World Affairs
Albania suspends five police staff as protest conduct faces review
The State Police says internal and disciplinary inquiries are under way after a video showed an injured teenager being escorted for medical care. The Ombudsman had separately opened an inquiry into police force and detainee safeguards after the first student protest.
Executive summary
- Five personnel suspended pending review: Albania’s State Police says its director general suspended four officers and the head of public order at a Tirana police station after media footage showed an injured 19-year-old being escorted near Parliament to a hospital. The police say the circumstances and the officers’ treatment of him are being checked; the announcement does not establish how the injury occurred or a finding of misconduct.[1][2]
- Separate oversight inquiries are under way: The State Police says its professional-standards directorate began disciplinary proceedings and that the Police Oversight Agency and prosecutors are investigating the case. Albania’s Ombudsman had already opened an ex-officio inquiry into police force at the Oct. 13 protest and said it was checking detainees’ access to counsel, family notification and medical examinations.[1][3]
- Student demonstrations continued into a second day: Local public broadcaster RTSH reported that students from several universities boycotted classes and returned to the Education Ministry on Oct. 14. Police later announced 16 arrests and proceedings against 49 other people over the Oct. 13 rally; AP separately reported that authorities said 35 people were detained during Wednesday’s unrest. The figures refer to different updates and procedural descriptions, and the sources reviewed do not reconcile them.[4][5][2]
Albania’s State Police said it had opened a review after footage published by media showed a 19-year-old with an injured leg being escorted by officers near Parliament to receive hospital care. The police director general suspended four officers and the head of public order at Police Station No. 1, while the Professional Standards Directorate began disciplinary proceedings against them.[1]
The police also appointed a special group to examine officers’ actions throughout the gathering and whether standard procedures were followed. The announcement describes investigations, not findings: it does not say how the young man was injured, whether any officer used unlawful force, or what the footage shows beyond his injury and escort.[1]
The State Police said the Police Oversight Agency, working with prosecutors, had started investigating the case involving the 19-year-old. Separately, the Ombudsman’s office said it opened an ex-officio administrative inquiry on Oct. 13 into police use of force during that day’s protest, including whether force was necessary and proportionate. Its monitoring teams were also checking whether detainees could contact a lawyer and family and receive medical examinations.[1][3]
Those reviews do not amount to a conclusion that police misconduct occurred. Their scope also differs: the police announcement concerns the handling of the injured teenager and officers’ actions during the gathering, while the Ombudsman described a broader review of force and safeguards for people held at police facilities.[1][3]
RTSH reported that students from several universities boycotted classes and gathered again outside the Education Ministry on Oct. 14, the second consecutive day of demonstrations. Students have cited university conditions, education costs and support for students, while the protests have also joined a wider anti-government campaign. AP reported that Wednesday’s clashes lasted more than eight hours, with police using tear gas and water cannon, and that authorities said 23 officers and six other people were receiving treatment for injuries.[4][6][2]
In a statement dated Oct. 14, the State Police said 16 people had been arrested and 49 others were subject to criminal proceedings over alleged acts during the Oct. 13 rally. AP’s later account of Wednesday’s unrest cited authorities as saying 35 people were detained. The announcements concern different dates and use distinct procedural terms; Wrivid has not found a public accounting that establishes whether the groups overlap or supplies a single cumulative total. Arrests and proceedings are allegations, not findings of guilt.[5][2]
The protests began with student demands but have unfolded alongside a months-long anti-government movement linked to opposition to a proposed coastal development project and corruption allegations, AP reported. The project and allegations are part of the protesters’ political context; the reporting does not establish the allegations as fact.[2]