Prime Minister Edi Rama has announced a new package of measures against those involved in acts of violence during protests, but this time the punishments he mentioned are not limited to protesters. According to Rama, the families of minors could also suffer the consequences, who he warned will be denied state services.
On the ninth day of protests, the prime minister spoke about creating a registry of violent individuals, restricting their access to airports, hotels, trains and other means of transportation, as well as cooperating with European Union countries to ban them from entering their territory.
"The bill will come to the family, the family will pay. The family of a minor who comes and burns another's property will not receive services from the state," Rama declared.
The Prime Minister also warned of the use of technology to identify protesters who cover their faces, as well as people who, according to him, incite violence through anonymous profiles on social networks.
"We will detect those who are wearing hoods, even if they stay in their hoods, even if they cover their entire face, because we will follow them foot by foot, except for the eyes of technology," he said.
Rama accused the protesters who attacked banks and ATMs of acting according to a "diabolical scenario" to incite panic, claiming that they were trying to take the money inside the ATMs.
But the strongest part of the statement was the warning about restricting a number of rights and services for people the government will register as violent.
"We will register violent people, we will close many of their access to airports, hotels, trains, all means of transportation. And we will cooperate, and we have started working with EU countries, to ban access to those countries as violent people," the prime minister declared.
Rama did not clarify on what legal basis these restrictions will be imposed, who will determine the persons to be included in the register, and whether the measures will first require a court decision.
Likewise, it remains unclear how state services can be denied to family members for actions committed by a minor, when criminal responsibility is individual.
At the end of the statement, Rama again called for dialogue, citing the 2018 student protest as an example.
Ndërsa kryeministri flet për dialog dhe ballafaqim demokratik, paralajmërimi i tij për një regjistër të protestuesve, kufizimin e lëvizjes dhe ndëshkimin e familjarëve hap një debat shumë më të gjerë: deri ku mund të shkojë shteti në emër të luftës kundër dhunës dhe kush do ta kontrollojë përdorimin e këtyre masave?
