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When bandits wear uniforms, the state should not see

2026-05-31 09:25:00, Opinione Ardi Stefa

The abduction and ruthless rape of a protesting citizen, like the one yesterday in Zvërnec, in broad daylight and in front of the eyes of the State Police, by masked individuals posing as members of a private police force, is one of those events that show us the true face of Albanian reality; it is a scandalous and bandittic act that proves how frightening the situation is and what the real state of democracy is in Albania.

Yesterday's act is the consequence of deep-seated causes! It is not simply an incident. Nor an excess of powers. It is a much more dangerous phenomenon. Of the creation of structures that act above the law, in the face of the law and, in some cases, with the arrogance of those who believe that the law does not affect them.

I am not entering into the discussion of whether the property was looted, is private, has proper documents or not. This is another issue, which requires transparency, thorough, fair and impartial investigations.

The problem is that in a country that claims to build the rule of law and integrate into the European Union, private police cannot behave like a paramilitary force. They cannot kidnap citizens. They cannot hold them hostage. They cannot exercise physical violence. They cannot decide for themselves who has the right to protest and who does not. And, above all, they cannot attack the State Police themselves in broad daylight with spray or other means.

When a private structure manages to act as a paramilitary organization, then we must ask ourselves as a society: Who created the conviction in masked bandits, drugged mercenaries, that they can behave like a state within a state and that they can do this without consequences?

Therefore, the reaction of the State Police was necessary and fair. But administrative reactions or public statements are not enough. The problem is not solved with verbal distancing, apologies or justifications. Nor with the dismissal of a police chief. The problem is solved with arrests, with full investigations and with exemplary punishments of all those who insult the state and kill democracy.

Because when citizens are violated in front of institutions; when people in masks take over functions that belong only to the state; when private force behaves as a public authority, the border between the state and the jungle begins to disappear.

If these gangsters do not face justice, the message given to society that “The law is not the same for everyone” is clear and not at all hopeful. And this is the beginning of the end of any functional democracy.

Therefore, there is no longer any room for lukewarm statements, observations or advice. Law enforcement bodies must act urgently! SPAK must act! The Ombudsman must act! Every institution that has a constitutional obligation to protect the rights of citizens must act!

In the face of such an act, it is not enough to say you are concerned. Either the law is established, or the jungle is accepted.

But if there is no reaction against the cause, this consequence will feed the media with a few clicks and then be forgotten./ CNA