Following the shocking incident at the Durrës Court of Appeal, where judge Astrit Kalaja was shot dead during a court session, social networks have been engulfed by a wave of reactions that have crossed the boundaries of reason and morality.
Dozens of comments on online platforms have attempted to justify or support the actions of the authors, Elvis and Gjon Shkambi , while a " GoFundMe " page was even opened to raise funds for them, which was closed a few hours later.
This phenomenon has raised the alarm about the normalization of violence and the glorification of perpetrators, hitting public sensitivity and trust in justice.
In this context, the New Criminal Code, which is expected to be approved soon by the Albanian Parliament, provides clear penalties for those who publicly support or praise the crime.
What does the article provide for "Supporting the commission of a crime":
1. Anyone who publicly supports a criminal, justifying, praising or presenting the act as just or beneficial, shall be punished by imprisonment for 1 to 4 years .
2. If this support is provided through the media or social networks, the penalty increases by up to one third.
3. In cases where support occurs during the commission of a crime and influences its completion, the person is treated as an accomplice in the crime, meaning they face the same punishment as the perpetrator.
This new article aims to prohibit the glorification of crime and its perpetrators, especially in the age of social media, where a word, a post or a "like" can influence public perception of justice and victims./ VoxNews