Students protest at Police Directorate, demanding the release of Edison Lika and Dritan Goxhaj after clashes outside the Prime Minister’s Office

The immediate release of activists Edison Lika and Dritan Goxhaj was the demand made by students and citizens who continued their protest outside the Tirana Local Police Directorate on Wednesday evening. The protest moved there after tensions and violent clashes outside the Prime Minister’s Office.

The two activists were forcibly taken into custody by police during the protest on “Dëshmorët e Kombit” Boulevard. According to information from the gathering, the conflict began when officers fined them for organizing an illegal assembly. When Lika and Goxhaj refused to accept the fine notices, police intervened to take them into custody by force.

Protesters objected to the move, arguing that the gathering was lawful and that the authorities had been notified in advance that it would be held on the boulevard. They described the police intervention as unjustified and insisted on their right to protest.

The detention of Lika and Goxhaj sharply escalated tensions outside the Prime Minister’s Office. To prevent the police van from leaving, several women and other citizens stood in front of it, forming a human barricade.

Tensions then spilled over into physical clashes between officers and protesters. Police also used pepper spray during the intervention, and several women experienced health problems and were taken by ambulance for medical assistance.

After the incidents, the students and citizens chose to continue their protest near the Police Directorate, where they called for the immediate release of both activists.