Socialist Party remembers the four protesters killed in violent protest in Tirana on Jan. 21, 2011. International community urges judiciary to fully investigate the deaths
TIRANA, Jan. 21 – Some 3,000 supporters of Albania’s main opposition Socialist Party on Monday held a peaceful march to honor four people killed two years ago in an anti-government demonstration.
As sombre music played, Socialist leader Edi Rama and lawmakers led the silent protest to the area outside Prime Minister Sali Berisha’s office in central Tirana where the four men were shot dead.
Three officers of the Guard of the Republic, which protects senior officials and government buildings, are on trial over the fatal shootings.
Berisha denies claims by the Socialists that he and his former interior minister ordered the demonstrators’ deaths. The premier has accused Rama of staging the 2011 protest to seize power.
In recent statements the international community has called on the Albanian judiciary to accelerate the trial process, which started eight months ago.
The protest saw a moment of friction when state and municipal police did not let media vans to enter a street near a cinema hall where the opposition held a meeting and broadcast a documentary on the dead.
EU Commissioner on human rights Nils Muiznieks urged quicker progress to establish the truth on 2011 events.
“I remain very concerned at the fact that a number of the persons responsible for these violent acts and human rights violations have not yet been held to account. I urge the Albanian government to proceed to the completion of a thorough, impartial and credible investigation and fair judicial proceedings, thus giving a clear signal that impunity for serious human rights violations is not acceptable,” he said.
Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania, Ambassador Eugen Wollfarth, reiterated his call for justice in the deaths of protesters at a demonstration in Tirana two years ago.
“On the eve of the second anniversary of the events of 21 January 2011, I again express our sincere compassion to the family members of the victims and to those injured. They deserve justice, based on an independent investigation free from political influence and a timely, credible judicial procedure,” he said. “Accountability and the rule of law are essential elements of democracy and as such are prerequisites for further progress on Albania’s European aspirations,” Wollfarth added.
EU Ambassador in Tirana Ettore Sequi said expressed “the most heartfelt and compassionate sympathy for their loss. But this anniversary also pushes us to face the fact that the investigation and the judicial process addressing these events have not yet been completed. In respect for those who lost their lives, and in respect for the principle of rule of law, these processes must be concluded in a timely and independent manner. Justice must be served. All Albania’s political leaders owe it to those whom they represent to work together to build stronger rule of law. Only by demonstrating that it has the strength to fully and properly enforce the rule of law can Albania advance toward its national goal of EU integration.”
The U.S. Embassy also made a statement saying that, “On the second anniversary of the tragic events of January 21, 2011, the United States Embassy again expresses its condolences to the family members of those who were killed and injured. They were all victims of senseless and inexcusable violence. Now more than ever, the need exists for a full accounting of the January 21 events through a credible judicial process free from political interference. On this day for peaceful remembrance, we call upon all political leaders and government institutions to work assiduously to inspire the Albanian people to believe in their democracy by strengthening the rule of law.”
