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| An employee browsing the files of the former communist secret service on foreign nationals at the Information Authority on Former State Security Documents in Tirana, on September 14, 2022. |
Ahead of the November holidays in Albania, the Catholic Church has requested from the President of Albania, Bajram Begaj, the Parliament, and the Council of Ministers the drafting and approval of a law that would prohibit the use of communist symbols.
This law also envisions penalties for what is described as "apology crimes," meaning the legal prohibition of "glorifying" dictator Enver Hoxha and communism.
The Catholic Church in Albania seeks to follow the example of Italy and Germany, which have laws for punishing fascism and Nazism.
This request comes on the eve of the November holidays – Independence and Liberation Day of Albania. This debate has been stirred during this period in previous years as communist symbols, such as portraits of dictator Enver Hoxha and the raised fist salute, often appear on such anniversaries.
The Catholic Church also demands that the communist camps or prisons be turned into museums, that the history textbooks be rewritten, and that Albanian films produced during the communist dictatorship, promoting that period, be restricted.
The Church does not seek their prohibition but requests a description or clarification for the public about the time of film production and the fact that they contain communist propaganda.
One of the Catholic Church's demands is that "political persecutees and survivors of prisons receive appropriate recognition" and that the rules for decorations, honorary titles, and medals be clearly defined to avoid the appreciation and elevation of officials from the communist dictatorship.
This discussion was prompted as early as 2015 when high-ranking leaders of the communist dictatorship – figures who had tortured well-known individuals such as Father Zef Pëllumbi – received decorations distributed for the 70th anniversary of the country's liberation.