Yesterday evening LGBT activists have protested at the Ministry of Justice, throwing red paint to the building.
The activists protested against the government because of the murder of Fildes Hafizi by her former husband. Despite her appeals, Hafizi failed to receive protection from the police, and her former husband was released early from prison after amnesty passed by the government.
The LGBT activists have many other issues to worry about as well. Despite explicit promises made during the election campaign in 2013 and an Action Plan funded by the Council of Europe, failed to implement same-sex partnership legislation, as well as a number of other legal reforms which had bipartisan support.
A 2015 report from the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance notes that in spite of the implementation of the Action Plan, support for the improvement of the human rights situation of the LGBT minority, as well as women and other minority groups such as Roma and Egyptians, still rests solely on international and NGO funding, with the Albanian government failing to assign any concrete budget lines.
Moreover, the dismantlement of the Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth has not only resulted in the destruction of four years of EU investments and capacity building, but also leaves 5 action plans, with a total value of more than €20 million, without any coordinating institution.
