Residents and activists of the villages of Zall Gjoçaj and Lufaj protested in front of the Lezha Court against the lawsuit filed by the private company against three protesters, claiming that this move is intended to intimidate and silence them.
Residents and activists of the villages of Zall-Gjoçaj in Mat and Lufaj in Mirditë protested on Wednesday in front of the Lezha Court, in support of three protesters who have been sued for defamation by the company "Seka Hydropower", which is building a hydroelectric power plant in this area.
Residents placed a black ribbon over a megaphone as a symbolic sign, considering the lawsuit an attempt to silence them. “Free speech is not a crime!” was the message of the residents of Zall Gjocaj displayed on a banner.
Dhimitër Koleci, one of the residents sued, told BIRN that while residents' complaints against the private company have been lying in prosecutors' offices for years, the company's lawsuits against them have immediately set the justice institutions in motion.
"We have not ruined the image of the firm, but it has ruined it itself since the beginning of the works, by destroying a national park," said Koleci.
"This is open pressure from the firm to silence activists and residents, not to speak out and not to protest," he added.
Such lawsuits are mainly classified as SLAPPs – strategic lawsuits against public participation with the aim of silencing critics through intimidation and financial penalties. Since last year, the European Union has adopted a new regulation against SLAPP lawsuits, considering them abusive lawsuits.
According to Flutura Kusari, a media law lawyer, the lawsuit against the Zall Gjocaj protesters is a baseless lawsuit that aims to intimidate people who have raised their voices through protests.
“Their statements are an expression of their assessments of the damage caused to the environment by hydropower plants, and the right to freedom of expression guarantees them the opportunity to protest and express their opinions,” Kusari told BIRN.
"The lawsuit is a message to all those who want to raise their voices. I hope that the Court in Lezha will dismiss this lawsuit," she added.
Even the protesting residents consider the lawsuit a form of pressure, while demanding fair treatment from the court.
"We demand equal justice, as the Constitution has it, as our lawsuits are sleeping in the drawers of the prosecutor's office and the courts. That company has taken away our water and destroyed everything. They cannot shut us up and we will pursue this case to the death, as a massacre has truly taken place in that area," said Adem Xhokola, another resident sued by the company.
During the protest in front of the Lezha Court, protesting residents complained that the construction works for the HPP have made the area almost uninhabitable.
"I spent my whole life there and that place is very wonderful, but the hydroelectric power plants have completely destroyed it. It has caused us terrible consequences, as there is no water in the summer. Agriculture and livestock have been devastated," said a resident of the village of Lufaj.
The residents of the village of Zall Gjoçaj have been waging a years-long battle to block the construction of the hydroelectric power plant, which they say threatens the national park and the life of the community.
The company "Seka Hydropower" recently responded with a lawsuit against Dhimitër Kolec, Adem Xhokola and Jorgji Locaj, claiming that with their public statements they have defamed, insulted and damaged the company's image.
This Wednesday's court session failed to reconcile the parties, while the case went to trial with the first session scheduled for December 15, 2025. /BIRN/
