Albania Stalls on Search for Communist Victims' Remains

The International Commission on Missing Persons, ICMP is still awaiting parliamentary ratification of the Albanian Council of Ministers' decision on June 7 to start work on the search for missing victims of the Communist regime.

A spokesperson for the ICMP confirmed that the organisation is still waiting for final approval.

"ICMP is looking forward to the ratification of the Cooperation Agreement with the Republic of Albania and the commencement of the activities that would assist the Albania to address the missing persons issue," the spokesperson said in a written response to BIRN.

"We hope that Albania will conclude this process this month so that we can commence the project," the spokesperson added.

A spokesperson for the Albanian government did not reply to BIRN's request for a comment on the issue.

The project will involve excavations at two known burial sites, one near Tirana and another near a former labour camp in Ballshi.

It should have started months ago and the postponement of the ratification caused concerns that funds provided by the EU for the project might be lost.

The EU delegation in Tirana told BIRN that the ICMP is currently carrying out training activities while awaiting ratification.

It expressed confidence that "the Albanian authorities will approve the agreement on time".

Several thousand Albanians were executed, died in labour camps or disappeared during 45 years of Communist rule between 1945 and 1991. Most of them were buried in unmarked graves.

Even the exact number of persons who went missing remains unclear.

Albania attracted the ICMP's attention in 2010 when BIRN investigations revealed how family members of an oil engineer who was executed in 1976 discovered a mass...