Crime in the temple of law, the dark cases that have marked Albanian justice

In the heart of the capital, inside a courtroom where the law should rule, a judge's life was taken. The execution of Astrit Kalaja, a member of the Court of Appeal in Tirana, is an act that shocked not only Albania, but also international opinion, forcefully bringing back the question of how secure justice is in our country.

 The murder occurred where citizens seek justice, marking a dramatic moment that violates every boundary of institutional inviolability.

But this is not the first time that the Albanian justice system has faced violence and threats. Since the 1990s, a series of dark events have left an indelible mark on the country's memory:

February 19, 1999 – Kozeta Hyseni, the 21-year-old daughter of a prosecutor in Vlora, is brutally murdered, an event that was interpreted as revenge against her father. The perpetrators were never found.

February 21, 1999 – The President of the Chamber of Advocates, Kleanthi Koçi, is seriously injured in Tirana and dies a few days later.

September 30, 2003 – Genci Sina, the driver of Prosecutor General Theodhori Sollaku, is executed, in an assassination considered a mafia message.

September 9, 2011 – Judge Skerdilajd Konomi blows himself up with explosives in Vlora. No one arrested.

March 22, 2019 – Lawyer Ravik Gurra is executed in the middle of Elbasan, at the height of criminal tensions.

November 1, 2019 – Prosecutor Arjan Ndoja survives the assassination attempt in Shkozet, where his driver loses his life.

All of these events, separated by years but connected by the same logic of fear, show that violence against justice has become a permanent wound.

At a time when Albania is trying to build the image of a reformed and independent justice system, the reality on the ground shows a different picture: lack of security, precarious working conditions, and a climate of constant threats for magistrates who dare to do their job.

If the state does not react strongly, with real security measures and thorough investigations, then the danger is clear: we may soon have no one left to defend the law, because justice itself is being killed in court.