Citizens and representatives of civil society protested today in front of the Presidential Palace against the amendment of Criminal Procedural Code art. 449. Armed with slogans such as “Crime deserves punishment,” “No to Art. 449,” “Why Is Politics Silent about Art. 449?” the protesters asked President Bujar Nishani not to sign the amendments to the Criminal Procedural Code approved by Parliament on March 30.
The protesters warned against “amnesty effect” that the amendment will have, prohibiting the reopening of a trial based on new and crucial evidence if the outcome would be a higher sentence. The protesters handed in an official request to the President and have started an online petition against the decreeing of the amendment of art. 449.
The amendment of Art. 449 was approved by the Parliamentary Committee of Legal Affairs and is nearly completely the contrary of the variant proposed by the Ministry of Justice and the international EURALIUS mission. The amendment was passed as part of the judicial reform.
