Courts
Tirana court releases 18 protesters under obligation to report; 271 arrested in seven days of protests
According to Euronews Albania, the arrests were deemed lawful but the court did not order jail; a day earlier the same measure had been imposed on 22 others.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 22, 2026, 10:58 · Updated 12:24 · 2 min read
In brief
- The Tirana court ordered the immediate release of 18 people arrested at the protest, under an “obligation to report” measure.
- A day earlier, the same measure had been imposed on 22 other protesters.
- A total of 271 people have been arrested in seven days of protests, mostly for destruction of property and violent resistance to police.
The Tirana District Court on Thursday ordered the immediate release of 18 people arrested during the protests in the capital. According to Euronews Albania, the court found the arrests lawful but imposed on all of them the security measure of an “obligation to report,” declining to order jail.
According to the same source, the court had released 22 other protesters under an obligation to report a day earlier. Top Channel reported Wednesday that five minors were among the protesters released by the court.
59 security measures and parents waiting
On Wednesday, the court was reviewing 59 requests for security measures, which were divided among three judges. The list of names was not made public, and parents of some of the young people gathered outside the courthouse seeking information about their children.
The arrest toll
According to figures published Thursday, a total of 271 people have been arrested during seven days of protest. Most are accused of destroying public property and violently resisting State Police officers. Some also face charges of illegal possession of bladed weapons and flammable materials.
Earlier in the week, the court had declared several arrests unlawful, while the Ombudsman reported complaints of violence against people taken into custody and of phone searches without a court order. The Tirana prosecutor's office has also opened proceedings over the actions of some police officers during the protests. For Tuesday's protest alone, the Ombudsman reported six complaints of violence, among them the case of an injured detainee who, according to the institution, had been kept handcuffed.
The protests, which began as a student reaction to conditions at universities and the cost of education, entered their 10th day on Thursday with a rally outside Parliament.
