In a session held this Thursday, the Albanian Parliament approved the draft law for Penal Amnesty. One hundred and sixteen (116) deputies voted in favor of the amnesty, with only one (1) deputy voting against it.
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| The Albanian Parliament during the voting of the law on criminal amnesty |
The bill for amnesty, which required a qualified majority, was passed with the votes of the socialist majority and the opposition led by Berisha-Bardhi group.
The only opposing vote came from Deputy Agron Shehaj, while Deputy Ermonela Felaj abstained.
During today's session, Speaker of Parliament Lindita Nikolla announced that amendments to this draft law were proposed by two democratic deputies, Gazment Bardhi and Enkelejd Alibeaj.
The Parliament also approved Gazment Bardhi's amendment to the amnesty with 111 votes in favor, 3 against, and 1 abstention. This amendment includes the amnesty for the PD protesters convicted, under investigation, or prosecuted until March 31, 2024.
Enkelejd Alibeaj's amendment was not approved, receiving 8 votes in favor, 72 against, and 2 abstentions.
Once the law is published in the Official Gazette, the Penal Amnesty will grant freedom to 700 convicts. In total, 1100 convicts and pre-trial detainees will benefit from this law. Alongside the 700 convicts, 400 others will receive a reduction in sentence ranging from 1.5 to 2 years of imprisonment.
Penal Amnesty has been one of the most discussed issues. It was submitted to the Parliament in December 2023, but disagreement between the parties resulted in the draft's voting being postponed for 3 months.
Minister of Justice, Ulsi Manja, stated during his speech in Parliament that the amnesty will also benefit opposition protesters. He emphasized that individuals serving life imprisonment, those convicted by the GJKKO, and those accused who are fugitives will not benefit from it.