The Court of Tirana has accepted the request to proceed with an abbreviated trial for the police officer who shot dead a 25-year-old man during lockdown hours on December 9.
Under Albanian procedural law, in an “abbreviated trial,” the defendant has the right to be judged through an accelerated procedure that does not require a detailed examination of the facts that were submitted as evidence during the preliminary investigation. It benefits the defendant as it allows their sentence to be reduced by 1/3 and makes a life sentence impossible.
In March 2021, the same court decided to try police officer Nevaldo Hajdaraj for the premeditated murder of Klodian Rasha.
His defense requested an abbreviated trial, and for the charge to be changed from “premeditated murder” to “murder by excessive force in self-defense.”
The police alleged that “Klodian Rasha was outside during curfew hours and he was shot twice after refusing to obey orders issued by the police.” They also added that “[Rasha] ran away and pointed a hard object that looked like a firearm towards the police officer.”
The Police officer was then arrested and accused of homicide committed in excess of those required for self-defense.
The Service for International Affairs and Complaints stated that the officer’s actions were in contradiction to standard procedures for the use of firearms.
Following Rasha’s death, Albanians took to the streets in Tirana and across several cities to protest the police shooting.
The Minister of Interior, Sandër Lleshaj, resigned after sustained calls for his dismissal during the protests.
