In the following days, about 40 prisoners are expected to leave the door of prison 313 in Tirana and return to freedom.
For them and 660 others, this will happen when Albanian President, Bajram Begaj signs the decree of the amnesty law, approved on Thursday by the parliament.
Socialists in power and the group of opposition MPs, after several months of negotiations, reached an agreement on amnesty and reduced sentences for more than 400 prisoners. Meanwhile, Top Channel learns that prison officials across the country have started compiling release papers for the beneficiaries.
Lawyer Saimir Vishaj calls this amnesty delayed and evaluates it as very necessary from a social point of view.
“For me, the release of the amnesty is a special day where prisoners or convicts will be reunited with their families and children,” said lawyer Saimir Vishaj.
The limitations of this amnesty, says lawyer Vishaj, are appropriate.
“The amnesty is a fair solution by excluding from it all persons convicted by the Court Against Corruption and Organized Crime, i.e. subjects convicted for false declaration of assets or directors of departments, deputy ministers, ministers and deputy prime ministers investigated or convicted by special anti-corruption bodies. This is the special thing about this amnesty”, added the lawyer.
However, low-level public officials, mainly members of commissions in tenders, benefit from this amnesty.
Prison overcrowding states Saimir Vishaj, is not solved through amnesties.
“We have as a modality from the Albanian courts that for every crime we say prison, prison, prison, but this should only be given in those cases where any other type of security measure is inappropriate”, said Vishaj.
Top Channel
