PD deputy Jorida Tabaku has leveled accusations against Edi Rama’s government over the way protesters and journalists were treated during recent protests in the country. She has demanded that the Minister of the Interior appear before Parliament to report on police actions and claims of human rights violations. Tabaku said that around 1,000 people were detained or arrested during the protests, including 250 minors. According to her, 47 journalists were assaulted, threatened or intimidated in 43 cases that she attributes to the police.
“Parliament cannot behave as if nothing has happened. We do not exist in parliament only to pass routine laws”, Tabaku said, criticizing the lack of institutional accountability. The Democratic deputy said she had visited police stations, detention facilities and hospitals to see firsthand the situation of the detained persons. She claimed she had found cases of violence and that some parents had not known for days where their children were.
Tabaku also opposed the new package of measures on assemblies, describing it as an attempt to restrict citizens’ right to protest. She warned that the changes would be challenged in the Constitutional Court if they are approved by Parliament.
“As soon as they come to parliament, they will go to the Constitutional Court”, she declared. Commenting on the political situation in the country, Tabaku accused Prime Minister Edi Rama of obstructing Albania’s development and criticized the concentration of power, the situation of the media and the fight against corruption. “We are heading toward an autocracy. There is a concentration of power, the media is under attack, assembly is not allowed and human rights are being violated”, the deputy said. She stressed that the protests express citizens’ dissatisfaction with the political system and that the opposition should reflect on the alternative it offers Albanians.