Despite the numerous claims that Albania is free of persecution, etc, and that Albanians do not need asylum, an independent report by Freedom House shows such claims to be presumptuous.
A couple of pertinent points from the report:
| Are the electoral laws and framework fair, and are they implemented impartially by the relevant election management bodies? | 2 4 |
After the 2017 election, the OSCE voiced concerns that the CEC was not operating transparently and sometimes failed to sanction parties that committed electoral violations,
| Do various segments of the population (including ethnic, racial, religious, gender, LGBT+, and other relevant groups) have full political rights and electoral opportunities? | 3 4 |
Albanian law guarantees political rights for citizens regardless of their ethnic, racial, lingual, or religious identity. Electoral officials provided voter education materials in minority languages for the 2017 parliamentary poll, though not for the June 2019 local elections.
Roma and other marginalized people remain vulnerable to political exploitation. OSCE monitors noted that Romany individuals faced difficulty registering to vote in 2019 due to a lack of a permanent address.
Women are underrepresented both in politics and election administration roles; 36 women held parliamentary seats in 2019.
| Does the government operate with openness and transparency? | 2 4 |
A robust law on access to information is not well implemented. Public procurement processes and public finances are frequently opaque, though parliamentary procedures are more open.
| Are there free and independent media? | 2 4 |
While the constitution guarantees freedom of expression, the intermingling of powerful business, political, and media interests inhibits the development of independent news outlets;
| Is there academic freedom, and is the educational system free from extensive political indoctrination? | 3 4 |
The government typically does not limit academic freedom, though teachers in several districts have faced pressure ahead of elections to participate in political rallies. Access to higher education is affected by corruption.
| Is there an independent judiciary? | 2 4 |
The constitution provides for an independent judiciary, but the underfunded courts are subject to political pressure and influence, and public trust in judicial institutions is low. Corruption in the judiciary remains a serious problem,
etc, etc.
See the Freedom in the World 2021 score and learn about democracy and freedom in Albania.
freedomhouse.org
In addition there has been continued conflict between ethnicities since the breakup of Kosovo and Serbia.
Kosovo: Why is trouble flaring between Serbs and the Albanian-led government?
Serbs have been demonstrating in Kosovo, raising fears of renewed ethnic hostilities.
www.bbc.com
There are also documented issues about Human Rights in Albania.
Current issues concerning human rights in Albania include domestic violence, isolated cases of torture, and police brutality, the general condition of prisons, human and sex trafficking and LGBT rights.
en.wikipedia.org
So it looks like granting asylum to Albanians is fully justified.
www.dailymail.co.uk
