TIRANA – Prime Minister Edi Rama said on Saturday that Albania cannot be the only country that has nothing in the Criminal Code to protect the people from the threat of life in case of epidemics as he invited civic associations and interested groups to become part of the debate.
“Associations do not want anything in the Criminal Code for protection against the epidemic?! Do they want people to leave the house?! Do they want the economic recovery?! Have they thought of the risk of infection when we exit? Well, we have no choice for exit without losing everything!”
Rama emphasized that Albania cannot be the only country that has nothing in the Criminal Code to protect citizens’ lives. “So if they have concrete proposals for improvements they are welcome without wasting time, because we cannot be the only place on the planet that has nothing in the Criminal Code to protect the people from the threat of life in the conditions of the epidemic! Improvements yes, there is no question of withdrawal at all,” Rama said.
In a joint statement, 31 associations praised on Saturday the government’s restrictive measures to prevent coronavirus, which “have contributed to a lower number of infected citizens in Albania.”
However, the associations said that the proposals for changes in the Criminal Code with regard to disobedience towards restrictive measures, which are under discussion in Parliament, are considered as “disproportionate, do not respect the principle of humanism and violate the freedoms and rights of citizens.”/argumentum.al
