The American Department of State condemns the Albanian Government’s interference in the judiciary
Yesterday, at the address of the Socialist Party in Tirana, a fax arrived from Washington, in which the concern of the U.S. Department of State about recent events in Albania is made known, events that have seriously undermined the independence of the justice system from the political power of the Albanian government. The latest assessment by the U.S. Department of State follows the request President Clinton made to S. Berisha to strengthen the institutional and political independence of the judicial system. The Socialist Party has highly valued this request by President Clinton and the American administration, because it is convinced that without an independent judicial system, the rule of law cannot be built.
The U.S. Department of State condemns the Albanian Government’s interference in the judiciary
“On September 25, in parallel démarches in Tirana and Washington, the U.S. expressed to the Albanian authorities its deep concern regarding the forced removal from office of the President of the Court of Cassation, Zef Brozi.
Although the Albanian authorities claim that there was a legal basis for Zef Brozi’s removal from office, the decision to remove him clearly appears to have been made chiefly for political reasons, and it represents an unjust interference in the judicial branch by the government.
We call on the Albanian government to take action through the adoption of the necessary legislation to ensure the independence of the judiciary from the other branches of government”.
For more details, read on page 3
The photos show Bill Clinton, an official at a podium, Zef Brozi, and another male portrait[?].