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A
shameful and tendentious attack against the
human rights activist and defender of rule of
law principles in Albania
03.06.2008
One of the daily newspapers, for
several days now, has been attacking in a
tendentious way one of Albania's human rights
activists and defender of the principles of the
rule of law, Mr. Niazi Jaho.
The presented claims are untrue,
a distortion of reality, and intentional.
Mr. Jaho is a member of the
Albanian Helsinki Committee since 1995. A jurist
by profession, he has had and has the civil
courage to defend human rights and freedoms; he
is a researcher and critic of Albanian
legislation and issues of constitutionality in
Albania.
In 1956, Mr. Niazi Jaho was
sentenced for “hostile and anti-party”
activities in the Conference of Tirana and was
sent to Elbasan as an assistant prosecutor.
While holding that position, he was under
scrutiny and trust in him was reserved.
In 1974, as an “anti-party”
person, he was sent to the Cooperative of Pajova
and then to that of Gjoçaj in Peqin, where he
remained until 1983, the year he retired.
According to a decision of the
Council of Ministers of the time, due to his
“hostile anti-party” activity he was assigned a
minimal pension. After 1983 and until 1989, his
request for a residence permit in Tirana, where
he lived, was rejected.
During the period the author of
the story refers to regarding the processes of
Spaç and Burrel, Mr. Jaho was a worker in the
agricultural cooperative of the district of
Elbasan and he could not have been the person
sentencing the participants in the revolt.
For the Albanian Helsinki
Committee, the attacks against this personality
of justice and protection of human rights are
carried out because of his public engagement in
the protection of human rights and freedoms,
because of the civil courage displayed in
discussing issues of a legal and constitutional
character. They come in the heels of provoking
and threatening phone calls made to Mr. Jaho by
anonymous persons for some time now.
For the Albanian Helsinki
Committee, it is clear that certain segments of
politics and some media outlet do not like free
speech and the professional approach to legal
and constitutional issues.
For special civil merits, as a
distinguished intellectual of jurisprudence, as
a dedicated defender of the basic values and
principles of the Republic of Albania, Mr. Jaho
received an award by the former President of the
Republic of Albania.
In 2008, Mr. Bamir Topi,
President of the Republic, awarded Mr. Jaho the
order “Great Master” with the motivation “For
outstanding scientific and professional merits
in the building and consolidation of the
democratic rule of law and his active role in
defense of human rights.”
The award by the President of the
Republic is an appreciation by this institution
of free speech, protection of the constitution,
and the strengthening of the rule of law in
Albania.
The President of the Republic of
Albania appreciated the individual for his
contribution to the society and not because of
party affiliation or political beliefs.
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