Author Archive: admin

Present situation
In May, we recorded a certain number of homicides motivated by futile reasons or allegedly related to property conflicts. Besides, the death of a Roma boy, while he was in pre-trial detention in a police station in Korça, has revealed the level of discrimination towards ethnic minorities and the low level of public trust towards state justice in the country. Indeed, while the police has stated that the boy died of natural causes, the family of the deceased has accused the police force of his death and cited his ethnicity as the main motivation. Moreover, the family has publicly stated that, if there will not be justice from the state, they will resort to forms of private justice.

Sharing with others, activities and news about the peaceworkers
At the beginning of the month, we went to Tropoja to stay close to the blood feud families in the region. In a particular case, we are promoting the access to state justice, to help them understand why the killer of their close relative came out of prison after serving only a few years sentence. Thanks to the collaboration with our legal advisor, we have learned that the family has to apply directly to the Office of the Regional Public Prosecutor. We believe that it is crucial to support the decision of the family to prosecute along this route, as this takes away the risk of resorting to vengeance. Moreover, this choice reinforces the will declared by the family itself to forgive the one who committed the murder.
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Present situation

Unfortunately, the month of April opens with a homicide committed in the suburbs of Tirana. The crime is the result of a bar fight sparked by trivial reasons between two friends.

Halfway through the month, a 28-year-old man has been killed in downtown Tirana in the middle of the day as a revenge for the murder committed by his father in 2000. The case has particularly shaken the Albanian public opinion. Operazione Colomba believes that this case is of particular gravity because the victim was denied the right to asylum by Sweden in 2014 due to Albania numerous statements about its own efforts to safeguard and protect people who risk their lives because of blood feuds. Consequently, the peaceworkers have issued a press release to urge the institutions to effectively protect the victims of this phenomenon.

At the end of the month, during a robbery, two boys have killed a man and severely injured his wife. (more…)