
Albania records the highest number of pre-trial detentions, said Prime Minister Edi Rama at the presentation of the draft for changes to the Criminal Procedure Code.
Rama said that according to the Council of Europe, in January 2026, 62% of detainees were in Albania. He urged prosecutors and judges to address this common challenge, as such figures are unacceptable for a country that aims to be part of the EU.
"In Albania, the scales of justice are clearly tilted towards the repressive weight of the state. Even if you ask AI which country bears the heaviest burden of detention, the answer comes very bitter: Albania. The latest Council of Europe report shows that in January 2026, 62% of people in Albanian prisons are detained. The European average was 26%. Albania is 2 times worse compared to Europe. We must accept it as a common challenge to win.
By providing financial and logistical support for working conditions and magistrates as a mission of national dignity. How can we accept the fact that the comparison with Russia is even more shocking? There, in the homeland of repression, the number of detainees is 30%? Not even half of Albania that is negotiating EU membership. We cannot continue with such figures behind which there are human lives, family dramas and irreparable consequences. We are too small a people to do ourselves colossal damage", said Rama.