ALBANIA COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) REPORT COI Service 25 March 2011 ALBANIA 25 MARCH 2011 Contents Preface Latest News EVENTS IN ALBANIA FROM 1 MARCH 2011 TO 25 MARCH 2011 Useful news sources for further information REPORTS ON ALBANIA PUBLISHED OR ACCESSED BETWEEN 1 MARCH 2011 TO 25 MARCH 2011 Paragraphs Background Information 1. GEOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................ 1.01 Maps ...................................................................................................................... 1.05 2. ECONOMY ................................................................................................................ 2.01 Public Holidays - 2011.......................................................................................... 2.06 3. HISTORY - 1912 TO 2009 .......................................................................................... 3.01 4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS: JANUARY 2010 TO JANUARY 2011...................................... 4.01 Floods in Albania – 2010...................................................................................... 4.06 5. CONSTITUTION.......................................................................................................... 5.01 6. POLITICAL SYSTEM ................................................................................................... 6.01 Human Rights 7. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 7.01 Observance of international human rights law.................................................. 7.03 8. CRIME...................................................................................................................... 8.01 Witness protection program................................................................................ 8.03 9. BLOOD FEUDS .......................................................................................................... 9.01 The code of Lek Dukagjin................................................................................ 9.01 Statistics ........................................................................................................... 9.05 Families in isolation......................................................................................... 9.09 State protection................................................................................................ 9.12 Reconciliation Committees (RCs)................................................................... 9.15 10. SECURITY FORCES .................................................................................................... 10.01 Police..................................................................................................................... 10.02 Municipal police force.......................................................................................... 10.04 Border police ........................................................................................................ 10.07 Coast guard .......................................................................................................... 10.08 Armed forces ........................................................................................................ 10.09 Other Government Forces ................................................................................... 10.11 Intelligence Service.............................................................................................. 10.11 Human rights violations by government forces ................................................ 10.15 Torture................................................................................................................... 10.15 Avenues of complaint .......................................................................................... 10.16 Civilian oversight of security forces................................................................... 10.16 11. MILITARY SERVICE .................................................................................................... 11.01 12 JUDICIARY................................................................................................................ 12.01 Organisation ......................................................................................................... 12.02 Independence ....................................................................................................... 12.03 ii The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 28 February 2011. Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 25 March 2011. 25 MARCH 2011 ALBANIA Fair trial ................................................................................................................. 12.05 Criminal code........................................................................................................ 12.08 Code of criminal procedure................................................................................. 12.09 13. ARREST AND DETENTION – LEGAL RIGHTS .................................................................. 13.01 14. PRISON CONDITIONS ................................................................................................. 14.01 15. DEATH PENALTY ....................................................................................................... 15.01 16. POLITICAL AFFILIATION ............................................................................................. 16.01 Freedom of political expression.......................................................................... 16.01 Freedom of association and assembly............................................................... 16.03 Opposition groups and political activists .......................................................... 16.04 17. FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND MEDIA............................................................................... 17.01 Internet freedom ................................................................................................... 17.04 18. HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS, ORGANISATIONS AND ACTIVISTS .................................... 18.01 19. CORRUPTION............................................................................................................ 19.01 The joint investigative unit to fight economic crime and corruption (JIU)...... 19.03 20. FREEDOM OF RELIGION.............................................................................................. 20.01 21. ETHNIC GROUPS ....................................................................................................... 21.01 Roma .....................................................................................................................21.05 22. LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER PERSONS .............................................. 22.01 Legal rights ........................................................................................................... 22.01 Treatment by, and attitudes of, state authorities............................................... 22.05 Societal treatment and attitudes ......................................................................... 22.09 Support services .................................................................................................. 22.13 Lesbians................................................................................................................ 22.14 Transgender persons........................................................................................... 22.15 23. DISABILITY ............................................................................................................... 23.01 24. WOMEN ................................................................................................................... 24.01 Overview ............................................................................................................... 24.01 Legal rights ........................................................................................................... 24.07 Political rights....................................................................................................... 24.12 Social and economic rights................................................................................. 24.14 Family code........................................................................................................... 24.14 Violence against women...................................................................................... 24.18 Rape................................................................................................................... 24.19 Domestic violence................................................................................................ 24.22 Honour killings ..................................................................................................... 24.27 25. CHILDREN ................................................................................................................ 25.01 Overview ............................................................................................................... 25.01 Basic legal information ....................................................................................... 25.04 National law and policies on minimum ages....................................................... 25.04