A well-known postulate of justice advocates says that it is better to have 100 guilty people outside than 1 innocent person inside the cell. When this thesis is presented today in the debate on reformed justice, stories like this one of this citizen who has been to prison twice, and then, in both cases, was found innocent...
Citizen Taulant Boçi has suffered two unjust imprisonments and in both cases has been acquitted. An absurd situation that often shows the harsh reality that citizens face with the rigidity of the courts.
'I was convicted on false evidence and continued the court hearings until I received a decision on appeal. I was sentenced to 5 and a half years, but initially nothing was taken into account'
This is where Taulant's ordeal begins, having spent more than 4 years in prison. A huge waste of time spent behind bars, away from his children, his wife, and without the opportunity to work or support himself.
'The prison period is like being out walking in the sun all day and then it rains. Everything in your life changes. You are no longer the person you were. In prison you have very good and bad people. Those who are bad outside are also bad inside. Those who are spiritually strong try to survive, those who are weak are alienated in prison. The suffering you go through there has a huge cost for your family, you may be with children. You are not close to your family,' said Taulant Boçi, a whistleblower.
Ironically, by the time the Supreme Court remanded the case for retrial, Taulant had already been released from prison. So, justice was giving a decision that no longer had any value. Taulant was robbed of 4 years of his life and no one was held accountable for this!
'When it was my turn to go to the High Court that accepted my judgment, I had already closed the prison. The judges and experts truly proved that I was not guilty and for that I received my innocence' said Taulant Boçi, the whistleblower
Meanwhile, despite the long and unjust sentence, the compensation that Taulant won was ridiculous. The calculations of the days behind bars were estimated at less than one working day.
'It's not like the compensation was worth it to me, because I don't get anything back from the compensation that the state can give me. The state has assessed me with a ridiculous price of 10 thousand old lek. Can I support my family with 10 thousand old lek? Because I'm the head of the family!' said Taulant Boçi, the complainant
The story of Taulant Boci is even more painful than that, as he is detained again by the justice institutions, based on false information. Boci is accused of having hashish in the car filled with oregano.
'They kept me in detention for 1 year. Then the prosecutor decided to dismiss the case. The Court made the same decision. Now I have filed for damages, I believe I will get about 10 thousand lek per day again,' said Taulant Boçi./ Inside Story