Albanian judge killed in a courtroom shooting amid growing anger over judicial reforms.
Prime Minister Edi Rama called the incident a “criminal attack” that demands “the most extreme legal response against the aggressor.”
Appeals judge Astrit Kalaja was shot dead inside a courtroom in Tirana , Albania ‘s capital , on Monday while presiding over a hearing on a property dispute. The gunman, identified by local media as 30-year-old Elvis Shkëmbi , was involved in the proceedings and opened fire after realizing he would lose the case. Kalaja died on the way to the hospital , while two other people—a father and son, also involved in the trial—were injured but are out of danger.
The attacker managed to flee the scene briefly, but was arrested shortly afterward. Police also detained his uncle and the court security guard, who may have facilitated the entry of the weapon. The weapon used, a revolver, was recovered by authorities.
Prime Minister Edi Rama called the incident a “criminal attack” that demands “the most extreme legal response against the aggressor” and called for increased security in the courts. President Bajram Begaj described it as “a terrible attack on the entire judicial system .” The OSCE in Tirana expressed its “deep shock,” noting that “attacks against judges are direct attacks on the rule of law . “
A judicial crisis that provokes distrust
The murder has sparked a wave of outrage and highlighted the fragility of the Albanian judicial system . Opposition leaders like Sali Berisha denounced the crime as reflecting “the great insecurity that exists in the country today” and criticized the judicial reforms promoted by the European Union and the United States since 2016, which have left the country without a Constitutional Court or Supreme Court for years, accumulating more than 200,000 pending cases.
According to former ambassador Agim Nesho , these reforms have become “political instruments” that concentrate power in the executive branch and have eroded public trust. The existence of a social media campaign supporting the killer , including a fundraiser for his legal defense, has been interpreted by some as a protest against a judicial system perceived as corrupt and politicized.
The case has reopened the debate on court security , access to weapons , and the need for sweeping reforms. Activists and legal experts have demanded a review of courtroom entry protocols, where access is currently more open than in other European countries. Kalaja ‘s murder —the first of a sitting judge in Albania in more than three decades— marks a turning point in the relationship between justice and society.
