FLASH NEWS
Year-end amnesty/ 380 prisoners released, sentences reduced for 900 others. Categories that do not benefit
2025-12-28 18:47:12 / AKTUALITET
Dear citizens, at the end of this year, the Albanian Government has taken the initiative to approve a criminal amnesty, a legal act based on humanism, social justice and European standards of justice.
This good news for the direct beneficiaries and their families is surely the best wish of this year-end. This amnesty that we will approve is in no way a political concession, but a modern penal policy.
A strong state does not need to keep people in prison who pose no real danger, but to invest in rehabilitation and long-term security. European justice is not measured by the number of prisoners, but by prevention, rehabilitation and reducing the recurrence of criminal offenses.
The amnesty that we will approve in the Council of Ministers is not a random decision. It comes after a detailed analysis of the situation in the criminal justice system, in cooperation with the responsible bodies, and addresses a major concern; the high use of pre-trial detention and the need for a more proportionate and humane approach.
Today, unfortunately, there are around 5 thousand people in the prison system, of whom a significant portion, specifically more than half of them, are pre-trial detainees. This situation requires responsible and immediate intervention, in accordance with European standards and best practices.
Excessive detention is a persistent concern in our penitentiary system, a concern repeatedly raised by the Council of Europe as well as by our European partners. Overcrowding in prisons is not a strength of the state, it is a weakness of the system. This amnesty corrects in a certain way that weakness as we still have work ahead for a modern penal policy that responds to the stage in which Albania is today and tomorrow as a member state of the European Union.
Through this amnesty, the government is taking another preventive and humane act, before the problem turns into a systemic crisis.
More specifically, from the implementation of this amnesty, according to preliminary estimates by the General Directorate of Prisons, around 380 people will benefit from immediate release; and around 900 others will benefit from reduced sentences, while the real number of beneficiaries is even higher, including those who benefit from the suspension of criminal prosecution and alternative measures.
I am particularly happy that these categories of beneficiaries include minors, women, and persons convicted of low-risk social offenses.
The effect is concrete and immediate:
-prison population decreases by almost 7%
-improved treatment, safety and rehabilitation conditions
-and we guarantee greater respect for human dignity
Of course, this amnesty cannot benefit those who have committed serious crimes, corruption or acts of high social risk. Certainly not subjects who have been investigated by SPAK and tried by GJKKO. There is no selective amnesty or favoritism, but clear and transparent legal criteria. Whoever sees amnesty as weakness confuses punishment with justice.
This amnesty is not an apology for breaking the law, but a second chance, given responsibly, for those who can and should return to society and to their families. We believe in fair justice, not for statistics nor at the expense of the disadvantaged, a justice that never loses humanity, and that in spirit and soul is guided by non-negotiable democratic standards. Thank you and happy holidays.
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