Changes to the Criminal Code, Rama: 10 years of justice reform, today we must correct the weaknesses

The presentation of the new legislative package for changes to the Code of Criminal Procedure has begun. Prime Minister Edi Rama emphasised improving the functioning of justice.

In his speech, he said the justice reform has brought results, but has also exposed weaknesses that require intervention.

He said the new package also touches on the presumption of innocence and is linked to the recommendations of European mechanisms for the prevention of torture. Rama also emphasised that Albania continues to have a high burden in the use of pre-trial detention.

“We changed the Constitution and the liberation of justice from political power. The justice reform demolished the edifice of power. Today, after 10 years, we have seen, heard and learned a lot. We have seen the strength of the reform, but also the weaknesses that emerged from the confrontation with reality. The burden of the great turning point of the justice reform has been worth it. 10 years demolished the 100-year cult of impunity. 10 years ago we handed justice the sword. Today we must take a more modest step. The judiciary must not put power before justice. This is the first intervention that changes the presumption of innocence. The start of concrete discussions on this package was prompted by European mechanisms for the prevention of torture. Even today, if you ask which country bears the greatest burden of pre-trial detention, the answer comes back more bitter: ‘Albania’,” Rama said.