Police
Ombudsman: Minors questioned without parents and after hours, some found with signs of violence at police stations
Endrit Shabani told the National Council for Children that police failed to guarantee the procedural rights of minors detained during the protests and called for accountability.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 30, 2026, 19:15 · Updated 19:02 · 1 min read
In brief
- According to the Ombudsman, some minors were not held in separate rooms and were interviewed without parents or psychologists.
- Minors with signs of violence that had not been examined were found at police stations.
- Shabani said the police had responded after the reports, but those responsible must be identified and the violations must not be repeated.
The Ombudsman, Endrit Shabani, on Friday raised serious concerns that the State Police had not guaranteed procedural rights for minors detained during the protests. He spoke at a meeting of the National Council for Children's Rights and Protection, also attended by Prime Minister Edi Rama and cabinet ministers.
What the Ombudsman found
“In some cases, minors were not held in separate rooms, were interviewed without the presence of parents or psychologists, and were questioned outside legal hours. Also, minors with signs of violence that had not been examined were found at police stations,” Shabani said. The findings come as, according to the Interior Ministry, 269 of the people detained during the protests are under 18.
Accountability and proportionality
Shabani acknowledged that the police had responded after his office's reports, but stressed that the violations must be addressed by identifying those responsible and taking steps so they are not repeated. According to him, the police must preserve their integrity and credibility so that they are not seen as “a force to be feared” but as a guarantor of public safety.
“This battle between street violence and the force of the state can be won by force in the short term, but in the long term it is won only with legitimacy, and for that, force must be necessary and proportionate,” the Ombudsman said. At the same meeting, Justice Minister Toni Gogu proposed four new safeguards for minors being questioned, including a lawyer without delay and early notification of a child protection worker.
