Gerdec victims’ families take case to Strasbourg human rights court

TIRANA, May 28 – Families of the victims from the Gerdec explosion five years ago, which killed 26 persons and injured 300 others, have submitted an application for a trial to held at the European Human Rights Court in Strasbourg. They said that the Albanian judiciary had failed to give them justice.
In the complaint letter, the family members also said that the inclusion of former Defense Minister Fatmir Mediu, who now serves as environment minister, in the amnesty that excluded him from prosecution was unfair and openly violated the human rights guaranteed to Albanian citizens by the European Convention for the Human Rights Protection and the Fundamental Freedom.
The victims’ families also complained about the procedures followed by the courts in Albania.
Those found guilty in relation to the Gerdec tragedy were given light sentences, according to the complaint. They included several officials of the defense ministry and a private company.