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Albania: When a serious crime is committed, whether the police have records or a database where resulting charges, the identity of the perpetrator, and follow-up are noted; whether this information is kept in an INTERPOL database

Police records

According to an official at the General Consulate of the Republic of Albania in New York, the police have records of persons who have previously committed a crime or who have had "problem[s] with police" (11 Sept. 2008). An official at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) stated that when a crime is committed, the police record the crime and related details (5 Sept. 2008). The OSCE Official further stated that the prosecutor's office keeps criminal records and evidence related to specific crimes (5 Sept. 2008). However, in a report published in 2006, the OSCE expressed concern about the Albanian criminal justice system, noting that in a specific publicly prosecuted case in Kukës, neither the police nor the prosecution had any relevant records (OSCE 2006, 135).

The United States (US) Department of State provides the following information on obtaining Albanian police records in its Reciprocity Schedule:

Currently, to obtain a criminal document from the District Attorney's office concerning pending and final criminal and civil cases, one needs to go to the District Attorney's office in the district of their residence, present [an] ID and pay the necessary fee.

To obtain a document from the District Court concerning any active court cases, one needs to go to the District Court office in one's district of their residence, present and ID and pay the necessary fee.

To obtain a criminal court certificate from the Office of Judicial Status, one needs to go to the Office of Judicial Status in Tirana from Monday through Friday at 8:00 a.m., present an ID and pay the necessary fee. (US n.d.; see also OSCE Official 5 Sept. 2008)

The OSCE Official stated that police records for cases that are under investigation are not publicly available; however, police records for criminal cases in which a verdict has been rendered are publicly available (5 Sept. 2008). The OSCE Official noted that some courts in Albania have published their decisions on their websites (5 Sept. 2008).

Police database

According to the Albanian Official, the police have database records (Albania 11 Sept. 2008). An official from the Canadian Embassy in Rome corroborated the existence of a police database in Albania:

[A] new database now exist[s] throughout Albanian territory. As of August 2008, new computerized documents are replacing the old handwritten documents.... The Police have records of individuals and usually the Ministry of the Interior can supply information. (Canada 15 Sept. 2008)

The OSCE Official stated that certain institutions in Albania have access to an electronic database that contains information on criminal cases but that the database is not publicly available (5 Sept. 2008).

INTERPOL database

With respect to whether information related to serious crimes is posted on an INTERPOL database, the OSCE Official stated that the information for "all the suspects or fugitives who are believed [to have] ... left Albania" is entered into an INTERPOL database through the Tirana INTERPOL office (5 Sept. 2008). On its website, INTERPOL provides access to a database of wanted persons (INTERPOL 2 Aug. 2007; ibid. 6 Nov. 2006), which includes records on individuals from Albania (ibid. 13 Mar. 2008; ibid. 15 Jan. 2007). The Albanian Consulate Official stated that the Albanian Ministry of Interior has a "good relationship with INTERPOL" (Albania 11 Sept. 2008).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Albania. 11 September 2008. General Consulate of the Republic of Albania, New York. Correspondence from an official.

Canada. 15 September 2008. Canadian Embassy, Rome. Correspondence from an official.

INTERPOL. 13 March 2008. "Wanted." <http://www.interpol.int/public/Data/Wanted/Notices/Data/2004/55/2004_23855.asp> [Accessed 26 Aug. 2008]
_____. 2 August 2007. "Fugitive Investigative Services." <http://www.interpol.int/Public/Wanted/fugitiveInvestServ.asp> [Accessed 26 Aug. 2008]
_____. 15 January 2007. "Wanted." <http://www.interpol.int/public/Data/Wanted/Notices/Data/2006/61/2006_7161.asp> [Accessed 25 Sept. 2008]
_____. 6 November 2006. "Search Criteria." <http://www.interpol.int/Public/Wanted/Search/Form.asp> [Accessed 25 Sept. 2008]

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). 5 September 2008. Correspondence with an official.
_____. 2006. Analysis of the Criminal Justice System in Albania. <http://www.osce.org/documents/pia/2006/11/21952_en.pdf> [Accessed 24 Sept. 2008]

United States (US). N.d. Department of State. "Albania Reciprocity Scehdule." <http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/reciprocity/reciprocity_3494.html> [Accessed 4 Sept. 2008]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Attempts to contact officials at the Albania Ministry of Public Order, the Embassy of Albania in Washington, DC, the Embassy of the United States (US) in Tirana, Euralius and INTERPOL were unsuccessful. An official at the Embassy of Albania in Ottawa was unable to provide information within the time constraints of this Response.

Internet sites, including: Albania Helsinki Committee (AHC), Amnesty International (AI), Crime and Society, European Country of Origin Information Network (ecoi.net), Freedom House, Human Rights Watch (HRW), International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC), United Kingdom (UK) Border Agency.