Opinion
Violence should not be rewarded, and an investigation should not be put off
A promise to compensate every convicted protester and silence over an independent investigation of the police are two ways of prolonging the same crisis.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 21, 2026, 09:05 · Updated 12:23 · 1 min read
The eighth evening of protest in Tirana again brought Molotov cocktails and fireworks hurled at police, and tear gas and water cannon in the streets. That same evening, Sali Berisha told the heads of PD branches that the party would compensate protesters who are convicted one hundred percent. Meanwhile, from Geneva, the U.N. human rights chief, Volker Türk, called for allegations of unlawful use of force to be investigated immediately and independently.
Berisha's promise is dangerous. A party that aims to govern cannot tell citizens that it will pay the consequences of a court ruling for them. This does not protect peaceful protest; it gives violence an insurance policy. And it puts at risk, first of all, the very young people who follow his calls from a distance.
But neither can the government close the debate by repeating that violence is a crime. The Ombudsman has reported minors being detained and phones searched without a court order, the lecturers' union is demanding an independent investigation, and now the same demand is coming from the U.N. as well. When so many voices ask for the same thing, refusal no longer looks like resolve, but like fear of the answer.
An independent investigation is neither a gift to the protesters nor an insult to the police. It protects officers who acted within the law from blanket accusations, and it gives citizens an answer that does not depend on which TV channel they watch.
The crisis of these eight days needs fewer promises and threats and more facts. No one should reward violence. No one should put off the investigation.
