Judge Shot to Death in Albanian Courtroom

Judge Astrit Kalaja has died in hospital on Monday after being shot by a gunman inside Tirana’s Court of Appeal – drawing shocked reactions from political leaders in Albania. According to Albanian media reports, two other people were wounded in the attack. The police are yet to comment on the motive behind the shooting or how the gun was smuggled through the court’s security system. A police statement said that a person involved in a court hearing, which it identified as “E. Sh., 30 years old”, fired a gun at the judge and three other people involved in the case who were in the courtroom. “As a result, citizen A. K. lost his life and citizens R. K. and E. K were injured, [but] are out of danger to their lives,” the police statement said. The suspect was arrested on the spot, and police seized a weapon. Political leaders on all sides condemned the shooting. “The criminal aggression against the judge undoubtedly demands the most extreme legal response against the aggressor,” said Prime Minister Edi Rama. Gazment Bardhi, head of the opposition Democratic Party’s parliamentary group, said the attack was “the first case in 35 years where a judge has been killed while doing his duty… and this requires deep reflection from Albanian society”. Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha said in a Facebook post that he condemned what he called an “ugly and criminal act against the judge”, describing it as evidence of “the great insecurity that exists today in the country”. The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, OSCE in Tirana said it was “deeply shocked and saddened”. “Attacks on judges are a direct attack on the rule of law and democratic institutions,” the OSCE added. Commentators on social media also expressed shock that the judge was gunned down in a courtroom. Sidorela Vatnikaj, an activist, wrote on Facebook: “The murder of a judge, especially within the premises of the court, is absolutely horrific, unacceptable and a very bad day for the rule of law in Albania.” Also on Facebook, Gerti Shella, a political commentator, said that the shooting “shows us the high uncertainty in life that people in justice face today”.