Violence against the opposition in the Assembly, Metaliaj: Call for responsibility and public apology from the Garda

PD MP, Lindita Metaliaj addressed the Head of the Guard of the Republic of Albania during the session at the Commission for National Security held today.

Metaliaj dealt with a series of accusations of violations of the Constitution and laws by the Guard and the State Police in the treatment of opposition MPs, including violent interventions and obstacles in the exercise of the parliamentary mandate.

Deputy Metaliaj emphasized the implementation of the dubious orders of the leaders of the Assembly, which lead to the unjust limitation of the rights of the deputies and adds that these actions constitute a coup d'état.

She requested explanations from the Head of the Guard on the reasons and legitimacy of the intervention of the Special Forces in the premises of the Assembly, describing this action as unconstitutional.  

Full reaction:

Mr. Director of the Guard, the institution you represent together with your staff are mandated to protect the lives of high state officials. How is it possible that you and your institution, in violation of the Constitution, in violation of the law of the Republic of Albania, allow opposition deputies to be violated.
How is it possible that you implement the unconstitutional, lawless orders of Mrs. 5 million euros, the leader of the Assembly of the Republic of Albania, who orders that the Assembly of the Republic of Albania be surrounded by iron bars.

Which orders that the Assembly of the Republic of Albania, all entrances and exits be surrounded by the Guard of the Republic in order not to allow the DP deputies to enter the parliament to exercise the mandate for which the Albanian citizens mandated them.

You are there to protect us and to guarantee the life and health of MPs. You are not there to join hands, to prevent us from exercising the function of a deputy within the environment, the Assembly of Albania.

You used violence against female MPs inside the plenary sessions but also outside. And this was best proven yesterday by the decision of the Tirana Administrative Court, which clearly stated the illegality and unconstitutionality of the decision of 46 opposition MPs from the proceedings of the Assembly.

How is it possible that you implemented an unconstitutional decision, which is clearly expressed by the Administrative Court of Mrs. 5 million euros of the Parliament of Albania, to prevent the opposition MPs from entering the sessions.

We have come every Thursday to enter the session, because we knew very well that the decision was illegal, that the decision was unconstitutional, but you with your strength did not allow us to enter.
It is totally intolerable and unacceptable the behavior that you did and ordered all the staff of the guard to exercise towards the deputies. I very much hope that you have a public apology to the opposition deputies for the violence you used, for the force you showed, and you did not do the same force, the same violence to the Special Forces of the State Police, who on October 17 dared, violating the Constitution, violating the laws of the country, threatening your competences, because they entered the premises and territory of the Assembly of Albania.

They were armed to the teeth, with spacesuits, with shields, armed, they tried to take out the weapons of the PD deputies, while you were there to exercise your functions, because it is your territory, and you are there to protect us protected. How come you allowed it? Who ordered the Special Forces to enter the premises of the Assembly of the Republic of Albania.

Because you saw it very well, we were unarmed, we had our hands in our pockets, we were there to exercise our duty as a deputy and meanwhile we found ourselves surrounded by the Special Forces.

Where are you with the investigation you are conducting? Because on the other hand, to my knowledge, we as a parliamentary group have also sent a criminal complaint against the violence and violation of powers that the Guard of the Republic has committed against the deputies inside and outside the sessions.

And, in my point of view, this is a pure coup for the Special Forces, the State Police to enter the premises of the Parliament of Albania is a great shame, it is a constitutional coup that is done to the figure of the deputy, the high official but also the figure of you as head of the Guard.
So, the least you can do is tell us what stage the investigations are at? Tell us if you also think that the State Police and the Special Forces should not be brought in and that whoever ordered them to be brought in was unconstitutional and illegal.

And the least you can do, to apologize to us ladies to face men there, with 3-4 rows of two meters each pushing us, violating us, exerting force on us is totally unacceptable.

So, at least a public apology, because we deserve it. We are not there to do violence to you or anyone else, and we do not accept anyone else doing violence to us.
Thank you!