After a week of protests against the killing of the 25-year-old man Klodian Rasha by the police, the Council of Europe asked the Albanian government to prevent further police violence against the protesters. The statement was made by the Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović, who said that the Albanian authorities “must show restraint in policing demonstrations and ensure thorough, independent and effective investigations into all allegations of excessive use of force.” Mijatović expressed concern on the escalation of clashes between the protesters and the police, acknowledging that disproportionate use of force has been reported also in other demonstrations which took place in Albania earlier in 2020.
“The response to the COVID-19 pandemic does not give authorities carte blanche to use force when policing assemblies,” said Mijatović, referring to the use of water cannons, pepper spray and other means which have injured protesters, and produce large scale detentions, including of children. “The authorities must uphold the principles of necessity and proportionality in all circumstances. Therefore, blanket bans on public assemblies and the dispersing of demonstrations for the sole reason that they violate lockdown rules, without considering less restrictive measures, should be avoided,” added Mijatović.
Talking about the children detention, she considered it only “a measure of last resort”, which should be applied in respect of all their rights. The Commissioner suggested that the specialized training in negotiation management of assemblies and the proportionate use of force should be given to police officers. Nevertheless, the institutions should demonstrate zero tolerance for police officers who do not follow the rules and are involved in excessive use of force. At the other hand, the persons claiming to be victims of police misconduct should be able to file a complaint to obtain redress. The Commissioner called also on the authorities to speed up the release of any remaining peaceful protesters who may still be in detention. A final point of concern was related to the detention and alleged assaults on journalists covering the demonstrations. “Attacks on journalists constitute a serious violation of press freedom and the right to be informed. The authorities must ensure that journalists can continue to inform citizens without fear of threats or acts of violence,” concluded Mijatović.
