In light of arrest of accused pedophile and suspected murderer, Albanians debate their state’s ability to deal with the worst type of criminals, demanding change, tougher punishments and more protections for children.
TIRANA, March 21, 2013 – The arrest of a confessed pedophile who told police he also murdered an 11-year-old boy to hide his crimes shocked the Albanian public this week, sparking debate whether the state and society are doing enough to protect those most vulnerable.
Ardian Prrenjasi, 45, was arrested after he kidnapped a young boy, who was freed by police last week. But he also told police he had killed another boy missing since November.
The case of missing boy, who lived close to the accused pedophile, had long grabbed headlines in Albanian media because his father is a high-ranking intelligence official, and it was suspected his disappearance was connected to the father’s work.
Police have been trying to locate the child’s body since Prrenjasi confessed to murdering him. He had told police he had taken the body to a garbage landfill in the outskirts of Tirana.
Prosecutors are also investigating him for other possible crimes he may have committed. Prrenjasi, a divorced father of two, had moved to the capital Tirana recently. His relatives in the Librazhd area of eastern Albania say they had kicked him out of the house due to his tendencies.
There had been previous accusations in the past, and Prrenjasi had been convicted both in Greece and Albania, and had a lengthy file with Albanian police נyet he showed up in no lists and police did not question him until he was caught with a kidnapped child.
He did prison time in Greece, however.
Public outcry over weak state, judiciary
His previous convictions and the fact that no one in his current job as a driver for the City of Tirana or neighborhood knew of them נboth kidnapped children lived close to him נhas led to a large public outcry on the weakness of the state in Albania and the authorities’ failure to protect the children.
Prrenjasi has been accused of kidnapping a child five years ago, but he escaped with just a fine, which particularly angered the public.
Two rallies took place in Tirana, where dozens of citizens and civil society activists protested in front of the offices of the country’s president and the High Council of Justice to ask that justice be done for this and similar crimes. Activists lit candles and left banners behind in the front of the building of the council that governs Albania’s judiciary. They read, “We want justice;” “Protect the children;” and “We want tougher punishments.”
The Albanian Helsinki Committee expressed concern about the increase of crimes against minors and said “the situation requires more attention by the state but also families and the society at large.”
Death penalty debate reopened
The heinous nature of the crime and the age of the victim has reopened the debate whether Albania should restore the death penalty for extreme cases such as this one.
Prime Minister Sali Berisha said it won’t happen, because Albania is a Council of Europe member, and membership on the human rights body is conditional on abolishing the death penalty. He also said statistics from the United States, where the death penalty is still applied in parts of the country, show that it does not deter such crimes from happening.
“The anger is understandable, but objectivity should lead us,” Berisha said. “Albania can not undertake steps that put it out of the Council of Europe.” He added fighting crime is also part of the country’s EU integration process.
Berisha also came out in defense of state institutions which are taking a beating in the public opinion, saying the government is the process of approving a package to establish harsher punishments on violent crime, including murder and domestic violence. He said crime statistics showed the authorities ability to fight crime had improved and accusing them on not doing their jobs is “to be blind.” However he admitted “there is room for improvement.
The opposition Socialists say the latest crimes show the situation in Albania has deteriorated and that law and order authorities were working under a broken system that can’t guarantee the lives of common citizens.
“This crime, which we pray is never repeated, is not simply the work of a sick mind. This crime is a responsibility of all the state, the justice system and law enforcement, which did nothing to prevent this,” said Eglantina Gjermeni, a Socialist member of parliament.
Society changes make it weaker
Psychologists interviewed by local and international media point out that huge demographic changes in places like Tirana have made it impossible for the more cohesive society of the past to exist נthe city is large and transient enough for people to hide their identity, be among strangers and not know their neighbors.
This sort of fragmentation makes it hard for a typical society safety net to exist, meaning the police and the courts must take a more proactive role, they add.
Critics say the police needs to do more to keep track of criminals, particularly those of a sexual and predatory nature.
According to a UNICEF study, sexual violence been reported by 13.6 percent of Albanian students. The figures are high, however they are in line with global studies. Sexual violence against children is very present, along with other types of violence against children.
Experts argue that in addition to tougher punishments, Albanian society needs to learn how to recognize and report potential predators.
