Hundreds of police surrounded the courthouse in Tirana on Wednesday as a judge validated prosecutors’ request for the arrest of about 10 people involved in last Saturday’s violent protest against tolls on the Albania-Kosovo highway.
Hundreds of police officers created three rings on each road leading to the Tirana courthouse on Wednesday, as the government faced criticism for taking a heavy-handed approach to recent protests against toll charges on the highway to Kosovo.
Police blocked a wide area in Tirana and stopped citizens, inquiring where they were going. Some did not take the situation lightly and debated with them over their rights to move freely.
Outside the court, a few dozen protesters joined several opposition MPs demanding the release of the toll protesters. “You should arrest those thieves in power, not the citizens,” one of them yelled to police.
Inside the courtroom, opposition MPs clashed with police who struggled to maintain order.
About 23 protesters arrested last Sunday and accused of destroying of property during a protest that turned violent against the imposition of tolls on the highway to Kosovo, appeared in court amid allegations of mistreatment and falsification of documents.
The court validated the prosecutors’ requests after five hours of debates, remanding in custody about a dozen people and freeing the rest, mainly due to their age and health.
During the session, protesters accused the prosecutors of falsifying the documents of their arrest. They claimed police arrested them in their homes at the dead of the night while documents show they were all arrested at 10am on Sunday. Their lawyers claimed such a discrepancy makes their arrest unlawful.
By law, validation of arrests should be made by the court in the place where arrests were conducted, in this case, Kukes. However, the authorities found it difficult to maintain order in Kukes and transferred the detainees to Tirana.
The opposition Democratic Party urged Albanians to show solidarity with those arrested and called for a major protest next Saturday.
The burning of the highway toll booths was not the only violent recent protest, however.
On Wednesday, in the town of Ballshi, dozens of former employees of the country’s biggest oil refinery clashed with private security guards and took control of the site, throwing out the administrator from an unknown company. Workers had protested previously demanding unpaid salaries and accusing the government of corruption.
For more read the full of article at The Balkaninsight
