Albania

The Coalition of Local Observers, a Tirana-based watchdog group, on Tuesday urged President Bujar Nishani to declare the date of the 2013 elections as soon as possible.According to the NGOs, “the declaration of an election date would give public institutions the time they need to start a series of important …

Six former political prisoners on Monday ended a month-long hunger strike, which aimed to pressure the government to speed up reparations for their suffering under the Communists.“We are tired because of the psychological terror we were subjected too,” Afrim Biturku, one of the strikers, said, ending the strike. “But we …

A group of eight communist-era political prisoners who have been on strike for 23 days vowed on Sunday to fast to death if the government keeps ignoring their demand for faster reparations.“We will fast to death and will not let the sacrifice of our two friends who set themselves on …

A new bill presented on Wednesday to mark Albania’s 100 years of independence will grant an amnesty to prisoners serving sentences of less than two years.The bill, which is expected to be voted on soon in parliament, will release all prisoners serving less than two years in jail.

After being shunned for two years in a row, Albania expects to obtain EU candidate status on Wednesday, though such a recommendation will likely come with a host of conditions.The European Commission is expected this week to recommend granting EU candidate status to Albania, “considering the improvement in the political …

A report released on Monday by the Open Society Foundation in Tirana says Albania strengthened the planning and implementation of EU reform priorities in 2012.The report said that by October 2012, 46 per cent of Albania’s EU reform commitments had been totally implemented and 32 per cent had been partially …

A former political prisoner, 51-year-old Gjergj Ndreca, set himself on fire on Monday in protest over the slow payment of reparations for the victims of the communist regime by the government.Ndreca poured gasoline over his body and set himself on fire in a Tirana neighbourhood where he and others held …

The Greek foreign minister has apologised to his Albanian counterpart after the country’s flag was hung upside down during a joint press conference on Wednesday in Athens.

Ibrahim Sulejmani, a 39 year-old former commander of the disbanded Albanian guerrilla force that fought the short lived 2001 Macedonian conflict, has died on Wednesday in a Macedonian prison.The former rebel known by his wartime nickname “Commander Mimi” was found dead in a prison cell in the Stip Prison where …

A group of communist-era prisoners of conscience will hold a rally in front of the parliament on Thursday to protest their treatment by the government.A number of former prisoners started a hunger strike in Tirana on September 25, requesting the government to pay out the compensation that is owed to …