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Those responsible should be held
accountable –
Conflict should be prevented
Tirana, 23
January 2006
According to
information from the print and broadcast media, inhabitants of the village of
Nepravishtė, Gjirokastėr, protested against “Alfa-Glina,”when the latter began
installation of water pipes to take out drinkable water from the source of “Vriz”.
Reportedly, the water
pipes were to take out 4-6 liters of water per second, and the water would
afterwards be bottled. According to the village inhabitants, this would
seriously harm their interests, particularly, considering that it is state
property and their consent should have been obtained on an issue related to
their needs.
Police and rapid
intervention forces arrived at the site. Instead of preventing the conflict, the
use of violence by police forces further inflamed the situation. Footage aired
by private TV stations evidently showed the use of violence toward inhabitants
in the protest, although Gjirokastėr Police officials claimed that inhabitants
had in fact attacked the police forces. In the confrontation, 4-5 other
individuals were hurt, beside Member of Parliament Vangjel Tavo.
The AHC is hereby
reacting toward this happening that could and should have been prevented. This
conflict is an early one. The AHC is also reacting because the Committee has had
to publicly denounce the maltreatment of citizens by police officers several
times.
The AHC also commends
the immediate assessment of this happening by Interior Minister Mr. Sokol
Olldashi who ordered the clarification of the case.
The AHC suggests to
the prosecutor's office to give priority to an objective and thorough
investigation on the case.
Considering that the
issue of water supply is vital for the inhabitants of Nepravishtė who protested,
we call upon the national and local government bodies to instruct and undertake
measures for the prevention of this conflict that may be followed by harmful
consequences.
The AHC deems it
necessary to also highlight the claims of MP Vangjel Tavo and Commune Chairman
Krenar Kulla that ongoing work in the village was illegal because the company
had not obtained the necessary permit, while the case remains an object of
adjudication in Court. |
