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State Violence in Albania an Alternative Report to the United State Violence in Albania An Alternative Report to the United Nations Committee Against Torture 34th session Albanian Human Rights Group (AHRG) Centre for Legal Civic Initiatives (CLCI) Children’s Human Rights Centre of Albania (CRCA) Tirana and Geneva, April 18, 2005 1 Table of content Presentation of the Coalition .................................................................................................. 4 The Albanian Human Rights Group (AHRG) ............................................................................................ 4 The Centre for Legal Civic Initiatives (CLCI) ........................................................................................... 5 The Children Human Rights Centre of Albania (CRCA) ........................................................................... 6 PART I: STATE VIOLENCE ......................................................................................... 7 1. Historical Introduction ............................................................................................................ 8 1.1. The Communist Regime (1945 - 1990) ............................................................................................... 8 1.2. The Post-Communist Regime (1991 - 2005) ..................................................................................... 10 2. Institutional Structures ......................................................................................................... 11 2.1. Executive, Legislative and Judicial Structures .................................................................................. 11 2.2. The People's Advocate ...................................................................................................................... 13 3. Legal Framework ..................................................................................................................... 14 3.1. International Instruments on Human Rights ...................................................................................... 14 3.2. Constitutional and criminal legislations ............................................................................................ 17 4. Prohibition of Torture and Other Ill-treatment ................................................... 19 4.1. Legal Framework ............................................................................................................................... 19 4.2. Practice .............................................................................................................................................. 20 5. Prohibition of Justifications of Torture .................................................................... 23 5.1. Exceptional Circumstances ................................................................................................................ 23 5.2. Superior Orders ................................................................................................................................. 24 6. Arrest and Interrogation ..................................................................................................... 25 6.1. Legal Framework ............................................................................................................................... 25 6.2. Practice .............................................................................................................................................. 25 7. Custodial Detention and Detention ........................................................................... 32 7.1. Legal Framework ............................................................................................................................... 32 7.2. Practice .............................................................................................................................................. 32 8. Complaints, Investigation, Prosecution, Compensation and Rehabilitation. ................................................................................................................................... 35 8.1. Complaints ......................................................................................................................................... 35 8.2. Investigation ...................................................................................................................................... 35 8.3. Prosecution ........................................................................................................................................ 36 8.4. Compensation and Rehabilitation ...................................................................................................... 36 Appendices ......................................................................................................................................... 37 1. The Situation of Roma .......................................................................................................................... 37 2. The Situation of Former Political Prisoners ......................................................................................... 38 3. The Situation of Homosexuals ............................................................................................................. 39 2 PART II: STATE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ......................... 42 1. General Background ............................................................................................................. 43 2. Legal and Institutional Issues with regard to Torture and Ill- treatment of Women ................................................................................................................... 45 2.1 Legal and Institutional Issues with regard to Sexual Violence ........................................................... 46 2.2 Legal Issues and Practice Regarding Trafficking in Women and Girls .............................................. 48 2.3 Prostitution: Legal Issues and Practices Regarding the Trafficking of Women and Girls .................. 52 3. Legal Protection of Women in Pre-Detention (police station) ............. 55 4. Medical Examination ............................................................................................................ 56 5. Prisons and Conditions of Imprisonment ............................................................. 56 PART III: STATE VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN .................... 58 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 59 2. Definition of a child ................................................................................................................. 60 3. Torture .............................................................................................................................................. 60 3.1. Practice .............................................................................................................................................. 60 3.2. Complaints Procedures ...................................................................................................................... 66 4. Children in Conflict with the Law ................................................................................. 66 4.1. Structure, Organisation of the System ............................................................................................... 67 4.2. Legal Procedures ............................................................................................................................... 67 4.3. Deprivation of Liberty ....................................................................................................................... 69 5. State institutions ....................................................................................................................... 77 5.1. Schools .............................................................................................................................................. 77 5.2. Boarding Schools ............................................................................................................................... 77 5.3. Correctional Institutions .................................................................................................................... 78 RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COALITION ....................................... 79 General Recommendations ....................................................................................................................... 79 Recommendations with Regard to Women .............................................................................................. 80 Recommendations with Regard to Children ............................................................................................. 81 RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CAT ............................................................ 83 3 Presentation of the Coalition The Albanian Human Rights Group (AHRG) The Albanian Human Rights Group (AHRG) was established in September 1996 as a non- governmental and not-for-profit organisation. Its purpose is to protect and promote freedoms and human rights in Albania. AHRG endeavours to promote human rights in many ways including publishing reports regarding the human rights situation in the country. (AHRG has paid special attention to the situation of convicts and detainees on the premises where they serve.) These reports deal with statistics and prison conditions, and focus at the same time on specific
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