Gerdec victim-related families protest delayed trial

TIRANA, Feb. 28 – The families of the dead victims from the 2008 blast in Gerdec held a protest in front of the Tirana district court to protest against the delay of the trial against the suspects.
Twenty-six people died, some 300 were injured and thousands of homes and other buildings damaged or destroyed following the blast at the ammunition disposal private factory in Gerdec in March 15, 2008, not far from capital Tirana.
Twenty-eight persons from the Defense Ministry, the army and the private company owing the plant are accused of abuse of post and murder.
But four of them who were still under arrest were released last month after the timing of their detention expired due to the delays of the trial.
They want that the judgment continues daily and not two times a week as of now.
At the same time they have asked the Constitutional Court to reconsider their request for compensation from the government and also for the re-judgment of the then-defense minister, now Environment Minister Fatmir Mediu, who was released from the judgment after he regained the immunity following the 2009 parliamentary elections.
Only last week the parliament passed a law signed only from the governing Democratic Party that all lawmakers sign a document lifting their immunity on their own.
The opposition opposed that saying that was only a show and if they wanted a total clearance of their immunity the parliament should make constitutional amendments, also including other personalities enjoying immunity like the judges.