Students from the groups “Students in Protest” and “Student Revolution,” together with four civil society organizations, will file three appeals with the Constitutional Court against measures approved by the government on October 28, 2026.
The appeals challenge Normative Act No. 5/2026, Normative Act No. 6/2026 and Council of Ministers Decision No. 815/2026.
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According to the students, Normative Act No. 5/2026 gives police the power to restrict or prohibit protests near institutions, remove citizens from protected areas, demand the deletion of social media posts and impose fines of up to 500,000 lek.
Normative Act No. 6/2026, the complainants say, makes organizers jointly liable for damage caused by others during the October protests and imposes fines for conduct that took place before the fines came into effect.
The appeals also challenge Council of Ministers Decision No. 815/2026, which, according to the students, creates a police register that could lead to restrictions on travel abroad without a court order, as well as the notification of authorities in the destination country and hotels.
The full statement:
Today, November 5, 2026, at 14:00, we will be outside the Constitutional Court to file three appeals against measures the government approved on October 28. These measures seek to narrow the last democratic space we have left: the right to protest, to challenge injustice and to speak out.
We, the students of “Students in Protest” and “Student Revolution,” have signed three appeals together with four civil society organizations: the Res Publica Center, the Albanian Helsinki Committee (KShH), the Albanian Ornithological Society (AOS) and EcoAlbania.
We challenge:
Normative Act No. 5/2026, which gives police the power to prohibit or restrict protests around institutions, remove citizens from “protected areas,” demand the deletion of social media posts and impose fines of up to 500,000 lek, equivalent to ten minimum wages;
Normative Act No. 6/2026, which makes organizers jointly liable for damage caused by others during the October protests and imposes fines for conduct that took place before those fines existed;
Council of Ministers Decision No. 815/2026, which creates a police register at the prosecutor’s office that can be used to deny a person permission to leave the country without a court order, or to notify the country they are traveling to. Police also notify hotels about the person.
Three different measures with one common message: anyone who speaks out against those in power should fear the consequences. The government says this package “protects peaceful protest” and that “responsibility is always individual,” yet the “anti-violence” package also punishes those who have not committed violence.
For this reason, we ask the Constitutional Court to give the appeals priority. We also ask it to suspend the enforcement of the provisions for which we have requested a suspension until it reaches a final decision. Even if Parliament approves the normative acts, the appeals will not become moot; we have asked the Court to extend its review to the law approving them.
An entire generation of young people is beginning life facing a state that, instead of guaranteeing them space for debate, dissent and democratic participation, responds with violence and fear. We do not want to grow up learning that challenging those in power is an offense and that taking part in a protest is grounds for being treated as an enemy.
We invite journalists to join us today, November 5, at 14:00, outside the Constitutional Court.
We will be there, with three appeals and the same determination not to remain silent in the face of injustice.
Respectfully,
Students in Protest
