Gay parade in Tirana

The “Gazeta Shqiptare” newspaper asked some human right activists, among them Mr. Spahiu, about their opinion on this movement. The Deputy Minister of Defense decalred that he has no other comment about them, besides “beating them with police batons”.

The Ombudsman condemned this stance of Mr. Ekrem Spahia, and suggested him to apologize in public.

“The Ombudsman asked this high rank government official to declare his stance about the truth of this quote and make a public apology. The Ombudsman strongly condemns every declaration of this type that has nothing on common with the spirit of tolerance, coexistence and diversity, as traditional values of the Albanian society. Besides this, similar declarations incite violence and turn into a penal act”, declared the Spokesperson of the Ombudsman, Elona Demollari.

This declaration of the Deputy Minister of Defense has also been condemned by the Commissioner for Defense from Discrimination, Irma Baraku, and representatives from the Alliance against Discrimination.

“The Commissioner’s Office reacts through this declaration through institutional ways by starting an investigation of the facts”, Baracku declared.

“We want to remind to Mr. Ekrem Spahia that through him and many other state officials that such declarations violate article 266 of the penal code, which foresees that inciting hate and disrupting the public order through declarations that incite violence or inspire hate are punished with 5 years to prison. We are determined to ask the implementation of this penal code specific article”, declared Kristi Pinderi from the Alliance Against Discrimination.

The Commissioner’s office has started the investigation of the Deputy Minister of Defense.

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