Russian and Serbian media falsely portray the protest in Tirana as a "riot" due to the sentencing of former KLA leaders

Through an article published on September 17 by the Russian media outlet "Sputnik" in Serbian, it is alleged that "riots" have occurred in Tirana due to the verdict against former KLA leaders.

The article is titled "Tumult in Tirana due to the verdict against the leaders of the so-called KLA: Albania sided with Pristina."

The article claims that the Albanian Parliament members approved a statement regarding the verdict of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague against Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selim and Jakup Krasniqi.

Further, it is alleged that clashes occurred "near parliament" between police and protesters, who, according to the article, had gathered in protest "against the government of Prime Minister Edi Rama and against the decision of the Special Court in The Hague" against former KLA leaders.

The same article was later published by the Serbian-language medium "Vaseljenska.net".

What's wrong with the claim?

After online research conducted by hibrid.info, it was confirmed that media reports in Albania indicate that the September 17 protest in Tirana was part of a series of anti-government protests that had begun about 110 days earlier and the main demand of the protesters was the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama.

Media reporting in Albania

The online outlet Reporter.al reported that hundreds of citizens gathered near the Parliament and the Ministry of Interior, demanding Rama's resignation. According to this report, the protesters threw eggs and toilet paper at the police, while tensions escalated when some of them tried to cross the police cordon and the metal fence. Then, there were clashes when some of the protesters headed towards the Prime Minister's Office.

BalkanWeb also reported that protesters gathered in front of the Parliament were calling out against the political class and demanding the resignation of Edi Rama.

Shqiptarja.com's reporting also describes that the September 17 protest began in front of the Parliament and then moved to other areas of Tirana. According to this medium, the first tensions with the police began when the protesters attempted to cross the police cordon near the Ministry of Interior, after which eggs and water bottles were thrown at the officers.

So, the clashes with the police on September 17 are linked in Albanian media reports to the anti-government protest and the protesters' attempts to break through police barriers, while there is no evidence in these reports that the clashes were caused by opposition to the Hague verdict.

What about the decision against former KLA leaders?

It is true that on September 17, the Albanian Parliament adopted a statement regarding the verdict against Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selim and Jakup Krasniqi. In the statement, the Parliament expressed disagreement with the decision and stated that it would coordinate actions with the Kosovo institutions.

BalkanWeb also reported that the Speaker of the Parliament, Niko Peleshi, read the statement in support of the KLA and its former members.

However, this was a separate event from the anti-government protests outside the Parliament. In fact, reports of the September 17 protest indicate that it was announced as a protest against the political class and that the protesters were demanding Rama's resignation.

Meanwhile, on September 16, the day the verdict against the former KLA leaders was announced, citizens in Tirana protested in solidarity with them. Euronews Albania reported that the 109th protest coincided with the announcement of the verdict in The Hague and that protesters chanted “KLA, KLA” during the march to the Prime Minister’s Office.

The facts show that on September 17, there were clashes between protesters and police in Tirana, but these clashes occurred during an anti-government protest that had been going on for about 110 days. Therefore, media sources in Albania do not support the Russian media's claim that the clashes with the police were caused by the verdict against the former KLA leaders.