Albania continues to be considered a partly free country, according to the 2021 Freedom in the World report published by Freedom House, which reflects on the global freedom performance during 2020. On the Global Freedom Score table, Albania in 2020 received 66 points from a total of 100, dropping by one point from 2019, after facing a decline in the category related to the rights of public gathering and organization. “We saw a decline in freedom of assembly, due to violence between protesters and security forces in May, during the demolition of the National Theater building,” said the co-author of the report Amy Slipowitz to Voice of America. The demolition of the theatre and the violence against the protesters were condemned by key exponents of the European Union and many international institutions.
Another cause for concern “was when in December police killed a citizen who had violated the curfew order. These contributed to the decline in the category of freedom of assembly,” said Slipowitz. The killing of Rasha sparked anger among the public, and lead to protests all over the country. The use of excessive violence by the police was condemned by the media and many international institutions. Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, declared on that occasion 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 […] The response to the COVID-19 pandemic does not give authorities carte blanche to use force when policing assemblies.”
From a total of 40 points in the Political Rights category, Albania managed to get only 27, while in the Civil Liberties category, Albania received 39 points from a total of 60. In the region, Kosovo also saw a decline in the report, from 56 points in 2019, to 54 points in 2020, due to the electoral process and political pluralism, according to VOA. Meanwhile, Montenegro and North Macedonia have both seen a rise in the ranking, with North Macedonia gaining 3 points.
In a global level, “as a lethal pandemic, economic and physical insecurity, and violent conflict ravaged the world in 2020, democracy’s defenders sustained heavy new losses in their struggle against authoritarian foes, shifting the international balance in favor of tyranny.” The report continues by saying that “Incumbent leaders increasingly used force to crush opponents and settle scores, sometimes in the name of public health, while beleaguered activists—lacking effective international support—faced heavy jail sentences, torture, or murder in many settings.”
