Justice has not yet been served for “January 21”. The same ritual has been performed for 15 years. Edi Rama, once in opposition and now in power in the 14th year of government, with carnations in his hands, accompanied by the families of the victims of the violent demonstration, stops at the 4 plaques placed in their memory on Dëshmorët e Kombit Boulevard. He repeats the same refrain: that one day justice will be served. But for a decade and a half, for the murders that occurred in the square in front of the prime minister's office, justice has not been fully served.
After the state crime was committed under the lens of the cameras, Sali Berisha initially refused to implement the orders of the Prosecutor General of the time, Ina Rama, to stop the leadership chain of the Republic Guard. While publicly declaring that the murders had been committed at close range, with what he called umbrella pistols.
While the clashes with the woman who headed the prosecution, Sali Berisha was able to buy time and much of the evidence disappeared. The security camera server of the Prime Minister's Office was deleted. Ndrea Prendi, then head of the Republic Guard, changed the parts of the weapon that he fired during the demonstration. During the first criminal trial, he was sentenced to 1 year in prison for manslaughter, while the guard Agim Llupo was sentenced to 3 years in prison. Both were convicted of the murders of Ziver Veizi and Faik Myrtaj. The murders of Hekuran Deda and Aleks Nika remain unsolved.
After much procrastination and delay, SPAK, based on a decision of the Supreme Court, began the investigation after being set in motion by the Nika family. In the last months of 2025, special prosecutors questioned Sali Berisha, former prime minister, Lulzim Basha, former interior minister, and Bamir Topi, former president, for the first time. Ilir Meta also testified, at his own request, even though the violent demonstration of 2011 was organized after the publication of a videotaped video in which Meta himself appeared to be demanding a bribe of 700 thousand euros, but he was later acquitted. The video was recorded by one of his closest associates, Dritan Prifti, who later died.
The investigations are already awaiting two letters of request. One from Italy, where the expert report on the bullet that was removed from the body of Aleks Nika in a hospital in Turkey, where he died a few days after the demonstration, is awaited. And also the expert report on some audio materials that are claimed to be radio communications between the operatives and leaders of the Republican Guard.
The Nika family accuses Sali Berisha of being responsible for the murder of Aleks, who left behind two minor daughters, who 15 years later have still not learned who killed their father and why.
Një drejtësi e vonuar, është drejtësi e mohuar. 21 janari është krim shtetëror. E ndaj, do me çdo kusht që të zbardhet e vërteta. Kush e dha urdhrin të qëllohet mbi protestuesit? Nëse e vërteta nuk do të dalë në dritë, “21 janari” do të jetë një njollë e zezë, jo vetëm mbi atë që njihet si drejtësia e vjetër, por edhe për drejtësinë e re. Sepse një krim, sado perfekt të jetë, gjithmonë e lë një gjurmë.
