TIRANA, April 27 – President Bujar Nishani met with President of the European Council Donald Tusk during an official visit to Brussels, in which they discussed regarding Albania’s European integration efforts and the refugee crisis in Europe among other important international issues. Tusk highlighted that dialogue between the main political forces in the country and the adoption of the justice reform are essential for Albania to establish a closer relationship with the bloc. “At this crucial moment, when Albania is undertaking an ambitious and comprehensive reform of its judiciary, I emphasized – as I did last November to Prime Minister Rama, that crossparty cooperation and dialogue are indispensable to advance in the country’s European ambitions,” Tusk said during a joint press conference.
The President of the European Council also urged Albania to step up efforts in the fight against organized crime and corruption. President Nishani also pointed out the importance of the justice reform, while he also evaluated the support given by the European Union to Albania. “I informed President Tusk regarding the progress of the reforms and my personal and institutional attention, towards the justice reform in particular and the respecting of human rights and the right to property. I expressed my conviction that with the adoption of the justice reform, the EU will support membership negotiations with Albania,” Nishani said.
Tusk also assured Nishani that the EU is ready to support Albania in case an alternative route for migrants stuck in Greece develops and that the EU will closely monitor the situation. Supreme Court closes controversial case of protest murders TIRANA, April 25 – The Supreme Court has turned down an appeal filed by the prosecution regarding the verdict given by a lower instance court in connection with the killings of four people during an anti-government protest on January 21, 2011. During the protest organized by the Socialist Party, then in opposition, Republican Guard troops opened fire leaving four people dead and wounding several others. The Appeal’s Court had sentenced to one year in prison for manslaughter the former head of the Republican Guard Ndrea Prendi and three years for a former-member of the guard Agim Llupo.
The prosecution office had asked for 23 years in prison for Prendi and 25 years for Llupo instead. The two men have since been released as the time spent in detention exceeded their sentences. Unhappy with the verdict, the prosecution filed an appeal with the Supreme Court in October 2013, a request which was turned down by the latter this week. The legal reasoning behind the decision hasn’t been made public yet, but it officially closes a legal process for one of the most serious events that have occurred in the last decade in Albania, leaving much controversy behind. Family members of the victims said they were shocked by the decision and that they would file a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg once the court provides legal arguments on its decision. The four victims were shot dead as security forces opened fire in an attempt to push back angry demonstrators, which was described by then Prime Minister as an opposition attempt to stage a coup.
Prendi and Llupo were the only former security officers found guilty for shooting at protesters during the rally. President Nishani also met with the President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz during his trip in the European capital. The talks focused on Albania’s integration process and the meeting of the five criteria required from the country to start accession negotiations. Schulz also placed emphasis on the justice reform as well as the normal functioning of parliament during a joint press conference. “An independent justice system and a parliament which performs its duties were some of the issues we discussed today, but remain key elements also in the fight against terrorism,” Schulz said.
Meanwhile, the Albanian President highlighted the positive role played by the European Parliament in the support and guaranteeing of democratic institutions in Albania and the special attention it is paying to Albania and the Western Balkans. The migrant crisis was also part of the discussions, in which Nishani expressed Albania’s readiness to be part of coordinated efforts on a European level to deal with the situation created at Europe’s external borders.
