Debate over the alleged violence against protesters has moved to the studio of “Të Paekspozuarit”, where Deputy Minister of the Interior Silva Caka has given her position on the actions of the State Police during the protest. In a link with the studio, Caka stated that the situation has gone through several phases, acknowledging that initially the police were calm, and then reacted in line with the escalation of the situation by some of the protesters. She also admitted that in some cases there may have been an overstepping of duty by officers. “As long as we have suspended police officers, duty has been exceeded, where police officers have possibly carried out actions that will be subject to investigation,” the deputy minister said, stressing that the cases are being investigated by the Police Oversight Agency (AMP). During the debate, journalist Klodiana Lala reminded Caka of her previous positions toward the State Police, when she was a representative of LSI, asking her to distance herself from the violence used against protesters.
Excerpts from the conversation:
Rakipi: It is claimed that there was brutal violence against protesters. What is your position?
Caka: In fact, I think all three scenarios existed: first, a police force that was calm and mismanaged the situation; then, after escalation by the protesters, not the peaceful ones, the police also escalated. Then there is also the case where, as long as we have suspended police officers, duty has been exceeded, where police officers have possibly carried out actions that will be subject to investigation. It has nothing to do with suppressing the protest with violence, but it was a reaction to elements who wanted to shift the peaceful protest into a protest that burns. I don’t know what message they wanted to convey through these actions.
Lala: The deputy minister is the same person who considered the police criminalized, while now she is in a different position.
Rakipi: She didn’t say that.
Lala: We have plenty of cases. The only thing the deputy minister needs to do is apologize and distance herself from the State Police. At a minimum, as a woman and as a deputy minister, she should distance herself.
Caka: Klodi, I think that is unnecessary, because we are not here to talk about me or you.
Lala: I wasn’t talking about you, I was talking about Silva Caka as a former member of LSI and today as deputy minister of the Interior.
Caka: Of course I have not changed from what I have said. If you recall, I have never generalized all police officers, but at every protest I have defended them.
Lala: Do you distance yourself or not from the violence?
Caka: As a mother, as a woman and as a citizen of this country, a civic apology to every person who, due to anarchy, may have suffered damage at their expense. Of course not only I, but every employee of the State Police may feel an apology to every citizen who has been confronted with or affected by the activity of the State Police. What is most important to me is that the police have known how to self-correct. Cases where there was overstepping have been suspended and are under investigation by AMP.
Lala: Does the Ministry of the Interior have a position on the hooded men who came out of the Ministry and joined the protesters? What about the officials who were wearing masks and stayed inside the PS, creating strong clashes with the protesters?
Caka: I have seen that video and, as far as I could see of the whole area, it does not look like a Ministry of the Interior area to me. I have no information that they came out of the Ministry of the Interior.
Lala: We have video footage. Is a headquarters being protected by paramilitaries?
Caka: In the video footage I have seen, they did not come out of the Ministry of the Interior.
Lala: Is the PS being protected by paramilitaries?
Rakipi: Rama and Balla said they are militants of the PS. They said they were PS people and that they are protecting the party.
Caka: I am not a member of the PS and I do not give opinions on how political parties organize themselves.
Rakipi: In the coming days, if the protest is in a state of revolt, has the police received training to operate normally?
Caka: In fact, the police have in their procedures the way they handle a protest. These are procedures that are applied based on situations that may arise from moment to moment. The elements to protect public order and security deploy operational units based on their command, if there is escalation.