The Special Court Against Corruption and Organized Crime (GJKKO) has called for legal amendments aimed at preventing court proceedings from being disrupted by the collective absence of defense lawyers, raising questions about the balance between the right to protest and the uninterrupted administration of justice.

In a request addressed to the High Judicial Council (KLGJ), the court urged that the need for legislative intervention be brought to the attention of the Ministry of Justice and the Albanian Parliament in two key areas.

The first proposal seeks clear legal rules to prevent collective lawyer absences from interrupting judicial proceedings, while ensuring defense obligations are met, trials continue and individuals’ rights are protected.

The second calls for magistrates to be represented in the governing bodies of the Albanian Bar Association, based on the principles of parity and institutional reciprocity. The court argues that lawyers are represented in judicial governance bodies, while judges and prosecutors have no equivalent representation in the Bar Association’s leadership, despite decisions by the organization potentially affecting court proceedings and mandatory legal defense.