Gerdec families take case to International Court of Human Rights

TIRANA, Nov 16 – The families of the Gerdec blast dead will take their case against the state at the International Court of Human Rights.
A blast in Gerdec March 15, 2008 at the ammunition disposal factory killed 26, injured about 300 and damaged or destroyed thousands of houses and other buildings.
Twenty-eight officials of the defense ministry and army, including owner and manager of the private company, are on trial accused of mass murder and abuse of post.
They do not include Fatmir Mediu, then defense minister and now environment minister. He was stripped of his immunity last year and also accused of abuse of post but the Supreme Court decided they could not keep him accused in trial after he was re-elected in parliament in the June 28 election and then also included at the governing cabinet.
Zamira Durda, mother of a dead six-year old child, sent a letter to the International Court asking for an application so that they may start the indictment against their country’s government. They complain of a lack of the proper treatment of their case in Albania.
Earlier they had also repeated their request to Prosecutor General Ina Rama to resume charges and prosecution against Mediu.
Prosecutor General’s office had told them their indictment was registered and investigation had already started.
In another move they sent a letter of appeal to the country’s top officials following the death of the father of one of the dead persons at the blast.
Kujtim Osmani, 43, father of a dead woman in the blast, allegedly committed suicide following depression of his daughter’s death.
Police said later he was an abuser of alcohol and he had a natural death.
Three main accused at the Gerdec trial asked for a shortened trial which will secure them suffer not the highest punishment of life imprisonment.
Mihal Delijorgji and Dritan Minxolli, owner and top manager of the ammunition disposal private company respectively, and Ylli Pinari, top defense ministry official, accepted the testimony registered from the court and asked for a sped up process.
The court is expected to decide whether to accept their request.