2020 Albanian protests
| 2020 Albanian protests | |||
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| Part of the aftermath of the murder of Klodian Rasha | |||
| Date | 9–14 December 2020 | ||
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Largely leaderless
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| Arrested | 124 people detained during 9–10 December protests in Tirana, including 57 minors, according to the Ombudsman[2] | ||
The 2020 Albanian protests, also known as the Klodian Rasha protests, were a series of demonstrations in Albania in December 2020 following the murder of Klodian Rasha, a 25-year-old man shot dead by police officer Nevaldo Hajdaraj in Tirana during a COVID-19 curfew. The protests began in Tirana on 9 December and spread to other cities, becoming one of the most significant protest movements in Albania during the pandemic period.
The demonstrations were initially directed against police violence and demanded justice for Rasha, whose killing was widely viewed as an excessive use of force. Protesters also demanded the resignation of Interior Minister Sandër Lleshaj, Prime Minister Edi Rama, and senior police officials. Several demonstrations escalated into clashes between protesters and police, with protesters throwing stones, flares and firecrackers, damaging public property and attacking government buildings, while police used tear gas, water cannon and pepper spray.
On 10 December 2020, Lleshaj resigned as Minister of the Interior, but protests continued for several more days. Human-rights organizations, journalist groups and the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights criticized aspects of the police response, including the arrest of minors and journalists. The protests became closely associated with broader public concerns about police accountability, protest rights and the use of force by the Albanian State Police.
Background
[edit]In late 2020, Albania was under measures introduced to limit the spread of COVID-19, including a nightly curfew and restrictions on public gatherings. In the early hours of 8 December 2020, Klodian Rasha, a 25-year-old resident of Laprakë, Tirana, was outside during curfew hours when he was approached by police officers.[3]
Police initially stated that Rasha had failed to obey an order to stop and had been carrying a weapon. They later said that he had been holding an object but not a weapon, while his family and friends denied that he had been armed.[3][4] The officer who shot him, Nevaldo Hajdaraj, was arrested shortly after the incident. Prosecutors later charged him with intentional murder, and he was eventually convicted.[5]
The killing caused immediate public anger because of the circumstances of the shooting, the fact that it took place during pandemic policing, and contradictory police statements about whether Rasha had been armed.[6]
Protests
[edit]First demonstrations
[edit]The first large protest took place in Tirana on 9 December 2020. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in front of the Interior Ministry and other government buildings to demand justice for Rasha and the resignation of Interior Minister Sandër Lleshaj.[3] Protesters chanted slogans including "I am Klodian" and "Rama go", and many accused the authorities of trying to blame the victim or minimize police responsibility.[7]
The demonstration escalated into clashes. Protesters threw objects at the Interior Ministry, set Christmas decorations on fire and damaged public property, while police used tear gas to disperse the crowd.[3] Reuters reported that two police officers and a journalist were slightly injured during the first major clashes.[3] The Associated Press reported that nine officers were injured, parked police cars were damaged and at least two protesters were injured, one of them seriously.[8]
Escalation and resignation of Sandër Lleshaj
[edit]On 10 December, protests continued for a second day in Tirana. Demonstrators clashed with police near the Interior Ministry, the Prime Minister's Office, Tirana City Hall and other government buildings. Police used tear gas and water cannon, while protesters threw stones, firecrackers and other objects.[9][10]
The same day, Prime Minister Edi Rama announced that Interior Minister Sandër Lleshaj had submitted his resignation and that he had accepted it. Lleshaj said that he resigned as a human being and as a parent who shared the pain of Rasha's family.[11][9] Rama described the shooting as an "inexplicable and completely unreasonable" act and publicly apologized.[12]
The resignation did not end the protests. Demonstrators continued to demand the resignation of Rama, the dismissal of State Police Director General Ardi Veliu, the release of detained protesters and broader reform of the police.[13]
Spread to other cities
[edit]The protests spread beyond Tirana to other Albanian cities. Demonstrations were reported in Durrës, Shkodër, Gjirokastër and other urban centres.[6] In Durrës, police announced criminal proceedings against two organizers of a peaceful protest. In Shkodër, five people were released after taking part in a silent protest in which participants lit candles and marched through the city.[14] Protests were also held by Albanians abroad, including a demonstration in front of the Albanian embassy in Brussels.[15]
In some cities, the protests remained peaceful, while in others they turned violent. The Associated Press reported that demonstrators in a northern Albanian city damaged offices of the ruling Socialist Party and injured a police officer during the protests.[12]
Later protests
[edit]By 11 December, the protests had entered a third day of unrest. Demonstrators in Tirana gathered in defiance of restrictions on public gatherings imposed during the pandemic. Some protesters threw stones, flares and firecrackers, while police responded with tear gas and water cannon.[16]
The fourth day of protests took place on 12 December, with further gatherings in Tirana and confrontations between police and demonstrators.[17] On 13 December, the protests entered their fifth day. A rally began peacefully at Skanderbeg Square and moved toward the Prime Minister's Office, with protesters chanting "No justice, no calmness!" and "Justice for Klodian!" Later, some demonstrators threw stones at the Tirana police station, and police again used tear gas and water cannon.[12]
On 14 December, a smaller and peaceful protest was held in Tirana after a strong police warning against illegal gatherings because of COVID-19 restrictions. A few hundred demonstrators gathered at Skanderbeg Square and marched toward Rama's office, chanting "Down with the dictatorship", before returning peacefully to the square.[18]
Police response and arrests
[edit]Police used tear gas, water cannon and pepper spray during several demonstrations.[19] Authorities also detained and prosecuted protesters for illegal assembly, violence and property damage. Albanian Daily News reported that the second protest in Tirana resulted in 59 arrests and 116 people being prosecuted without being remanded in custody.[20]
The Ombudsman raised concerns about the treatment of detainees, especially minors. According to a preliminary report cited by Exit News and CIVICUS, police detained 124 people during the protests of 9 and 10 December in Tirana, including 57 minors, some younger than 14.[2][21] Some detainees said they had participated peacefully or were only passing by, while two minors alleged that they had been pressured by police to admit committing violent acts.[22]
The Associated Press reported on 16 December that authorities said 28 police officers and at least four protesters had been injured, although the number of injured civilians may have been higher. Scores of people had been arrested, but only a few remained in custody.[1]
Treatment of journalists
[edit]Journalist organizations criticized the police response to media workers covering the protests. The European Federation of Journalists and International Federation of Journalists reported that four journalists were arrested on 11 and 12 December while covering the demonstrations in Tirana. The organizations condemned what they described as harassment and arbitrary arrests of media workers reporting on a public event.[23]
The Civil Rights Defenders organization also called on Albanian authorities to refrain from arresting journalists and to respect media freedoms, citing cases of journalists and media workers detained or assaulted while reporting on the protests.[24]
Political reactions
[edit]Prime Minister Rama apologized for the shooting and accepted Lleshaj's resignation, while also condemning violence during the protests.[11][12] Government officials argued that the killing was an individual criminal act and not the responsibility of the entire police force or government. Protesters and opposition figures, however, accused the government and police leadership of creating a climate of impunity and excessive force.[6]
After Lleshaj's resignation, Rama nominated Bledar Çuçi as Minister of the Interior. The appointment was part of a government reshuffle following the unrest.[25]
Human rights response
[edit]The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, criticized the handling of the protests. She said that the response to the COVID-19 pandemic did not give authorities "carte blanche" to use force when policing assemblies, and called on Albanian authorities to investigate allegations of excessive use of force thoroughly, independently and effectively.[1] Mijatović also emphasized that police should distinguish between individuals committing violence and those demonstrating peacefully.[26]
CIVICUS described the demonstrations as protests against police brutality and killing in response to a COVID-19 curfew breach, reporting that protesters gathered for days around the Interior Ministry, Tirana City Hall and other government buildings.[21]
Legacy
[edit]The protests became one of the most prominent Albanian protest movements of the COVID-19 pandemic period and were widely discussed in relation to police violence, protest rights and the limits of pandemic restrictions. They also increased public scrutiny of the Albanian State Police and contributed to debate over the accountability of senior police officials.[21]
The protests were closely connected to the criminal case against Nevaldo Hajdaraj. In 2021, Hajdaraj was convicted of intentional murder for the killing of Rasha, and the Court of Appeal later increased his sentence to 18 years' imprisonment, reduced to 12 years because of the abbreviated trial procedure. In July 2025, the Supreme Court of Albania upheld the 12-year sentence.[27]
The phrase "Justice for Klodian" remained associated with the demonstrations, while Rasha's family and supporters continued to demand full accountability and rejected attempts to portray him as armed or criminal.[28]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 "Human rights envoy criticizes Albania's handling of protests". Associated Press. 16 December 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
- 1 2 "Almost Half of Those Arrested During Protests Were Minors, Reports Albanian Ombudsman". Exit News. 12 December 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Albanians protest after police shot dead a man for violating coronavirus curfew". Reuters. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
- ↑ "Man Shot Dead by Police, Friends: He Has Never Had a Gun". Albanian Daily News. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
- ↑ "Former police officer charged with the murder of Klodian Rasha sentenced to 10 years". Euronews Albania. 14 July 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Protests spread in Albania over police curfew killing; Minister of Interior resigns". Tirana Times. 11 December 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
- ↑ "Albanians protest fatal police shooting in capital Tirana". Daily Sabah. Associated Press. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
- ↑ "Albanians protest fatal police shooting in capital Tirana". Daily Sabah. Associated Press. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
- 1 2 "Albania: New protest over police shooting, minister resigns". Associated Press. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
- ↑ "Rubber bullets and tear gas, protest against Klodian Rasha's murder turns violent". Euronews Albania. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
- 1 2 "Albania's interior minister resigns over fatal police shooting". Euronews. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Albanians rally for 5th day after police kill man in curfew". The Independent. Associated Press. 13 December 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
- ↑ "Albanian Minister Calls Protesters 'Thugs', Accuses Them of Being Paid to Be Violent". Exit News. 13 December 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
- ↑ "Protest for the murder of Klodian Rasha, 2 organizers in Durrës, 5 in Shkodra are being prosecuted". BalkanWeb. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
- ↑ "Albanians in Brussels Protest over Klodian Rasha". Albanian Daily News. 14 December 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
- ↑ "World Digest: Dec. 11, 2020". The Washington Post. Associated Press. 11 December 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
- ↑ "Fourth Day of Protests Over Police Killing of Young Man Concludes in Tirana". Exit News. 12 December 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
- ↑ "Albanians hold a peaceful protest over police shooting". Associated Press. 14 December 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
- ↑ "Albanian Police Disperse Protesters Using Tear Gas, Water Cannons, Pepper Spray". Exit News. 11 December 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
- ↑ "Nearly 60 Arrested, Over 110 Prosecuted for Protesting over Man Killed by Police". Albanian Daily News. 11 December 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Police brutality and killing in response to COVID-19 curfew breach sparks protests". CIVICUS Monitor. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
- ↑ "Exit Explains: The Murder of Klodian Rasha and the Ongoing Protests". Exit News. 14 December 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
- ↑ "Albania: Police attack and arrest journalists covering protests". European Federation of Journalists. 16 December 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
- ↑ "Albania's Government Must Refrain from Arresting Journalists and Respect Media Freedoms". Civil Rights Defenders. 15 December 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
- ↑ "Albanian parliament approves new interior minister after protests". SeeNews. 16 December 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
- ↑ "Klodian Rasha murder, HR Commissioner Mijatović: Zero tolerance for police officers involved in acts of violence". Euronews Albania. 16 December 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
- ↑ "Klodian Rasha shot dead, Supreme Court rejects appeal of former police officer Nevaldo Hajdaraj". BalkanWeb. 3 July 2025. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
- ↑ "Klodian Rasha's family looks at state for answers". Euronews Albania. 8 December 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2026.