ALBANIA

WORLD REPORT 2000 ENTRY

WORLD REPORT 1999 ENTRY

WORLD REPORT 1998 ENTRY

DEMOCRACY DERAILED
Violations in the May 26, 1996 Albanian Elections
On May 26, 1996, Albanians voted in parliamentary elections—the third multi-party elections since the fall of the communist government in 1991. Unfortunately, numerous human rights violations before, during and after the vote undermined the democratic process and threatened the legitimacy of the elections. Physical attacks, ballot stuffing and voter list manipulation violated the right of the Albanian people to elect their government in a free and fair manner. Extreme cases of police violence after the elections created a tense atmosphere nationwide.
View the summary and recommendations of this report.
(D810) 6/96, 11 pp., $3.00/£1.95
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Human Rights in Post-Communist Albania
For decades Albania was eastern Europe's most closed and repressive state. During his 40-year reign, former communist leader Enver Hoxha banned religion, forbade travel and outlawed private property. Any resistance to his rule was met with brutal retribution, including internal exile, long-term imprisonment or execution.    In light of this past, Albania has made substantial progress toward respect for civil and political rights. Still, five years has not been enough to wipe away the legacy of the Hoxha era. The complete absence under communism of independent courts, a free media and human rights mechanisms poses a serious challenge to Albanian democracy today. More seriously, the one-party mentality is still deeply ingrained in many of the country's new leaders: critics of the ruling Democratic Party are often regarded as critics of “democracy.” As a result, Albanian citizens are still plagued by serious human rights violations, such as restrictions on freedom of expression and association, manipulation of the legal system and violence by the police.
View the introduction and recommendations of this report.
(1606) 3/96, 168 pp., ISBN 1-56432-160-6, $15.00/£12.95
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The Greek Minority
There has been a marked deterioration in relations between Albania and Greece since 1993. At the center of the dispute is the treatment of the Greek minority living in Albania and this report documents their situation. Despite these external pressures, relations between the local Greek and Albanian communities in Albania have, on the whole, been peaceful, but as with the general level of democracy in Albania, many serious problems remain. Greek minority organizations experienced some restrictions on freedom of assembly, religion and expression, and the Albanian police and secret service improperly charged, detained, and interrogated some Greeks in southern Albania.
View the introduction and recommendations of this report.>
(D704) 2/95, 20 pp., $3.00/£1.95
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Albania
In advance of Albania’s first contested elections under Communist rule on March 31, we took part in a fact-finding mission from March 7 to March 12 as part of the first team of independent human rights investigators to have officially visited the country. The delegation, sponsored by the Vienna-based International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights, met with senior government officials, including President Ramiz Alia; toured several prison and labor camps; conducted confidential interviews with current and former prisoners convicted of both political and common crimes; spoke extensively with members of opposition political parties and other newly founded independent organizations; and investigated several recent killings by Albanian security forces.
(D306) 4/91, 17 pp., $3.00/£1.95
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