Politicians in Albania do not stop suing each other with slander

Meanwhile, a massive wave of defamation lawsuits have been filed in court for top opposition leaders by Prime Minister Edi Rama and several majority officials and lawmakers. Lawyers protecting the opposition in these trials say the European Court's practice of human rights is not being taken into account, under which politicians enjoy less protection than citizens. Former Prime Minister Berisha, who is the most indicted opposition, says his successor is undertaking these initiatives at a time when judges are under Vetting pressure. Mr. Rama himself has indicated determined to follow suit to court for his political opponents, in order for them to prove their accusations against him.

In Albania, there is a strong debate over the government's anti-dispute package criticised by the community by journalists and international institutions, but also a massive wave of indictments for excusing and causing damage to the court. During the last two years of nearly 35 indictments, the facility has been deposited mainly by Prime Minister Edi Rama and several majority exhibits against opposition representatives, among them 2 indictments against a journalist and one against a civil society act. While the democratic opposition has not preferred to settle its allegations of slander to the ruling majority by indictment. Lawyer Ledio Braho, who is attending several issues of opposition representatives, finds the number of indictments at such a high political level unprecedented.

“In court for the first time, charges are deposited and judicial proceedings are launched between the prime minister and the leader of the opposition or the prime minister and the former prime minister, or between the prime minister and MPs. Political war has gone from parliament to the court's doors. Berisha himself, when prime minister, has not initiated any judicial process. It was Sali Berisha's children who filed charges. They do not have to show tolerance at the level the prime minister shows because they are private persons. And now we have to remember that there are a lot of unfounded charges against PD President Lulzim Basha, but he has never initiated any judicial process, no defamation indictment for majority”, said Ledio Braho, lawyer of some opposition cases at court

The democrat government 8 years ago deriminated slander and insult. Then Prime Minister Sali Berisha is currently the most indicted opposition from his successor, Edi Rama, due to the damage due to his posts on the fb.

“Edi Rama himself, has speculated and insisted on the worst insult and slander has not been indicted. He charged, but not me. There are others who have built villas slandering Sali Berisha every day, but they have never received indictments by Sali Berisha, anyone, journalist or citizen politician. I believe that the golden rule in every case is a lie. If you refuse to deny, then you have to know, that you can face law”, Sali Berisha, former prime minister, said.

Finally, Prime Minister Edi Rama has also indicted Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj for slander. In his public position. Mr. Haradinaj shamelessly named this indictment, and reiterated the allegations that Mr. Rama has supported partitioning Kosovo. In a public response, the Tirana government chief said the indictment was the only way to protect his dignity from these charges.

Former Prime Minister Berisha links Prime Minister Rama's top number of indictments to the tribunal over the past two years with pressure by the government's chief on judges, as he says, at a time when they expect to undergo Vetting's process.

“Edi Rama has now chosen to file charges that he has taken over justice and orders them to make decisions as he wishes. There is no slander in my attitudes. But of course I don't dictate, never the accusations made by ordinary citizens. I have published them and I will continue to publish”, Sali Berisha, former prime minister of Albania, succeeded.

Mr. Rama himself, when defending himself in parliament at the end of December last year's package of anti-pronounced package, appeared firmly resolved to follow suit of expropriation and damage.

I'll go with these to the courts. There's been 60 cases already, there's 600, there's 6,000 of them, depending on how long I'm staying here, but I'm not breaking up. These guys, they're either gonna try to prove to the Court what they say are true and if one turns out I'm gonna get the hell out of here, or they're gonna be punished in court as guilty of slander spreading”

Lawyer Dorin Matlija says there is a practice at the European Court of Human Rights applied in some cases, under which politicians enjoy less protection than officials and ordinary citizens against slander and insults. In this practice it is said that in terms of public figures, the Court has consistently ascertained that when private individuals become part of the public sphere they are placed open to public debate and therefore should show a wider degree of tolerance towards criticism. In cases involving slandering politicians, for example, the foundation of the Court's reasoning is always in agreement that the limits of acceptable criticism are broader about politicians. God. Matlija says the courts are favouring Prime Minister Edi Rama by naming him official -- higher defence than the politicians.

In fact, Mr. Rama is not just prime minister. He has certain qualities. He also heads one of the biggest parties in the country. And of course, when a person enjoys certain qualities, the most important quality for the court, which should be considered, is that he is, not a politician, but the most influential politician in Albania”, Dorian Matlija said lawyer.

And while dozens of trials are in the process, others in the first degree have ended and opposition representatives, such as Lulzim Basha Sali Berisha, Jorida Tabaku Albana Vokshi and others have lost. Lawyer Ledio Braho says the courts have maintained two-standard positions and brought in two examples when senior officials and politicians on their charges have used mixed information, referring to the media.

In the case of a lawsuit two years ago between Erjon Velia and Bujar Nishani when he was president, Mr. Nishani was the plaintiff and Mr. Veliaj was ignorant. What you were defending Erjon Veliaj was the fact that it was a mixed information received by the media. The court dropped Bujar Nishan's indictment, with that very claim. Meanwhile, in another case that the indictment was Erjon Veliaj and indicted was former DP deputy Albana Vokshi, we defended with the same argument that all information was received from the media, the court forced Albana Vokshi to deny the statements and said she should have confirmed the information. So it wasn't held the same standard”, said the Ledio Braho lawyer.

Institute for Democracy media and Culture Director Jonila Godole sees this high flow of judicial processes against the opposition as efforts of the government to limit the space of freedom of expression.

“In Albania's case, as one of the countries where democracy is not taken seriously, and where courts are in the situation that are at the moment without closing the Vetting process, any such intervention in free thought, on Facebook pages, to social networks, leads to authoritarianism”, said Jonila Godole, director of the Institute for Democracy Media and Culture.

The Voice of America addressed the lawyer who defends Prime Minister Edi Rama in a significant portion of the trials with opposition representatives Enkeleyda Mucaj, but also Prime Minister Edi Rama's press office for a high-level position on his indictments against political opponents, but received no answer.