arbër Pajaziti, Albanian National Council President Enkel Rexhepi, and Albanian lawmaker in Serbia’s parliament Shaip Kamberi.

The talks focused on the concerns of the Albanian community, political unity and projects aimed at supporting young people.

Addressing the opening of the 2026 Albanian Book Fair in Presheva, Begaj reaffirmed Albania’s support for the rights of Albanians in the region, including fair institutional representation, the use of the Albanian language and national symbols, and concerns over the administrative deactivation of residential addresses.

“The rights and freedoms of Albanians in the Presheva Valley, and wherever they live, must be respected. They should be able to live here without discrimination, use the Albanian language freely, and preserve and promote their culture, identity and traditions,” he said.

Begaj said the protection of Albanian language and culture was not only a national issue but also part of Europe’s commitment to human rights and cultural diversity. He also encouraged young people to use Albanian not only at home but as a language of education, professional development and success.

The President pledged to continue advocating for the rights of Albanians in the Presheva Valley in international institutions and to support initiatives promoting Albanian-language culture and education.

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According to the OSCE, our country has made important progress in establishing legal and policy frameworks for elderly rights. Yet, continued, co-ordinated efforts are essential to bridge the gap between policy and practice.

The assessment – carried out from September 2024 to November 2025 – looked at how elderly people access social services and how digital tools affect their rights. It was based on field visits, consultations, direct observations and discussions with local authorities and civil society in all 12 regions of Albania. The report highlights key trends, challenges and recommendations to strengthen policy implementation, service delivery, digital inclusion and institutional co-ordination.

“With nearly 20 per cent of the population aged 65 and above and with older women comprising the majority, it is essential to ensure that public policies and services respond effectively to the rights and needs of this growing demographic category”, said Ambassador Michel Tarran, Head of the OSCE Presence, at the opening of the event.

Albania has made important progress in establishing legal and policy frameworks for elderly rights.

“Yet, co-ordinated efforts are essential to bridge the gap between policy and practice,” he added.

The event brought together key stakeholders from the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, national human rights institutions, the Free Legal Aid and civil society to discuss the findings and explore ways to better protect the rights of elderly people in Albania.

The presentation is a starting point for dialogue, continued monitoring and joint action to support the well-being of elderly people across the country. /a.gj/a.f/r.e/p.s./

During a meeting of the DP Parliamentary group, Berisha stated that the government is suppressing the opposition with all its potential, in order to transform it into a worthless instrument.

“The government is aiming to de facto politically annihilate the opposition as a Parliamentary political force.

We are witnesses that out of 10 Parliamentary sessions the government in 9 of them denied the opposition any debate on any issue that was presented to Parliament, starting from the governance program, the approval of the Cabinet, ending with the approval of the budget and everything else”, he emphasized.

Berisha added that there have been passed laws, draft decisions, normative acts and in none of the sessions has the opposition been allowed to debate and defend the interests of its voters. /a.f/r.e/p.s./

The meeting focused on the constructive cooperation between the two institutions and on the need to further expand economic, education and cultural exchanges.

Foreign Minister Hasani reaffirmed Albania’s commitment to advancing human rights and national identity of the Albanian population in Presheva Valley.

“Albanian government always attaches special focus on the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms, the cultivation and advancement of the national and cultural identity of Albanians in the Presheva Valley,” Minister Hasani emphasized in a post on social media.

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Berisha said that, “The real, the current Albania is included in the classification of totalitarian regimes. This classification is made by a historian and philosopher, conservative sociologist among the most prominent of all times, Huntington. This is a gang dictatorship, the worst form of dictatorships”.

Berisha emphasized that, “Present-day Albania is a country where all powers are concentrated in the hands of one man and there is no question about it. Today, the courts and the special prosecution are as political as in the darkest time of Enver Hoxha. But, as a matter of fact, in Hoxha’s time they were implementing a law that read that if you were speaking against the party, you will be sentenced to so many years in prison; if you were preaching religious faith, you will be sentenced to so many years”.

The chairman of the DP emphasized that the “Violated Rights” forum is gathering for the problem of rights and values ​​in a society. “Freedom of speech, we are talking about it here. Some others are also speaking, but most of those who speak against the godfather, leave their mandate and go to prison like Ervin Salianji did or are barbarically dragged in the middle of the street, despite having been president of the republic, prime minister, speaker of parliament and despite above all that dragging in the street can never happen in a country where there is law and the Constitution and that no person can be arrested while being under investigation. It is a dictatorship because it uses all the ugly mechanisms of fear. Dictatorship is a kingdom of fear”, said Berisha. According to Berisha, the institutions in Tirana do not function, while in the districts they are formal. “Real artists are fought. The undermining of the theater was the ugliest symbol of this. But, just as ugly is Edi Rama’s speech in government in defense of Nero who blew up the theater. He did very well to remove him, he says, with unimaginable hatred. “It is very true that political persecution is a process that must be re-dimensioned in the national consciousness,” Berisha said. /j.p/p.s./

The opening ceremony will be held on September 16, at the Marubi Film & Multimedia Academy in the former Film Studios, one of the locations where part of the films will be shown. The rest will be played in the COD cinema, in the premier’s office and in the “Maks Velo” cinema in Lapraka.

Every day, from September 16-21, 2024, the films will be screened in the presence of directors, human rights activists, filmmakers, etc., followed by a question-and-answer session between them and the public.

The motto of the 19th edition of this festival is, “Go green for now and for the future”.

The selected films deal with sensitive topics for the times we live in. The activities of this festival will be free for the audience, while the films will be shown with subtitles in two languages, Albanian and English. /p.s./

Hasani stated in his speech that the UNESCO is an important factor in multilateral cooperation.

“UNESCO and its multilateralism is one of the most effective instruments in building peace”, he said while adding that, “Albania has submitted its candidacy to the Executive Board in the November 15 elections”.

“If elected, we are determined to play an active role in ensuring good governance. We aim to strengthen comprehensive cooperation and the spirit of consensus within UNESCO”, said Hasani.

He emphasized that it is necessary to give priority to gender equality in a systematic way. Hasani also said that Albania condemns the representation of women and girls in Afghanistan for education, and congratulates the important work of UNESCO in Iraq, Yemen and Libya.

“Albania will continue to be a vocal advocate for freedom of expression and media safety. Albania remains committed to the promotion and protection of human rights around the world”, said Hasani.

Hasani suggested that, “Urgent action for climate and oceans must be a priority in our common agenda”.

He added that, “Institutional capacities must be strengthened to exploit the benefits of artificial intelligence”.

Regarding the global crisis in education, Hasani said that there should be invested in a more equal and efficient way.

Hasani also said that, “Albania fully supports UNESCO’s urgent assistance to Ukraine”/p.s./

Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Igli Hasani wrote in the social media announcing the news.

“This is another big achievement of the Albanian foreign policy & diplomacy; this is another demonstration of confidence by UN Member States for Albania’s role in international affairs. This time fully dedicated to defending and promoting Human Rights everywhere and for all”, Minister Hasani wrote in the social media.

Albania’s main objective, as a member of the Human Rights Council, will be to work within the Council and the United Nations system to guarantee universal respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all individuals without discrimination of anyone.

Our country will cooperate closely with other UN member states, representatives of civil society and all partners for implementation of these commitments.

The Council, which is charged with the responsibility to protect and advance human rights at the global level, consists of 47 member states elected by secret ballot by a majority of the members of the General Assembly./p.s./

The fourth indicator of the fundamental rights index shows how much the state respects rights according to national laws and international conventions, where Albania has improved by 3 places, as we are ranked 63rd from the 66th place we were in 2021.

One of the sub-factors of this indicator where Albania shows improvement is “Effective Guarantee of Freedom of Opinion and Expression”.

In regard to the freedom of expression, Albania receives in this year’s index 0.51 points, a satisfactory result since the regional average of points for this sub-factor is 0.46 points, while the global average is 0.56 points. Albania therefore stands between the regional and the global average. /j.p/p.s./

Thus, at “Shallvare” street in Tirana, there is a pet shop.

There one can notice the miserable condition of the puppies. In an extremely small space of the shop, four puppies look weak, while their water and food bowls are empty and even upside down. The hygiene-sanitary conditions of the shop leave much to be desired.

We talked to the owner of the shop on the phone and she told us that, “There are 6 puppies aged 2-3 months imported from Serbia in the shop”.

“Dogs are vaccinated and have the appropriate certificates,” she said, adding that she provides them with water and food all the time given that they are small and would be rather harsh to give them food on fixed time.

But, in fact, the photos show a different reality. The owner of the shop has locked them inside, leaving the puppies in danger of survival.

The passers-by have also noticed the fact. They have made public the fact on social media; they have also shared photos showing the dogs’ life there, images that are becoming more and more present for the public.

We also addressed the case in question to the Tirana Veterinary Service Agency.

Kati Margariti, head of the animal health sector, told ATA, that, “As soon as such cases are officially reported in writing or on the e-Albania portal, we address the issue to the National Veterinary Authority, which immediately intervenes with its inspectors to control the situation ”.

“Veterinary inspectors check the health of animals, vaccine documents, premises (cages) where dogs stay and hygiene-sanitary conditions,” said Margariti, as she announced that for every violation the Veterinary Service Agency stipulates administrative measures under applicable law.

The Veterinary Service explained that the operation of these businesses is regulated by law that defines the criteria and standards that these businesses must meet for pets regarding their welfare and protection.

The control and monitoring for the welfare of pets, is a new jurisdiction addressed earlier this year. In this context, the Veterinary Service is in the phase of tightening measures and sanctions for the protection of health and welfare of pets.

Businesses operating in this sector are automatically licensed to conduct this venture after meeting some of the basic principles of protection and welfare of the animals, but veterinary inspectors are always ready to act in every case of having a report on pet violations or their bad treatment./p.s./