Judges, prosecutors, legal advisers and other legal professionals met to discuss the Supreme Court’s unifying decision on the application of security measures. The event formed part of the Council of Europe’s ongoing support to Albania in reducing the excessive use of pre-trial detention and promoting the effective alternative measures.

In his opening remarks, Supreme Court President Sokol Sadushi highlighted the spirit of the unifying decision: “In justice conviction should not be built on prejudice, but rather on reasoning…Pretrial detention should not be an automatic response.”  He also emphasised the Council of Europe’s significant support to the Court.

The Minister of Justice, Toni Gogu, stressed the importance of ensuring that effective alternatives to pre-trial detention are available and applied in practice. He acknowledged the Government’s role in creating the necessary conditions for their implementation and in strengthening confidence in their effectiveness.

Darian Pavli, judge of the European Court of Human Rights welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision as a positive and timely step towards greater clarity and consistency in the application of security measures – an issue requiring continued judicial scrutiny. Referring to the Court’s jurisprudence under Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights, he highlighted key principles concerning the protection of the right to liberty and security.

Discussions focused on the practical application of alternative security measures and the need to review and, where necessary, amend the legislative framework. Participants exchanged views on the challenges faced by judges and prosecutors and on ensuring that pre-trial detention is used only as a measure of last resort, in line with the principle of necessity and proportionality. The roundtable strengthened dialogue among the judiciary, prosecution, executive, and other legal professionals on the consistent and rights-based application of security measures in Albania.

This roundtable was organised jointly by the Supreme Court of Albania and the Council of Europe’s project on Strengthening the capacities of the Albanian judiciary to better apply standards on the right to liberty and security, funded by the Human Rights Trust Fund (HRTF) which brings together eight Council of Europe member states: Finland, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, United Kingdom.