Search Results for: Albania

Before the United States withdrew its forces from Afghanistan last August, Najla Raheel was a busy lawyer specializing in assisting victims of domestic violence. She dedicated her free time to serving on legislative committees to strengthen protections for women’s rights. She also served in the upper echelons of the country’s nascent independent bar association. But [...]

The UN Security Council Wednesday failed to adopt a Russia-drafted resolution for civilian protection and humanitarian aid access to those impacted by the war in Ukraine which failed to mention Russia’s role in creating the war. Of the 15 UN Security Council members, only Russia and China voted in favor. The other 13 members abstained. [...]

The Russian Federation Friday vetoed a UN Security Council (UNSC) vote to adopt a draft resolution that would end the crisis in Ukraine. The draft was submitted by Albania and the US, and garnered eleven yes votes, with abstentions from China, India, and the UAE. The draft would have deplored the Russian Federation’s invasion of [...]

The Greek government submitted a bill to the country’s Hellenic Parliament Friday in an attempt to increase its territorial waters. The five-article bill is titled, “Determination of the bandwidth of the Aegialitis zone in the maritime region of the Ionian and Ionian Islands up to Cape Coatro of the Peloponnese.” If passed, it would double [...]

Albania’s Parliament voted on Monday to enact electoral reforms to prevent vote manipulation. In recent years, Albania’s elections have been surrounded by allegations of vote-buying and manipulation of ballot counts. These new reforms will apply to Albania’s elections coming on April 25, 2021. The reforms most notably lowered the electoral threshold from 5 percent to [...]

Since its founding in 1959, the European Court of Human Rights — a court of last resort for disenfranchised people battling the power of often repressive regimes — has safeguarded rights and freedoms in its member states, now some 50 countries strong. Over the years, the court has forced reforms in Russian prisons, come to [...]

The EU agreed Tuesday that it would begin membership negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania. The European Affairs Ministers met via video conference led by the Croatian European Affairs Minister, Andreja Metelko-Zgombic. During the conference, the Affairs Ministers agreed to pursue the membership negotiations with the two countries. Metelko-Zgombic stated, “It was my great pleasure [...]

Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović said Tuesday that Albania’s proposed anti-defamation legislation, expected to pass this week, is incompatible with freedom of expression. Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) states, “Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and [...]

Judges of the EU Rule of Law Mission (EULEX) in Kosovo issued verdicts in the Drenica I and Drenica II cases on Wednesday and sentenced 11 Kosovo Albanian men to prison. The charges included the...

Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci on Thursday called on the nation's parliament to vote on creating a European Union-backed tribunal to investigate allegations of harvesting organs from dead Serbs during the 1990s Balkans war. In a press...