Police
Ombudsman: Phone searches without a court ruling and allegations of violence against detainees
The preliminary report after Monday's protest finds 18 minors among some 50 people held at police stations and overcrowding in the Security Block.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 20, 2026, 12:57 · Updated 12:24 · 1 min read
In brief
- The Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture inspected police stations No. 2 and 4 and the Security Block.
- Detainees claim they were asked to unlock their phones without a court order.
- The Ombudsman asks the Interior Ministry to urgently reduce the number held in the Security Block.
The Ombudsman on Tuesday published a preliminary monitoring report, prepared by the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture, after Monday's protest in Tirana. The inspections were carried out at police stations No. 2 and No. 4, as well as in the Security Block.
According to the report, about 50 people were held at police stations after the protest, 18 of them minors. The Security Block held 109 people, including one minor and four women. Some detainees said they were passers-by with no connection to the protest.
Phones and allegations of violence
Minors and adults interviewed said police officers asked them to unlock their phones and allow their personal data to be searched, even when they faced no charges. The institution described such searches without a court ruling as unlawful. Detainees also alleged the use of pepper spray, being hit with gas canisters, being dragged and physical and psychological mistreatment.
The report finds that officers at the two police stations were not wearing identification numbers and that detention registers had shortcomings. Overcrowding was found in the Security Block, with a lack of beds, water, heating and medical care. The Ombudsman stressed that violence against a minor in custody is an absolute violation and called for those responsible to be held accountable.
