Albanian police said 33 people were arrested in connection with the seventh day of protests in Tirana, as allegations of abuse in custody added to scrutiny of the government’s response.
The Albanian State Police said on Oct. 20 that six minors were among those arrested in connection with the Oct. 19 protest. It counted seven injured officers and said arrests across the seven days had reached 271.
Independent TV and Balkanweb reported that officers deployed water cannons during the clashes. Independent TV also reported the use of tear gas and said protesters hurled stones at police.
Albania’s Office of the Ombudsman said police detained 50 people on Oct. 19, including 18 minors. Its detention figure measures something different from the police’s arrest count. The office also reported that 21 officers received treatment at Tirana’s Trauma Hospital, a separate measure from the police’s injury tally.
Among eight minors held at one police station, five accused officers of physical and verbal mistreatment. Ombudsman monitors recorded signs of injury in two of those cases. The office described its findings as preliminary.
High school and university students have joined the wider movement seeking Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation. Deutsche Welle reported that education costs, university conditions and poor employment prospects were among students’ grievances. The current wave of protests followed months of demonstrations.
Interior Minister Ervin Demo said on Oct. 19 that 295 people, including 186 officers, had been injured over the preceding six days. His tally covered the period before the seventh day of protests.
The European Commission condemned attacks on institutions and property in an Oct. 18 statement and urged authorities to respond within the law and in proportion to the violence. The ombudsman said its investigation was continuing.
