The Ombudsman, Endrit Shabani, today received a group of activists who have exercised their constitutional right to protest and against whom the police have initiated criminal proceedings. Based on their complaint, the institution has initiated the verification of the actions of the police so far.

The activists claim that the proceedings against them are unfounded and aim to discourage their right to protest.

The Ombudsman is assessing whether these police actions meet the principles of proportionality and necessity, according to the Constitution of the Republic of Albania and Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

"The right to peacefully protest is a fundamental right and must be guaranteed at all costs. When the police prosecute citizens only because they protested, the burden of proof is not on the protesters but on the police, who must prove that they have actually violated the law", declared Shabani.

The Ombudsman will continue the administrative investigation into the police's conduct to ensure that in any case the right to assembly is not violated.