In today’s plenary session, an interpellation with Prime Minister Edi Rama has been requested by eight parliamentary opposition MPs.
They will ask the following questions:
- How many police officers were injured during the protests in December 2020?
- How many young people over 18 were arrested?
- How my minors were detained?
- Why did you ask to be present with Klodian Rasha’s family?
- What is the total number of deaths and those affected by COVID-19, what measures has the government taken to cope with and manage the severe pandemic situation, in particular with relation to the increasing confirmed cases?
The questions come following the large protests that took place over the course of a week in December 2020. They occurred after a policeman murdered a young man, Klodian Rasha, who was out after curfew. The police were criticized for the use of excessive force and tear gas, as well as arresting and detaining minors and media workers. There were cases where those detained claimed the police exercised violence against them.
In terms of the COVID-19 questions, the number of deaths has continued to rise as has the number of cases. Furthermore, data from INSTAT for 2020 showed an increase in deaths of around 25% in 2020, equating to more than 6000 “excess deaths”, yet the government only declared around 1300 resulting from COVID-19 by the end of the year.
