TIRANA, Nov 5 /ATA/ Students from the “Students in Protest” and “Student Revolution” groups, together with four civil society organisations, today filed three complaints with the Constitutional Court challenging acts adopted by the government on 28 October 2026.
The students said their challenges concern Normative Acts No. 5/2026 and No. 6/2026, as well as Council of Ministers Decision No. 815/2026, which they argue restrict the right to protest and the space for citizens to express dissent.
The initiative has also been joined by the Res Publica Centre, the Albanian Helsinki Committee (AHC), the Albanian Ornithological Society (AOS) and EcoAlbania.
According to the students, Normative Act No. 5/2026 grants the police powers to ban or restrict protests near public institutions, remove citizens from protected areas, demand the deletion of social media posts and impose fines of up to 500,000 lek.
Meanwhile, Normative Act No. 6/2026 provides, according to the complainants, for the joint and several liability of protest organisers for damage caused by other individuals, as well as the imposition of fines for conduct that took place before these penalties were introduced.
The challenge also targets Council of Ministers Decision No. 815/2026, which, according to the students, establishes a police register that could lead to restrictions on freedom of movement, notification of the countries visited by registered individuals, and the sharing of their personal data with hotel operators.
The students and civil society organisations have asked the Constitutional Court to fast-track the examination of their complaints and suspend the contested provisions pending a final ruling, arguing that the government’s anti-violence package risks penalising even those who have not engaged in violence.
They called on the Constitutional Court to give priority to examining the complaints.
“We are also asking the Court to suspend the implementation of the contested provisions until a final ruling is issued. Even if Parliament approves the normative acts, the complaints do not become moot. We have asked the Court to extend its review to the law ratifying them as well,” another student said.
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