Albanian lawyers have said they will protest if their demands are not considered regarding the proposal to merge five appeal courts, several courts of the first instance, and some administrative courts.
The country’s Chamber of Advocates announced on Monday that it would boycott trials for four days in protest against the High Judicial Council’s plans to redraw the judicial map of the country.
“With this decision, all the problems and arguments presented by the governing bodies of the central and local chambers during the process of discussing the draft at the national level were openly ignored,” the Albanian Bar Association President Max Haxhia said in a statement.
Lawyers say the reform will create problems in citizens’ access to justice. The reform would include establishing a General Court of Appeal in Tirana while merging district appeal courts. According to lawyers, this would prevent citizens from remote areas from attending cases or following them.
The Ministry of Justice has called for lawyers to support the initiative, “What we expect from the National Chamber of Advocates is that every lawyer contributes to the implementation of the new judicial map, once it is approved by the government and entered into force.”
Justice Minister Ulsi Manja said lawyers had been involved in the consultation process and some of their views had been taken into account. Lawyers however maintain the consultation process was biased and ignored the views of the Albanian Bar Association. They call on the government to listen to their demands and warn the four-day boycott is just the first step.
The reform will see five appellate courts throughout the country become only one in Tirana. The Tirana appeals court already has waiting lists of several years for cases. It also merges four administrative courts into two, one in Tirana and one in Lushnje.
