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| Protesters in Tirana after the murder of Klodian Rasha |
Ambassadors of Albania's friendly countries have appealed today to support the investigation into the murder of 25-year-old Klodian Rasha by a police officer two days ago.
The Ambassador of the European Union, Luigi Soreca reacted to the murder of 25-year-old Klodian Rasha through a post on social networks.
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| Luigi Soreca in an interview in Tirana (archive) |
"Very saddened by the events of last days. My thoughts are with Klodian Rasha’s family. It is now crucial that this tragic event is properly investigated and justice is done, and the concerns expressed peacefully are heard. But violence should be avoided at any rate, by all sides".
The Ambassador of the United States of America, Yuri Kim, also reacted regarding the murder of 25-year-old Klodian Rasha during the pursuit by a police officer.
After the meeting with the police chief and the leaders of the opposition, Ambassador Kim said that a full and transparent investigation is needed into this tragedy. The US diplomat also called on the opposition to reject the violence that followed the killing of the young man.
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| Yuri Kim profile picture; credit: Facebook |
"The death of Klodian Rasha is a tragedy, and we extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends. Ambassador Kim spoke today with Prime Minister Rama, Police Director Veliu, Democratic Party Chairman Basha, and LSI Chairwoman Kryemadhi to discuss the rights of citizens and the responsibili-ties of leaders. She underlined that those in power have the responsibility to provide a full and trans-parent investigation into the incident, to exercise restraint in protecting public safety and property, and to ensure accountability in all cases. In this respect, we note that authorities have apprehended the offi-cer in question and launched an investigation. Those seeking to be in power should demonstrate their ability to lead in a responsible manner, including by rejecting violence. Those who have been in power in the past should not compound past mistakes by suggesting that violence is acceptable. The U.S. "Embassy calls on all sides to exercise restraint, in keeping with their responsibilities, so that the rights of all Albanian people are protected and that their voices, including in protest, are able to be expressed and to be heard without violence."
After the US and EU ambassadors, the German ambassador in Tirana, Peter Zingraf, also reacted to the murder of 25-year-old Klodian Rasha by the police.
Meanwhile, Zingraf says that violence can not be the solution for this event.
The events of the past few days fill me with worry and sadness. The death of the young man also affected me very much. It is important and right that this incident is now properly investigated. My thoughts are with the victim's family.
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| Peter Zingraf in a media release in Tirana, May 2020. |
But what the tragic case also teaches us - violence cannot be the solution. The free exercise of the right to demonstrate is central to any democracy. But even when it comes to very emotional and elementary things: only peaceful demonstrations are democratically legitimized. I call on all sides to refrain from violence".