Courts
Tirana court releases 28 protesters with reporting obligation, three arrests declared unlawful
About 300 people have been arrested during the first seven days of protests, most of whom have received the lightest measure; only the most violent cases have been kept in custody.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 20, 2026, 17:30 · Updated 12:23 · 2 min read
In brief
- The Tirana District Court ordered 28 arrested protesters to report to police regularly.
- For three of them, the court ruled that the arrest had been unlawful.
- According to police, 51 of those arrested in the first week have criminal records.
The Tirana District Court has released from custody 28 protesters arrested during recent days' protests, imposing on all of them the security measure of an “obligation to report” to police. The hearings began on Tuesday at 9 a.m. and continued throughout the day.
For three of those arrested, the court found that the arrest had been carried out unlawfully. For one of the protesters, Rigers Hoxha, the court also imposed a ban on taking part in gatherings.
A week of protests by the numbers
According to data compiled by Shqiptarja.com, about 300 people have been arrested during the first seven days of protests, while police put the number of arrests in Tirana at 271. Most have received the reporting obligation, a small number house arrest, while only the cases deemed most violent have been kept in jail. So far the courts have declared four arrests unlawful.
Of those arrested, 51 people have criminal records, according to the police list. Among them are people previously convicted of drug trafficking, illegal weapons possession, domestic violence, fraud and document forgery, as well as one murder case. Their ages range from 17 to 57.
More than 500 face charges without detention
In addition to those arrested, police have opened criminal proceedings without detention against 559 other people, mostly in Tirana. For the Oct. 19 protest alone, 33 people were arrested, among them six minors aged 15 to 17.
Court decisions on security measures have been at the center of public debate during the week. Prime Minister Edi Rama has publicly criticized them, while the National Association of Judges has asked the executive not to prejudge judicial decisions.
