Albania Government

And looks forward to further discussions with the Governments of the United States, Norway, and Germany, aimed at supporting the Government of Albania's implementation of the preceding commitments. ...

The Government of Albania, supported by the Governments of the United States, Norway, and Germany, ... [Read More]

Albania

The Government's human rights record was poor in many areas; however, there were some improvements. The opposition Democratic Party (DP) alleged that the Government was responsible for the killing of one of its members while in police custody at the Rreshen police station, although a government medical team confirmed that the death was a suicide. Police beat and otherwise abused suspects, detainees, and prisoners. The DP credibly reported some incidents of police harassment of its members and of the dismissal of some of its members from official positions for political reasons. Prison conditions remained poor. The police arbitrarily arrested and detained persons, and prolonged pretrial detention was a problem. The judiciary is inefficient, subject to corruption, and executive pressure on the judiciary remained a serious problem. The Government occasionally infringed on citizens' privacy rights. The Government limited freedom of the press, although there were some improvements. Police o ... [Read More]

Albania

The majority of citizens are secular in orientation after decades of rigidly enforced atheism under the Communist regime, which ended in 1990. Despite such secularism, most citizens traditionally associate themselves with a religious group. Citizens of Muslim background make up the largest traditional religious group (estimated at 65 to 70 percent of the population) and are divided into two communities: those associated with a moderate form of Sunni Islam and those associated with the Bektashi school (a particularly liberal form of Shi'a Sufism). In 1925 after the revolution of Ataturk, the country became the world center of Bektashism, although it has not been recognized as such by the Government. Bektashis are concentrated mainly in the central and southern regions and are estimated to represent approximately one quarter of the country's Muslim population. The Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania (referred to as Orthodox) and the R ... [Read More]

Democracy - US Department of State

Kyrgyz Election a "Significant Step" Toward Democracy, U.S. SaysInternational observers also note "tangible progress," respect for rightsThe United States congratulates the winner of the July 10 elections in Kyrgyzstan, acting President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, as well as the people of Kyrgyzstan. The Kyrgyz Parliament confirmed Bakiyev as acting president after former President Askar Akayev was driven from office by street protests on March 24. (complete text) [Read More]

International Adoption Albania

FY-2000: IR-3 Visas - 22, IR-4 Visas - 0 ALBANIAN ADOPTION AUTHORITY: The government office responsible for adoptions in Albania is the Albanian Adoption Committee. ALBANIAN ADOPTION PROCEDURES: Individuals may not deal directly with theAlbanian Adoption Committee or with individual orphanages or biological parents. The Albanian child must have a certificate from the Albanian Adoption Committee stating that s/he is adoptable. This means that the child has been in an ... [Read More]

Albania

The Constitution provides for freedom of religion and the Government generally respected this right in practice. According to the Constitution, there is no official religion, and all religions are equal; however, the predominant religious communities (Sunni, Bektashi, Orthodox, and Roman Catholic) enjoy de facto recognition that gives them the legal right to hold bank accounts, own property and buildings, and to function as legal entities based on their historical presence in the country. Religious movements--with the exception of the four de facto recognized religions--may acquire the official status of a legal entity by registering under the Law on Associations, which recognizes the status of a nonprofit association irrespective of whether the organization has a cultural, recreational, religious, or humanitarian character. While the Government does not require registration or licensing of religious groups, the State Committee on Cult ... [Read More]

Albania

SAFETY AND SECURITY: Although the overall security situation in Albania has improved in recent years, organized criminal gangs continue to operate in all regions and corruption is pervasive. The U.S. Government maintains security procedures regarding the travel of U.S. Government employees to the Administrative districts of Malesi E Madhe, Shkoder, and Tropoje (with the exception of cities along the national road) and to the southern town of Lazarat, with such travel restricted to secure vehicles with escort. In most cases, police assistance and protection is limited. A high level of security awareness should be maintained at all times. Taking photographs of anything that could be perceived as being of military or security interest may result in problems with authorities. All gatherings of large cr ... [Read More]

Albania

The Government did not restrict access to the Internet; however, less than 1 percent of the population had access to the Internet because it was too expensive. The Government did not restrict academic freedom. b. Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association The Constitution provides for freedom of assembly, and the Government generally respected this right in practice. The law requires organizers to notify police about gatherings in public places, and the police may refuse to permit them for reasons such as security and traffic; however, there were no reports that such denials were made arbitrarily. On May 15 and 26, former political prisoners and victims of political persecution staged a formal protest on Tirana's main boulevard, se ... [Read More]

Albania (05/05)

Albania's trade imbalance is severe. In 2002, Albanian trade was U.S. $1.8 billion in imports, and U.S. $350 million in exports. Albania has concluded Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with Macedonia, Croatia, UNMIK (Kosovo), and Bulgaria. FTAs with Romania, Bosnia, and Moldova are at various stages of approval. However, combined trade with all these countries constitutes a small percentage of Albania's trade, while trade with EU member states (notably Greece, Italy, and Turkey) accounts for nearly 75%.) U.S. two-way trade with Albania is very low. In 2003, U.S. exports to Albania totaled $9.7 million making it the 183rd overall destination for U.S. exports. U.S. imports, during the same time period, totaled $4.3 million, making Albania the 177th overall source of U.S. imports. Major U.S. investment to date has been limited to large-scale infrastructure contracts with the government. The Albanian Government is currently negotiating a FTA with the EU, as part of its Sta ... [Read More]

V. Country Narratives -- Countries A through G

Cyprus is a destination country for women trafficked from Eastern and Central Europe for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Traffickers who forced women into prostitution continued to fraudulently recruit victims for work as dancers in cabarets and nightclubs on short-term "artiste" visas, for work in pubs and bars on employment visas, or for illegal work on tourist or student visas. There was increasing evidence of Chinese women being trafficked for sexual exploitation in Cyprus. The Government of Cyprus does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Cyprus made some progress in its anti-trafficking efforts over the past year. The new police anti-trafficking unit produced successful results and showed vigilance in combating the problem. Government recognition of the problem improve ... [Read More]