OSCE/ODIHR want Government to Postpone Lustration Law Approval

Tirana – The Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania, Ambassador Robert Bosch, and the Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, ODIHR, Ambassador Janez Lenarcic, urged on Monday the Albanian Parliament to consider postponing its planned vote on a draft lustration law to allow sufficient time for broad consultation.

US Embassy in Tirana criticised the bill last week and asked for more debate with the assistance of international experts.

“The bill raises serious constitutional and legal concerns,” the embassy said in a statement.

“We also strongly urge that further consideration of this draft law incorporate the views of international legal experts to ensure its full compliance with international standards.”

According to reports in the local media, confirmed by the US embassy in Tirana, the US Undersecretary of State, Daniel Fried, phoned Berisha on Saturday to express Washington’s disapproval of the bill.

“It is essential that any lustration process meet international standards and be carried forward with the widest possible consensus,” said Bosch.

Lenarcic said: “The law has serious constitutional and political implications, and postponing the vote to allow for wider consultation and public debate would be welcome.”

But despite wide protests, Prime Minister Sali Berisha confirmed on Monday that he intends to continue with the approval in Parliament. The law is expected to be voted by Berisha’s Democratic Party majority during Monday’s parliament session.

The lustration bill intends to oust from public administration and judiciary system former collaborator of Sigurimi, the notorious communist secret service for the first time after 18 years. Meanwhile, the opposition fears that such a bill is intended to oust several judges and prosecutors that are currently investigating key corruption cases.

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Posted by Gjergj Erebara on Dec 22 2008. Filed under Politics, Top News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry