A daily English summary of what Pas Perdes reported from Albania on 18 October 2026, as anti-government protests led by students continued and the police response drew growing criticism at home and abroad.
Le Monde: Albanians shocked by police violence as hospitals withhold information Le Monde report
Pas Perdes published an Albanian translation of a Le Monde report by Faustine Vincent describing growing solidarity in response to police violence during the protests. Citing official figures, the report says at least 120 police officers and 32 protesters were injured within four days since 13 October, and that by Saturday 500 people had been taken to police stations for acts of violence, 330 of whom were released. It describes volunteer medical teams, including medical students, giving first aid in Tiranë, says the Military Hospital where the most serious cases are taken lets no one in and staff were told not to speak to the press, and notes that two officers were suspended on Friday by State Police Director General Skënder Hita after videos suggested disproportionate use of force. Prime Minister Edi Rama called for calm and blamed unspecified “foreign hands”, saying the protests aim to obstruct Albania’s EU accession efforts.
Read the original in Albanian →
Citizen carrying groceries surrounded by five officers and taken to the station
A man on his way home with milk, oranges and buttermilk he had just bought was surrounded by five police officers during the protest. He said he was taken to the station after objecting to the use of tear gas against protesters: “I told them: ‘You are throwing poison at Albanians’, so they took me.”
Read the original in Albanian →
Footage presented as showing police officers setting fire to Police Station No. 3 themselves
Pas Perdes published video footage that it says shows the officers who themselves set fire to Police Station No. 3.
Protesters confront a man they identify as a plainclothes officer in the crowd
A video shared on Instagram shows protesters spotting a man they identified as a plainclothes officer in the crowd, using violence against him and telling him to leave: “Go away, get out.”
Rama’s meeting with the Austrian chancellor cancelled; Vienna diaspora protest goes ahead
Prime Minister Edi Rama’s official visit to Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker, planned for Monday 19 October, was cancelled, according to the Austrian Federal Press Service via APA-OTS, which said the cancellation came from the Albanian side. Austrian authorities have not said whether it is linked to the protest planned by the Albanian diaspora in Vienna. Organisers said the protest will go ahead as planned in support of democracy, accountability and the public interest in Albania.
Read the original in Albanian →
Albanian diaspora in Vienna calls for protest against Edi Rama on Monday
After 20 weekly protests, the Albanian diaspora in Vienna called on Albanians to gather peacefully with national flags at Ballhausplatz (Löwelstraße 6) on Monday 19 October 2026 at 10:30, when Rama was due at the Austrian Federal Chancellery. The organisers said they would not let him pose as a European leader while students and citizens who speak out in Tiranë face violence.
Read the original in Albanian →
Singer Aurela Gaçe: young people have lost hope of building a future here Commentary
Well-known singer Aurela Gaçe posted a message on social media in support of young protesters, asking why young Albanians want to leave the country and who is responsible for their loss of hope. She also shared lines from the song “Zemërthyer” by Doktor Flori, including “Better an end with pain than pain without end.”
Read the original in Albanian →
Watch the evidence: Pas Perdes keeps a public archive of videos documenting police violence during the 2026 protests. Video archive →
About this brief: Pas Perdes is an independent, non-partisan Albanian civic news and accountability portal. This brief summarises and translates our own reporting from Albanian; opinion and commentary pieces are labelled. Corrections and right of reply: contact us.
