TIRANA, April 20 – Shkodra’s Court of Appeals released seven out of the 11 Kukes citizens remaining in jail awaiting trial for their alleged participation in the a protest that led to the destruction of new toll booths in the A1 highway linking Kosovo to Albania.
The prosecution presented new film footage as evidence and asked they remain in prison, while the demonstrators’ lawyers appealed the decision, presenting the court with film footage from the night of the arrests, showing how police had “terrorized the families through brutal arrests.”
Opposition Democratic Party lawmakers also traveled to Shkodra to attend the court session, while a number of police forces engaged to ensure no public order disruptions would occur.
There was a protest outside the court in Shkodra, where a number of citizens were asking for the prisoners’ release.
The citizens were carrying slogans saying: “Release the Kukes citizens, Arrest Tahiri,” referring to former Minister of Interior Saimir Tahiri who has been under investigation since last October for alleged criminal ties and who returned to parliament on Thursday as an independent lawmaker.
The citizens also lit up smoke bombs next to the court, but no violence was reported by the local media.
Head of DP Lulzim Basha told the media the release of the seven prisoners is the achievement of the opposition and of the people’s resistance, but also called it partial justice.
“This partial justice is actually injustice, because four Kukes citizens are being held captive, while the international drug trafficker Saimir Tahiri is in parliament. This stands in the core of Edi Rama’s governance: prison for the people protesting against theft, freedom for the criminals funding Rama with drug money and sold out votes,” Basha said.
In this context, he called for the citizens civil disobedience to continue.
