By Desada Metaj
For weeks, the President of the Republic, Bajram Begaj, has been holding hostage the oath of the new member of the Constitutional Court, Asim Vokshi, who recently, for visible or invisible interests, has become a target for national TV that justifies attacks below the belt with freedom of expression.
Let's say it from the beginning: what is happening to Asim Vokshi, the youngest member of the Constitutional Court, is a constitutional aggression with features of institutional conspiracy.
He was quietly elected by the Supreme Court, through a regular and transparent procedure. Even there, paradoxically, he was somewhat “betrayed” by his own colleagues: eight or nine of them voted for the candidate outside the system, Ms. Naureda Llagami, while Vokshi, who works alongside them every day, received only six votes. A silent but significant surprise.
Since that moment, an avalanche of attacks has been launched against him. The first comes from the President of the Republic, who, without any legal or moral reason, has refused to hold the formal oath-taking ceremony — a protocol act that costs him nothing, but which, in his absence, truncates the composition of the Constitutional Court.
President Begaj, with this delay, not only damages the functioning of the institution, but also places himself in an unenviable position vis-à-vis the dignity of the Presidency. It is clear that his delay serves someone else — perhaps Ms. Llagami — by giving her time to lead the case into an endless judicial spiral, where Asim can remain blocked, while Ms. Holta Zaçaj can continue to remain beyond her expired mandate as a member and president of the Court.
Another front of attack comes from a national television station, which under the guise of "media freedom", has launched a denigrating campaign, presenting Vokshi as a "spy" or part of "intelligence".
These are not just media attacks. They are coordinated acts to tarnish the image of a judge and to attack the institution of the Constitutional Court itself. They are coordinated attacks – with allies from within and an orchestrated chorus from without – for political, financial or even organized crime-related motives.
And all this is happening at a time when SPAK has opened a new season of attacks, regardless of political wing. Many of these issues may soon go before the Constitutional Court. Therefore, this campaign is not a coincidence, but a nervous reaction of the system that feels that the end is approaching.
In this climate, no one can remain silent. Not even Asim Vokshi.
We recall here the case of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh in the US, appointed to the Supreme Court by President Donald Trump in 2019.
At the time, Trump's political opponents, the US Democrats in the Senate, accused him of sexually harassing a teenage classmate. Kavanaugh, in front of the Senate, the media and public opinion, defended his name and integrity with dignity, refuting the accusations with argument and moral stance. He faced them openly, calmly and decisively - an example of a judge who knows that personal integrity is the foundation of institutional legitimacy.
This example is worth underlining that the attacks on Asim Vokshi today have exceeded every ethical and legal limit. Today, the injustice against him is not only committed by the President, or Naureda Llagami, or any particular media, but also by the silence of other institutions that were supposed to protect the process and constitutional integrity.
Asim can no longer remain silent. Not to protect himself as an individual, but to protect the legitimacy of the process through which he was elected, and with it, the dignity of the Constitutional Court itself. This is a test he cannot avoid.
The Constitutional Court has been the arena of major confrontations in the past — over preserving democracy, guaranteeing free elections, limiting political power, and issues related to corruption and organized crime, brought about by SPAK investigations.
In some cases it has managed to preserve the state's face and the public's interests, in others it has failed. And the failures have often come due to a lack of courage, political dependence, or personal blackmail against some of its members.
A new member who would enter the same model would not bring anything new. Therefore, an Asim who stands up straight and faces the truth is much more necessary today than a hunched Asim who is silent.
It is quite clear why these accusations are erupting now. On November 11, the Constitutional Court is expected to consider the case of Naureda Llagami. Either the spiral of manipulations will end there, or it will continue to engulf the few free segments in its vortex.
But what has already happened with the accusations against Asim Vokshi and against the Supreme Court itself is a separate story, requiring a public and institutional response.
The first to speak is Asim himself. The second, the Supreme Court, which elected him. And then the Judicial Appointments Council, which is responsible for the transparency of the process.
"Spy stories" are old in this politically and institutionally immature country. Blackmail with security files is a scar of the communist era, which returns whenever the government feels the danger of losing control.
But a democracy cannot survive on the ghosts of the Sigurimi, SHIK, or any of the Prime Minister's minions, nor on fear and compromise.
The Constitutional Court belongs neither to the SP nor to the DP. It is not a soccer ball that the President, Naureda, or those who use them, can kick according to the interests of the day.
It is the guarantor of the fundamental rights of every Albanian citizen. And when this institution is attacked through intrigue, delays, or slander, it is our rights that are jeopardized along with it.
Therefore, today is the time to speak up — and to speak out loud.
This is the true test of integrity. It is the moment to show that there are still people with courage in this country who do not bow to political, media or criminal pressure.
Just as Brett Kavanaugh did in America, here too, an Asim Vokshi who speaks with dignity, a Supreme Court that must react strongly, and a KED that must be transparent to the public, can become symbols of protecting justice and the Republic itself from blackmail and capture!
