Albanian judge was killed in a courtroom in Tirana while a case about property was going on
Judge Astrit Kalaja was shot and killed during a trial in Tirana. This led to calls for better court protection across Albania.
A man on trial shot and killed an Albanian judge in court on Tuesday during a hearing at the Court of Appeal in Tirana, the country’s capital.
Officials say Judge Astrit Kalaja died on the way to the hospital. Another two people at the hearing—a father and son—were also shot, but their injuries were not life-threatening.
The suspect, whose initials are “E Sh” and who was 30 years old, was caught, and local media named him Elvis Shkëmbi. Reports say the suspect shot and killed because he thought he would lose the case.
Edi Rama, the prime minister of Albania, sent his condolences to Judge Kalaja’s family and said, “The criminal attack on the judge clearly calls for the harshest legal response against the attacker.” He also asked for more protection in courts and harsher punishments for people caught with guns.
Sali Berisha, head of the opposition Democratic Party, said that the killing was the first time in 35 years that a judge had been killed while doing his job. He said, “Today is the day for all of Albanian society to think deeply.”
In connection with the killing, the police have also arrested Mr. Shkëmbi’s uncle and a court security guard.
Olsian Çela, Albania’s chief prosecutor, said the attack made it clear that court security needs to be improved “in every respect” right away. He also said, “This event goes beyond the tragic loss of one life and the harm done to two others; it strikes at the very core of justice and the way the legal system works.”
This doesn’t happen very often, but it does happen sometimes. Ten years ago, a man on trial in a bankruptcy case shot and killed a judge in Milan’s Palace of Justice.
Judge Kalaja had been a lawyer for more than 30 years, starting out in a local court and moving up to the Court of Appeal in Tirana in 2019.
A regional monitor backed by the UN said that between January and June of this year, 43 gun incidents related to public fights were reported in Albania. This was the most of any Balkan country, but less than the total number of incidents reported last year.
