We cooperate with professional watchdog organisations that provide legal aid and lobby for legislative changes. Another focus area in Albania is to strengthen media ethics through trainings and by organising debates on the issue of self-regulation.
Read about the current human rights situation in our country report Human rights in Albania
Civil Rights Defenders is organising a two-day regional conference in cooperation with Transparency International Bosnia and Herzegovina (TI BiH) on the theme “The role of civil society, citizens and media in the Western Balkans: Challenges as an opportunity“. The conference will be held in Sarajevo, November 22-23. Journalists, activists and civil society organisations from the [...]
Albania aims at joining the EU, but much remains to be done before that can happen. In cooperation with the Albanian Helsinki Committee for Human Rights (AHC) we monitor and assess dismissals of public employees in local and central administration.
Human Rights Defenders and LGBT activists from all over the world gather in Stockholm during Pride. We have invited ten activists from six countries with the aim to support their struggle against discrimination and their quest for the rights that some of us take for granted.
Widespread lack of respect for human rights, in particular discrimination against vulnerable groups, remains of great concern in Albania. We believe that the media can play an important role in raising awareness about human rights and mobilizing civic engagement.
In Albania a Law on Legal Aid was adopted in December 2008 and entered into force in April 2009. At the moment, however, access to justice is not equal for all citizens. The lack of access to justice is affecting the Roma population and other minorities more negatively than other groups. Together with Tirana Legal [...]
LGBT issues are generally silenced in Albania, and the lives of LGBT persons are marked by isolation and lack of support. In order to terminate their isolation we work actively to promote and empower the LGBT community in cooperation with the organisation Aleanca.
Disadvantaged citizens in Albania are often facing different forms of discrimination by duty holders. They are also subjected to violence, inhuman and degrading treatment and offered poor legal representation in courts. To improve the rule of law in Albania we provide a legal clinic, in collaboration with the Albanian Helsinki Committee, where we offer free [...]
Every year we organise trainings for our partners. This year our partners in Albania and Kosovo received training in public speech. The aim was to improve their presentation skills, when advocating and presenting findings and problems, and to inspire them to find new ways of communicating. The training consisted of many practical exercises, among other [...]
On the 21st of January a demonstration organized by the opposition and held in Tirana ended in violent clashes between police forces and demonstrators. As a result, four persons were killed and large numbers were injured both among the protesters and the police. Many demonstrators were detained. It is not clear when they will be [...]
Our cooperation with the Albanian Helsinki Committee for Human Rights (AHC) in this specific project aims at improving the situation regarding protection against discrimination in Albania. We do this by raising capacities of our legal aid partners and the Institution of the Commissioner against Discrimination in handling cases of discrimination as well as increase the capacities of lawyers, people from public structures and civil society to understand and follow cases of discrimination.
Albania has adopted an all-inclusive anti-discrimination law and we raise need to awareness on the new law particularily among faculty students and professors as well as teachers and pupils from high schools for it to be effective in protecting against discrimination.
Civil Rights Defenders exhibition ”Our Rights” will be shown at the fifth edition of the International Human Rights Film Festival in Albania. Our Programme Officer Peter Mossop will be participating at the festival. The organizers themselves present the ideas and aims of the festival in the following way: Human Rights in Albania have been an [...]
(Updated in September 2010) The parliamentary election held in June 2009, has had far reaching consequences for political developments in Albania. OSCE described the election as marking progress compared to past elections, but not fully realizing international standards. The Democratic Party (DP) won a narrow victory over the Socialist Party (SP), which still does not [...]
On April 20 the European Court of Human Rights condemned Albania for having violated the right to a fair trial and the prohibition against torture in the case Lika and Laska vs Albania.
On March 23, 2010 the Albanian Constitutional Court decided to abolish the controversial Lustration Law (targeting former officials of the communist regime) as incompatible with the Albanian constitution. The abolition is a success for our partner Albanian Helsinki Committee (AHC).
Our cooperation with Centre for Legal and Civil Initiatives, CLCI, aims at increasing women’s access to justice. This is done by providing free legal assistance, monitoring the implementation of the Law on domestic violence, and organising awareness raising activities in regard to women’s rights among the general population.
With the aim to improve Albanian media’s ethical conduct, and contribute to an increased self-regulation of media, we organise in-house training courses on ethics and self-regulation for media outlets together with our partner Albanian Media Institute. These trainings are a supplement to the efforts of establishing and implementing a formalised self-regulation mechanism in the country.
Since 2006 Civil Rights Defenders has cooperated with Tirana Legal Aid Society, TLAS, in assisting Roma families to register their children, but also other members of the families, in order to help them get access to some of the most fundamental human rights; such as the right to education, health care, social allowances, as well as the possibility to get a legal employment and the right to vote in general elections. Hundreds of families have been assisted through our joint efforts so far.
Albanias new all-inclusive anti-discrimination law bans discrimination on the grounds of various characteristics, such as political, religious or philosophical beliefs, disability, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity.
In cooperation with Albanian Disability Rights Foundation we provide legal aid to persons with disabilities, and to their families. Our efforts include raising awareness and recognition of human rights by spreading information to stakeholders that are one way or the other involved in disability issues, but also to the general public.
The address to a shelter for victims of domestic violence was revealed on TV, endangering the safety of the victims as well as the staff of the shelter. In a letter we urge the Minister of Justice to protect victims of domestic violence as well as human rights defenders in Albania.
Civil Rights Defenders partner Albanian Disability Rights Foundation (ADRF), has received the “Albanian Leadership Award 2009″ for its efforts within civil society. The prize is awarded to highlight positive role models and innovations that strengthen ethical standards in Albanian society.
A well known albanian journalist was brutally attacked following a series of reports about tax evasion, unlawful privatisation and oil smuggling. We demand from the authorities to investigate the case and bring those responsible before justice.
Bambuser
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube