OPEN LETTER/ Come to the dialogue and listen to me speak, otherwise I will cut off your scholarships, you will rot in prison. Please!

 Kliko këtu për të tjera
Voxpress:

Ombudsman: The Prosecution and the Court take extreme measures under pressure from public opinion

2025-03-05 22:56:26Aktualitet SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Ombudsman: The Prosecution and the Court take extreme measures under pressure
Erinda Ballanca

In Albania, a full 80% of the Prosecutor's Office's requests for the measure of "prison arrest" are approved by the courts.

A drastic statistic that has overcrowded cells with detainees. A full 62% of people isolated in Albanian prisons are detainees, a figure 2.3 times higher than the European Union rate.

In this Wednesday's episode, Inside Story has brought an extensive investigation into the iron fist of the system, often in violation of the laws, circumstances, or condition of the arrested person.

Crime statistics speak of an extraordinary number of Albanians who have tried the handcuffs.

According to data collected by the Fol center, starting in 1990, a full 370 thousand Albanian citizens have been convicted and served their sentence in a penitentiary institution.

The tightening of the penal code and a cultural approach that demands that every person end up behind bars, according to experts, has led justice officials to increasingly seek the measure of imprisonment.

"The system continues to be under great pressure in relation to what is public opinion. Behind bars since the moment an investigation is launched for them, in some cases it is appropriate but in some cases I assess that there could be other security measures," said Erinda Ballanca, the People's Advocate.

"I think that our harsh criminal sentences for cases where there is also interference from public opinion force the judging panel and the prosecutor to seek the imposition of extreme measures, it has an extremely significant impact on the life, psychological health and also destroys his family. It creates a false image of the application of justice and its mission in itself," said lawyer Anton Kosteri.

"It is necessary that imprisonment be understood correctly by the entire Albanian society, as penal policy must be humane. The purpose of a sentence is rehabilitation, not to punish and make someone suffer," said Erinda Skëndaj.

Data shows that in 2023, around 34 thousand criminal offenses were recorded, involving 40 thousand perpetrators. Of these, around 14 thousand people were taken into custody.

Criminal proceedings were registered for 24 thousand of the offenses, of which 26.5% were dismissed, 31% were suspended and 42.5% were sent to court for trial.

It is precisely this high number of offenses that result in imprisonment for experts that raises questions about an abuse of power by prosecutors.

"The power to separate freedom from prison is extraordinary, the prosecutor has extraordinary power. I do not know of any scan, by the KLP, regarding the use of this power. The fact that today we talk about Albania as a country that has more than half of those in its prisons, who are presumed innocent, speaks in favor of the thesis that the prosecution abuses the power it has", said Gerti Shella, INFOCIP.


Në përputhje me standarded JTI

Video

SHIKO KANALIN NE YOUTUBE
×