TIRANA, March 26 – All court hearings will be suspended until April 7 due to the COVID-19 crisis, as announced by the High Council of Justice on Thursday.
“The suspension of all judicial activity and services in all courts in the Republic of Albania will continue until April 7, 2020 except for hearings that deal with essential cases,” the HCJ stated.
The HCJ also announced that no one will be denied access to justice because of a deadline that coincides with the period of suspension of activity, adding that all these measures have been taken to ensure the safety of the public, judges and all other court employees.
After declaring the state of natural disaster emergency, on Wednesday the government decided that hearings on administrative, civil and criminal cases scheduled before all courts would be postponed until the end of the COVID-19 situation. Only certain cases such as criminal trials or other essential issues made the exception, but these will have to take place online rather than in person.
