“Comment is free, but facts are sacred.” — C. P. Scott, 1921.
“The truth sets us free”: protest demands justice for police officer Azbi Spahiu
Erblin Vukaj · Originally published: 20 January 2025
The protest for Azbi Spahiu
Many citizens answered calls to protest outside the Interior Ministry this afternoon in support of police officer Azbi Spahiu, who attempted suicide in unclear circumstances.
Various reports suggest pressure related to his duties, with Spahiu said to have been blackmailed after the arrest of Martin Mane, son of businessman Samir Mane, who had been detained a few days earlier after causing a car accident in Tirana.
Redi Muçi, Mirela Ruko and Arlind Qori of Lëvizja Bashkë expressed concern about the incident and what they described as Interior Minister Ervin Hoxha’s wholly unserious response. They called for his resignation, saying he was trying to manipulate the account of what happened.
“We are here to break the silence! Silence brings you shame, makes you complicit; the truth sets you free. We demand the minister’s resignation,” Muçi called out during the protest.
“The minister has failed. Whom is he serving when his first statement on the incident focuses not on the reasons, the cause or the consequences, but on the protesters?” Ruko stressed, saying that he sought to conceal what had happened rather than establish it.
Protesters accused the state of ties to oligarchs, alleging that efforts were being made to let the case pass in silence.
“We will be here for truth, transparency and the rule of law, every day until the minister is dismissed,” Qori pledged. He stressed the need for a strong, courageous commitment to equality before the law, rather than divisions and privileges for a group of people close to those in power.
“If we do not find the truth about Azbi Spahiu, tomorrow another one of us will fall from a balcony,” Qori continued.
“Today you are orphans; today the state has abandoned you,” Adriatik Lapaj said, as his supporters continued the protest beside the ministry, also condemning its actions in the case.
Today’s protest was organised through social media. Called by the three new parties Lëvizja Bashkë, Shqipëria Bëhet and Nisma Thurje, it follows prolonged silence from the authorities.
For three days, neither the State Police nor senior government officials offered a clear explanation of the motives that might have led officer Spahiu to attempt suicide.
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An attempt to evade responsibility
Spahiu, 57, a road traffic specialist, jumped from an 11-storey apartment building near “Kongresi i Manastirit” Street in Tirana on the afternoon of 15 January.
According to sources cited by crime reporters, the incident involving the officer is connected to the arrest of the son of Samir Mane, one of the businessmen promoted by the government as among Albania’s most successful.
In a response circulated to the media five days later, purportedly from the Spahiu family, the reports were described as “untrue insinuations” that “add to the burden”, and an appeal was made “not to speculate”.
The allegations of pressure remained unresolved, while the opposition and leading media outlets chose to remain largely silent about the incident.
This was also evident during the protest, when most traditional media were broadcasting the inauguration of US President Donald Trump or domestic political developments rather than the demonstration.
Interior Minister Ervin Hoxha responded on Sunday in a Facebook statement, denying any suggestion of pressure on Spahiu. Without providing any data or document on the investigations carried out by the Internal Affairs Service, the minister accused the protest organisers of “manipulating the situation” and “political exploitation.”
“Distorting events for political purposes has now become a habit,” the minister declared, calling the accusations “a storm in a teacup.”
But criticism of the statement soon followed. Activists and citizens online described the response as an attempt to minimise a serious incident and evade the government’s responsibility.
The incident involving police officer Azbi Spahiu recalls other cases in which the police and government acted in bad faith in their communication with the public, attempting to minimise or manipulate accounts of serious public-order incidents.
The killings of Martin Cani (2024), Egli Proga (2024) and Klodian Rasha (2020) are earlier examples.