The Minister of the Interior, Taulant Balla, spoke about the collapse of the Korçë-Ersekë axis. Journalist Lorena Kodra reports that during his speech Balla said that this issue will be discussed during today’s meeting in Cologne for the annual analysis of the two DVP Korçë and Gjirokastër districts and the two border directorates.
Question
Starting from the last event that happened in Durrës, but also from several murders that occurred in the Korça region, for the crime in the family, how should the institutions react?
Balla: The year 2023 has been a year with serious incidents of crime within the family as well as an increased number of domestic violence.
We already have a completely different protocol from the state police regarding the first finding of a concern or a complaint regarding domestic violence, mainly for gender-based violence. I encourage every woman, girl, mother to report cases of violence. Yesterday we started a new approach regarding the properties seized from crime and corruption, we will try to put a part of them at the service of non-governmental organizations to return home to abused women. This battle is not one that the State Police alone can win. The police are there to make the first intervention and to bring the violators before the law, but this is something that should be appealed to our whole society. The media have a special merit but also a great responsibility to sensitize and make society as united as possible against this unacceptable phenomenon. We discussed at Raqi Qirinxhi school about the school security package, this package is showing its effects day by day in terms of the guarantee for school security. We approved this week in the government meeting, the amendments to the law for the prefect to very quickly set up local public security councils through which we will guarantee a better coordination of all security institutions, law enforcement agencies and other institutions for more very safe.
The Democratic Party has warned of filing charges against the violators of the protesters participating in the last protest…
It is the right of every citizen of the country to report and it is up to the justice institutions to examine them with the greatest attention. But I believe we all agree that currently in Albania there are two parties, one party aligned against the reform in justice and against justice and another party that is doing everything for the reform in justice to go forward and I think that the state police in case you refer has done the task and only the task.
I have said as many times as I have been given the opportunity, no one should dare raise their hand against the State Police, the law is very clear and anyone who tries to raise their hand against the State Police will face the law. In the case in question, there was a violent approach towards the State Police and the institutions.
What can you say about the agreement with the United Emirates on extraditions?
We are working on this because it is intrinsically linked to our approach to ending impunity. We cannot accept that people who have accounts with Albanian justice hide from it in countries with which we do not have extradition agreements. I believe you have seen how we reached with Morocco, I believe we will reach such an agreement with any country.
How are the investigations for Martinaj’s file going?
I stand with the general director of all the public commitments we have made and you can be sure that the state police does its duty 24 hours a day, even with this commitment to get to the bottom of every issue such as part of our analysis today with DVP Korçë there will also be old events in Korçë still undiscovered.
How are the investigations for the collapse of the Korçë-Erskë road going?
We will also discuss this issue during today’s meeting.
