Growing Demand for Weapons Turns Albania into Hub for Smuggled Arms
Fed by demand for new guns and leftovers from depots looted in the 1990s, Albania has become a key hub for small-arms trafficking. KAYNAK: Balkan Insight
Albanian Journalists Claim Bureaucratic Obstacles Intended to Discourage Digging
Is a decline in Freedom of Information requests last year in Albania a result of greater institutional transparency or the increasing pointlessness of the process? Journalists claim it could be…
Suspected Burial Sites of Communist-Era ‘Disappeared’ Found in Albania
The International Commission on Missing Persons has gathered evidence of a series of sites believed to have been used by Albania’s Communist regime to bury the bodies of political opponents,…
Western Balkans Stability Monitor: An Unstable Sort of Calm
The latest BIRN Western Balkans Stability Monitor looks at how the year began across the region, with governments battling to survive amid rising global uncertainty. KAYNAK: Balkan Insight
Letter from London: Can Europe Save the Day for the UK Government?
The British government is wondering whether promises of closer links to Europe may help woo largely hostile voters. Meanwhile, a right-wing newspaper is touting Serbia’s Aleksandar Vucic for his tenacity…
Week in Review: Alignment, Collision and Scandal
From a political spying scandal to MAGA alignment and a brewing collision with the law, selection of BIRN Premium stories this week makes for an exciting read. KAYNAK: Balkan Insight
Iran-Linked Hackers Target Albanian Post in Latest Attack
The now-notorious hacker group Homeland Justice claimed that it had breached the computer defences of Albania's postal service following its attack on parliament’s systems earlier this month. KAYNAK: Balkan Insight
In Albania, Leveraging Celebrity Exposure to Stay out of Jail
Charged with corruption, money laundering and concealment of wealth, ex-politician Monika Kryemadhi is rebranding herself as a showbiz celebrity on the Big Brother reality show, but can it keep her…
Albanian Ex-Mayor Convicted in Second Abuse of Office Case
An appeals court upheld the verdict jailing the former Socialist Party mayor of Himara, Jorgo Goro, who was at the centre of a political storm during a controversial election in…
Rama’s Collision With Justice Shatters Illusions About Albania’s Democracy
The prime minister’s moves to shield his deputy from arrest feel like the beginning of the end of an era for Albanians’ hopes that the powerful would finally be held…