Klevis Balliu, a member of the Democratic Party’s leadership and a member of parliament, has leveled strong accusations against the highest levels of government, describing the State Police’s conduct during the protests as a display of macabre violence serving political power.
In a statement to the media, Balliu warned that the use of non-lethal weapons and rubber batons is seriously endangering the lives of young people who have taken to the streets of the capital to protest.
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The opposition MP addressed cases of repressive force used in the streets and inside detention facilities, drawing attention to the serious health consequences for citizens:
“Young men and women have been brutally beaten in the country’s streets with rubber batons and rubber bullets, seriously endangering their lives and health. The reported case in which a citizen was wounded in the abdominal area by a rubber bullet is a wake-up call about the scale of the danger posed by the use of violence by state forces.”
Balliu also denounced reports of violence inside police stations and detentions without legal grounds:
“Equally serious are the accounts of violence against citizens inside police stations. It is unacceptable for citizens to be arbitrarily detained in the streets without a clear legal basis. The case of the two young people detained in the Taiwan area raises serious questions about the legality of police actions, especially after they had given an interview just two hours earlier.”
The opposition representative stressed that officers cannot hide behind their superiors and called for a full investigation into the chain of command that issued the orders to forcibly disperse the crowd:
“Who gives these orders and who bears responsibility for the violence? Political responsibility cannot be hidden behind masks and uniforms. Edi Rama, Belinda Balluku and Taulant Balla must provide public answers for their positions. The orders for these actions come from the highest levels of power; no one can claim that they bear no responsibility.”
He added that the uniform does not protect lawbreakers: “Every officer who violates the law must be identified and held individually accountable. A uniform is not immunity for violence, and orders are not a justification for unlawful actions. It is a disgrace and a reversal of every standard of justice that protesting students end up behind bars while Edi Rama, Belinda Balluku and Taulant Balla are still free.”
Concluding his response, Balliu called on the justice authorities to intervene without delay to independently investigate every incident recorded during the days of demonstrations:
“We demand the immediate cessation of violence against protesters, the identification of the officers responsible, an independent investigation into every case of violence, and the release of anyone detained unlawfully. Students are not enemies of the state. The enemy of the rule of law is any government that uses public institutions to suppress citizens and evade accountability — this enemy has a name, and it is Edi Rama.”
