Prime Minister Edi Rama at press conference before departure for official visit to Rome, Italy:
Good morning everyone! Thank you for taking the trouble!
As everyone has already heard the news about the tragic event in the village of Grecalli, Fier municipality, whole society was shocked, but , but above all little Mateo’s parents and family are inconsolable for their loss and what still further adds to the burden of this loss in the mind and heart of mother, father, and family. But nevertheless what everyone eagerly awaits is the most extreme justice ruling on that barbarian, who thanks to the immediate action and rapid identification and arrest by the State Police officers is behind bars now.
This is the kind of episodes that leave you speechless and after having carefully looked over the entire course of the event, as well as the perpetrator’s profile, what remains is the bitter taste of what has taken place and, as I already stated, the indispensability to promptly response at the justice level to do justice about this so shocking episode.
I would extend my fraternal and heartfelt condolences to the family and relatives, aware that words in this case are totally helpless and inadequate, but the words are what remain and for the rest, as I said, it is up to the justice system that in this case should definitely be quick and definitely up to the whole public opinion need for a reaction through an extreme ruling pursuant to the legislation of the Republic of Albania.
I found it impossible to write down a text on this event and this is the reason that I found it most appropriate way to do this today with you prior to the official visit to Rome, where in the context of talks to further deepen bilateral cooperation with Italy, taking notice of a increasingly insistent demand by our fellow citizens living and working in Italy, I would like to let everyone know that recognition of their pension rights will be the focus of talks with Prime Minister Mario Draghi. It is a process we have already launched a long time ago, it is an extremely difficult process. We have already signed a series of bilateral agreements on recognition of the pension rights with several states, which we initially launched as processes with our government after inheriting a barren land in this respect. However, two were the most difficult accords, namely the ones with Italy and Greece, due to the large number of Albanian citizens living and working in both neighbouring countries. In acknowledgment of your presence here, I am now at your disposal if you have any questions to make.
– In the wake of events like the one of yesterday, a good part of the public opinion, including me as a mother of two, one of whom turns 8 today, always calls for the death penalty reinstatement. I know how impossible this is, especially for a country aspiring to join the EU, where the death penalty does not exist, but given that such monsters have always existed and will exist, do you think it would be appropriate that the Code of Criminal Procedure be revised and amended to tackle not only such murders, but also for cases of paedophilia, so that perpetrators who commit such heinous crimes face maximum life imprisonment sentence? Is it possible that taking notice of such events the reform of institutions, namely the psychiatric hospitals, because of irresponsible judges, such people, even though they can be caught, as it was the case a day ago, they are sent to prison and later released to walk freely on our streets, but they could suffer from mental disorder problems and there is no rehabilitation of these persons and they end up committing crimes like the one yesterday.
Prime Minister Edi Rama: I understand this reaction triggered by very extreme emotions amid a considerable part of society, for the sake of the truth as you already said, but the death penalty is an issue addressed long ago by all EU member states and a broader region as part of our civilization and there has been a long process towards tackling this issue, with several countries taking the initial steps to abolish death penalty, based on many analyzes, on many facts, clearly speaking, not only in terms of the moral aspect of a democratic society based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but also in the practical aspect the death penalty fails to make such events inevitable.
Unfortunately, the societies, even in the most developed countries, even in the countries with the highest level of our citizenship, include such individuals, capable of committing the most extreme bestial acts they inherit from the animal in their inner being.
Reinstatement of the death penalty is not possible and no formula or a magic wand would ever prevent such acts, which, as you said and as we all know, happen in every society. As to the other part of your question, I would say that in terms of its legal framework, because of a series of changes to the legislation, Albania has the harshest, or one of the harshest legislations.
The point is the enforcement of this legislation and what is regrettable over the years is precisely the irresponsibility of the judges panels vis-à-vis individuals, who have committed crimes, even extreme ones, but also other crimes if not homicide, but rape and violence against women, they have been all released at the court room or they have received much lenient sentences than the legislation stipulates and they have latter repeated their crimes, causing more pain and more unnecessary and investable wounds.
There are certainly always opportunities to review the legislation, but the essence is to make the judiciary live up to the level of legislation. The country’s legislation mostly meets the highest standards of the democratic societies and the challenge is not about writing more laws, but to enforce the laws.
The Ministry of Interior has conducted a research over all repeated cases and we will reveal its findings to the public soon. The research has found that a number of repeated crimes have been recorded over the years, and I mean not only the recent years, but a long period that has been flagrant in terms of the extreme irresponsibility of judges.
In the meantime, we are also mulling ways to amend legislation, which has not to do with this very concrete case or it is not a result of this event. The amendments will be subject to a broad national consultation process that I have already announced, to draw on the citizens’ opinion on a wide range of issues of paramount importance, receive a broad opinion of the political parties, wishing that some bold steps are made together, aimed at taking the heeding and attention between the government and the citizens to a new level. I can’t concretely tell you what today, as we are wording the questionnaire for the citizens, but we are seeking to address precisely this aspect. As far as this concrete case is concerned, I have carefully looked at the entire information provided by the State Police on the dynamics of this event and the profile of the perpetrator. It is not actually the typical case of the repeat offenders irresponsibly released by judges, because many years ago the perpetrator was detained for unlawful deprivation of liberty of a person and he received a sentence which he served. Of course, it is questionable whether the sentence was fit to the crime, but he has served several years of his sentence. It is really tragic, but as I said, these are extreme events that no country around the world has ever succeeded in fully preventing them no matter how tough the legislation is, no matter how best the courts perform their duty.
– Mr. Prime Minister, a few weeks ago a woman was first a victim of the criminal gang, later a victim of neglect by two countries, and finally she committed suicide. A child was raped by her own father, and dozens of other heinous crimes have been committed to reach their peak with yesterday’s event. Have you thought that there may be a need for treatment for the relatives of these victims and if so, what kind of treatment? In the meantime, I have been watching the plenary sessions of parliament in the last two days, where you were also accused of being “violent”, “sadistic”, allegations that you have constantly denied. Do you have a message for Albanian men today?
PM Edi Rama: I think that politics, with its abusive language and allegations – and by politics I mean the very rich sordid linguistic sleaze and not everyone – contributes to nurturing a severe psychological mood and it is a huge responsibility to do this. The dividing line between the plaintiff and the defendant has been defined since Roman time, Roman civilization. The burden of proof rests on the plaintiff, and it is not the defendant the one who should prove that the accusations are not true. But the barbarism inherited from the communist regime and not only, but from the communist regime in particular, the space where a whole people grew up and especially the whole generation of politics over the past 30 years, with no idea about the existence of difference, about the existence of the rival, the existence of the opponent in terms of the ideas, but only with the idea that whoever thinks differently, speaks differently and takes a different stance is an enemy, who should be shot, imprisoned, publicly lynched, still continues to have its representatives even today.
It is a cultural matter, which cannot be tackled and resolved in the blink of an eye, but it would take years and we see it even today, we have it before our eyes and you are all obliged to report all this frenzy language inherited from the past being that is reproduced for no reason of whatsoever just for the vested interest of politics or to gain political scores and when you see the ghosts of the past showing up on all TV screens resorting to an extreme and abusive language in the Parliament of Albania, where unfortunately there is no lack of extreme accusations, criminalizing language against others, then it is understandable that the message received by the various strata of society and the message received even by these elements with criminal and barbaric tendencies in society is unfortunately and definitely encouraging. So this is not a matter of a message, but it is a matter of setting an example. Everyone, by setting their example, should seek to relieve this poisonous language that characterizes politics, characterizes the media, and characterizes the space of public communication as a whole. What else can be said other than patience and example?
You said there are dozens upon dozens of examples, but fortunately this is not the case. Of course, there are repeated offences and such extreme acts would suffice even if they were very few of them, to profoundly shock everyone. What is being constantly repeated is the domestic violence, the violence against women and girls and I already said that the legislation is one of the toughest ones, but data show that judges usually make ruling in favour of men vis-à-vis the violated women and this is extremely scandalous. To answer your question concretely, the financial support for the women victims of domestic violence and trafficking in human will see a three-fold increase under the next year’s state budget.
-Mr. Prime Minister, many individuals suffering from mental health problems roam freely on the streets of the cities across Albania, posing a permanent danger to children in particular. What does the government plan to identify such individuals and prevent probably even tragedies like the one in Fier yesterday?
PM Edi Rama: This is an example when one has to weigh his or her words. You claim that many individuals suffering from mental health conditions roam freely across the cities. Do you have any evidence to support such a claim?
Of course, it doesn’t take for them to be a lot in number, because even a few of them could turn out to pose a potential danger. The most recent case we are talking about, as I already said, facts show we are dealing with an individual who was sentenced and has served his sentence 10 or more years ago, and was then released and throughout all these years has been doing various jobs, but has never been identified, reported or denounced as a person of the kind you suggested. So, given such a tremendous shock, all the emotions, extreme thoughts are legitimate, but addressing the problem requires calmness and composure.
In this case, it is the justice system that would do its job and there is no reason to think otherwise, but it is not about reaction through an extreme ruling against the perpetrator, but also the speed and swiftness with which the decision will be made. So the justice system should act not only by issuing the harshest and the most extreme of decisions, as everyone would wish, but also by making a ruling swiftly.
Another aspect has to do with the continued efforts and work to address such issues systematically. The main problem we face, in addition to such extreme moments, is the very inverse balance between outcome of the police operations, the number of identified, and apprehended suspects and perpetrators of various crimes, and the number of convicts sentenced by the courts.
Judges are mostly their accomplices in most of the repeated offences and crimes. Corrupt judges and judges who lack moral integrity are also the reason why the vetting process and overhaul of the entire justice system is vital and continues.
Of course, it is the peoples’ right to call for immediate change to the conduct and efficiency of the justice system, and by saying right away, I mean a few years time. This is impossible to happen objectively, because building a justice system we all want and as Albanian citizens deserve, is not just a matter of adopting the right laws, nor a matter of cleaning the sludge, but it is a matter of filling all the vacuum created by the removal of sludge by appointing the right individuals and establishing the new justice bodies, the pillar of the state that has been a living rot in these 3 decades. This cannot happen so quickly.
Definitely 4-5 years in human life are a lot, but in the life of a country are just 4-5 minutes.
If we are to look at the justice systems of European countries today, the justice systems we consider our target, it has taken tens of years, decades and centuries for them to establish and consolidate and our good or advantage in this disadvantage of deep backwardness, is that we can make use of the experience of others, we are in a process of integration into that family, we have the right partners with all the right experience and knowhow to do the job, speeding up time and overcoming those long time gaps that others have already gone through, because they were the ones who paved the way and laid the foundations of the democratic system of justice.
Whoever considers the Justice Reform a failure or an unsuccessful process, he doesn’t know what he is talking about, because it is organic processes that takes time and comes with a cost, such as the costs of serious events that you know, you have reported to the public, about the completely illegal arbitrary releases of criminals from prison and so on, but that is the only way. It takes patience and continued willingness.
Thank you very much everyone!
