ALBANIA COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) REPORT COI Service 30 March 2012 ALBANIA 30 MARCH 2012 Contents Preface Latest News EVENTS IN ALBANIA FROM 01 MARCH 2012 TO 30 MARCH 2012 Useful news sources for further information REPORTS ON ALBANIA PUBLISHED OR ACCESSED BETWEEN 01MARCH 2012 TO 30 MARCH 2012 Paragraphs Background Information 1. GEOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................ 1.01 Largest religious groups (Albania) ..................................................................... 1.05 Maps ...................................................................................................................... 1.09 2. ECONOMY ................................................................................................................ 2.01 Public Holidays - 2011 to 2012 ............................................................................ 2.06 3. HISTORY - 1912 TO 2009 .......................................................................................... 3.01 4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS: JANUARY 2010 TO FEBRUARY 2012 .................................... 4.01 Floods in Albania – 2010 ...................................................................................... 4.11 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 .................................................................................... 9.02 Statistics ............................................................................................................... 9.06 Families in isolation ............................................................................................. 9.10 State protection .................................................................................................... 9.15 Reconciliation Committees (RCs) ....................................................................... 9.19 Attestation letters for blood feuds ...................................................................... 9.24 Issuance of Attestation letters by the CNR ........................................................ 9.26 Purchase of False Attestation Letters ................................................................ 9.27 10. SECURITY FORCES .................................................................................................... 10.01 Police ..................................................................................................................... 10.02 Municipal police force .......................................................................................... 10.06 Border police ........................................................................................................ 10.07 Coast guard .......................................................................................................... 10.08 Armed forces ........................................................................................................ 10.09 The Gërdec explosion - March 2008 .................................................................. 10.11 Other Government Forces ................................................................................... 10.14 Intelligence Service .............................................................................................. 10.14 Human rights violations by government forces ................................................ 10.19 Torture ................................................................................................................... 10.19 Civilian oversight of security forces ................................................................... 10.24 ii The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 29 February 2012. Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 30 March 2012. 30 MARCH 2012 ALBANIA 11. MILITARY SERVICE .................................................................................................... 11.01 12 JUDICIARY ................................................................................................................ 12.01 Organisation ......................................................................................................... 12.02 Independence ....................................................................................................... 12.05 Fair trial ................................................................................................................. 12.07 Criminal code ........................................................................................................ 12.10 Code of criminal procedure ................................................................................. 12.11 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 .......................................................... 16.05 Events of 21 January 2011 ................................................................................... 16.07 17. FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND MEDIA ............................................................................... 17.01 Internet freedom ................................................................................................... 17.08 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 ................................................................................................................... 24.20 Domestic violence ................................................................................................ 24.23 The 2006 law