The Ministry of Education and Sports once again became a meeting point for dozens of citizens who gathered on Monday afternoon to express their revolt for the murder of 14-year-old Martin Cani, student of the "Fan Noli" school in Tirana.
With the call "We owe it to you children to protest!", parents and citizens demanded concrete actions to guarantee safety in schools.
The protesters charged the Ministry of Education and other institutions with responsibility, which according to them failed to prevent the event that happened on November 18. They called for more attention and investment in education, psychologists and security officers in schools.
"It is unforgivable, we do not go back and we do not tolerate that the blood of our children is spilled near schools and the Ministry of Education does not take responsibility," pointed out an outraged parent, while others demanded independent investigations and a full disclosure of the incident.
"I call on the investigative body to conduct an independent and transparent investigation into the incident, because it is the only way for us to console Martin's father and family," Gentjan Serjani said.
The actress Eljona Pitarka also asked for transparency and a full investigation of the event, who emphasized that even a week after the event, the dynamics remain unclear to the public.
"To have as many examples as possible to be accepted, and not silent heroes to mourn," said actor Florian Binaj, also present at the protest.
This is the second protest after the one held on Thursday, where hundreds of citizens marched in a symbolic sign from the 9-year school to the Ministry of Education, where the resignation of Minister Ogerta Manastirliu was textually demanded.
Martin Cani lost his life after being stabbed during a fight between peers in an alley near the 9-year-old school.
The police arrested a minor, whom they initially accused of "intentional murder" and "illegal possession of cold weapons". However, the Prosecutor's Office reclassified the charge to "murder under qualifying circumstances", which provides a sentence of up to life imprisonment.
Prime Minister's statements and political clashes
Prime Minister Edi Rama, during a meeting with Albanians in Great Britain, described the tragic event of the murder of 14-year-old Martin Cami as "politically exploited by the opposition".
"In no democratic country, before the victim has been buried, do 'bottle devils' come out to dance the dances of division over the body of an innocent child," said Rama, accusing the opposition parties of disguising their interests as a civil revolt.
The event has shocked public opinion, fueling strong debates about safety and quality in the education system.
No concrete reaction from the Ministry of Education
In the parliamentary session of the budget for 2025, the Minister of Education Ogerta Manastirliu tried to avoid responsibility, saying that "the incident happened outside the school grounds and after the end of the lesson".
On the other hand, Prime Minister Edi Rama came up with a proposal to limit or stop the activity of social networks such as Tik-Tok or Snapchat, which he linked as escalating factors in violence among young people.
Also Read:
- "TikTok is to blame", the Prime Minister avoids responsibility for the murder of the 14-year-old
- The murder of the 14-year-old, parents in protest: Irresponsible institutions kill
Erisa Kryeziu has completed higher studies in Journalism and Communication and Master of Science in Public Relations at the University of Tirana. She has been a journalist and project manager at Citizens.al for five years, where she reports on social issues and human rights, especially on issues of rights at work, in education, gender equality, marginalized groups, people with disabilities such as and for environmental issues. At the same time, she works as a project coordinator with a focus on youth and media education. User of new reporting techniques such as "Mobile Journalism" and citizen engagement tools in reporting (ECR-Engage Citizens Journalism).
