Public Perceptions on Transitional Justice in Albania

Abstract

The democratization process of Albania following the fall of communism has led scholars to focus on the relationship between justice reforms, rule of law, and the society, in the light of political and economic situation. This article aims to provide an original analysis of the political timeline of events in terms of transitional justice and dealing with the past unfinished process in Albania.

The main research question (RQ) is “How have transitional justice initiatives indicate public perceptions on transitional justice in Albania?”. Transitional justice mechanisms such as lustration and vetting are the most used mechanisms in the post-communist countries, which scholars themselves have paid more attention to in comparison to other mechanisms. Due to the limitations of studies and analysis on the causal relationship between lustration as a mechanism and political developments and polarization in Albania, this research question seeks to shed light on the ongoing political debates and deeply divided society when it comes to lustration law and the opening of the files of the communist regime. The main hypothesis of this study is - RH: The limited achievement of transitional justice initiatives has conditioned the current status of public perceptions on transitional justice in Albania.

This study employs quantitative data analysis, using 1021 survey respondents conducted in Albania. Data findings are analyzed through SPSS Software.