Significant human rights abuses facing Albania include a lack of judicial independence, restrictions on media freedom, and pervasive corruption in all branches of governance even to the municipal level, according to
The latest human rights report released by the US State Department on Wednesday said that corruption was a big issue in Albania. The report found the government did not implement anti-corruption laws against political figures properly and that “corruption was pervasive in all branches of government, and officials frequently engaged in corrupt practices with impunity.”
Several government agencies investigated corruption cases, but limited resources, investigative leaks, real and perceived political pressure, and a haphazard reassignment system hampered investigations.
Published each year, the report takes a look at human rights practices in various countries across the world. This year’s report provides several scathing criticisms and observations of human rights violations in Albania.
The harshest criticism was reserved for the right to a fair and public trial. The report stated that, “political pressure, intimidation, corruption, and limited resources prevented the judiciary from functioning fully, independently, and efficiently.”
It noted that the vetting process continued but that 42% had failed or been dismissed, 36% passed and 22% resigned or retired.
“The Office of the Ombudsman expressed concern about the country’s low rate of compliance with judicial decisions and its failure to execute the final rulings of courts and the ECHR. The ombudsman cited the state attorney’s reporting that millions of euros in compensation had yet to be paid by the government to successful complainants,” the report said.
On the topic of privacy, the government was criticised for failing to respect people’s rights.
“The constitution and laws prohibit arbitrary or unlawful interference with privacy, family, home, or correspondence, but there were reports that the government failed to respect those prohibitions,” referring to the leak of over 900,000 people’s personal data including their likely voter preferences. The report fails to mention that the data appears to be for the use of the ruling Socialist Party during the April 25 general elections, and a huge number of those so-called patronagists spied on citizens trying to make them vote for the SP.
As for media freedom, there were efforts to exert direct and indirect political and economic pressure on media, including by threats and violence against journalists who tried to investigate crime and corruption.
Other issues include self-censorship, delays in paying salaries, ethical issues, external pressure on journalists, fake news, smear campaigns, and attempts by the government to bring the media under state control. It also noted at least 11 cases of violence against journalists throughout the year.
The use of legal measures to intimidate journalists was also mentioned. At least 20 lawsuits had been filed against journalists for defamation, over the first nine months of the year. /Argumentum.al
