Post-Communist Transitional Justice in Albania
Post-Communist Transitional Justice in Albania
Author(s): Robert C. Austin, Jonathan EllisonSubject(s): Law and Transitional Justice, Political history, Government/Political systems, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010), Post-Communist Transformation
Published by: SAGE Publications Ltd
Keywords: Albania; communism; de-communization; legislation; lustration; transitional justice;
Summary/Abstract: The article provides a detailed and informative account of the transitional justice process in Albania and examines the logic behind the initiation of lustration process. Describing the accurate historical context of the country’s communist past, the authors explain the factors that prevented the successful implementation of the post-communist transitional justice in Albania, such as its political culture, the impact of the communist regime, and most importantly, the lack of political will from Albanian political leadership to break away from its communist past. A pioneer in initiating transitional justice laws in the Balkans in the early nineties, Albania failed to successfully implement them, as the leadership saw the lustration process as a political means to crush the opposition and consolidate its power. The article explains that transitional justice process in Albania became highly politicized and was used by politicians for political gains, which ultimately led to loss of trust from general public failing to detach the Albanian political scene from its communist past.
Journal: East European Politics and Societies
- Issue Year: 22/2008
- Issue No: 02
- Page Range: 373-401
- Page Count: 29
- Language: English
- Content File-PDF