The Center for Conservation and Protection of the Natural Environment (PPNEA) in Albania condemns the non-reaction of justice bodies to crimes against wildlife.
Through one press release, the center states that: "judicial bodies in Albania ignore crimes against wildlife, even for extremely endangered species such as the Balkan lynx".
The Elbasani Prosecutor's Office requested the dismissal of the Balkan lynx case. It is about the case of the killing of a lynx in the district of Elbasan, in 2020. A killed lynx was photographed in the premises of the private business "Ke Rrema". The prosecution expressed after carrying out the investigations that no embalmed animals were found and as a result there are no criminal facts against which to file a complaint.
PPNEA has denounced the case, underlining that after two years of slow-paced investigations, the prosecution closes the case.
"The case of the Balkan lynx illegally killed in the district of Elbasan was not resolved by the Prosecutor's Office of Elbasan, but on the contrary the Prosecutor's Office asked the Court of First Instance of Elbasan to dismiss this case". it is stated in the announcement of PPNEA.
European Commission in report 2021 for Albania, states that the illegal killing of an individual Balkan lynx in the district of Elbasan in 2020 has not yet been prosecuted.
"Crimes on wildlife are not an isolated case"
Activists say that this is not the only case of illegal hunting of the Balkan lynx.
"Altogether, throughout the range of this subspecies in the Southwest Balkans, the partners of the Balkan Lynx Recovery Program witness 14 individuals killed illegally since 2006", PPNEA announces.
PPNEA has requested that the case in question should be given due importance by the relevant institutions.
The lynx is classified as a critically endangered wild species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
PPNEA emphasizes that the lack of consideration and seriousness by the justice authorities in Albania to solve environmental crimes, contradicts international legislation, specifically the Berne Convention. This convention was ratified by the Albanian state and entered into force in 1999.
The Berne Convention is a binding legal instrument that applies to the protection of wild plants and animals.
He completed master's studies in Investigative Journalism at the Department of Journalism at the University of Tirana. She has been working as a journalist for five years, where she previously covered issues of politics and parliamentary activity, in print and online media. She is currently a journalist at Citizens.al, where she covers various social issues related to the transparency of institutions. At Citizens.al, she leads the podcast "The Unheard" and is engaged as a manager of projects related to the support of investigative journalism.
