Opinion
A lost eye demands more than silence
Rubber bullets were fired at the crowd again, and a 28-year-old lost an eye. Police owe the public an explanation, and politicians should leave the investigation to prosecutors.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 24, 2026, 23:25 · Updated 18:40 · 2 min read
Erjon Vishkulli, 28, lost his left eye after being hit in the face by a rubber bullet near Skanderbeg Square, according to hospital sources cited by Exit.al. Images of him covered in blood appeared at around 6:30 p.m., and a Report TV vehicle took him to the Trauma Hospital. The Health Ministry said the protester with the eye injury was out of danger. By evening, the State Police had not said a word specifically about the case.
That silence is the first mistake. Rubber bullets are not a new tool in these protests: they were first used against the crowd on Oct. 17, when protesters and journalists were injured. On Saturday, Director General Skender Hita called for proportionality. But proportionality is not declared; it is explained: who authorized the shot, from what distance and at which part of the body.
None of this diminishes the violence against police. Two officers were treated for eye injuries, another officer's uniform caught fire from a Molotov cocktail, and police stood for hours under a barrage of stones and fireworks. An officer under attack has the right to defend himself. But the state is held to a higher standard than the crowd, precisely because it holds the weapons.
The opposition, too, should keep a sense of proportion. Gazment Bardhi demanded arrests “today, not tomorrow,” while Sali Berisha called the shooting “a grave state crime.” Berisha's demand that prosecutors identify the officers involved and seize the deployment plan for the security forces is reasonable. A verdict before an investigation is not. Justice for Vishkulli requires facts that hold up in court, not slogans.
Our proposal: prosecutors should open an investigation on their own initiative and immediately seize the camera footage and the operation plan. The State Police should publish, within 48 hours, the rules it follows for rubber bullets and how many rounds were fired on Saturday. Until the investigation is complete, their use against crowds should be authorized only by a commander identified by name, who is accountable for every shot.
