Albanian attorneys on strike to protest court reduction plan

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albanian attorneys are boycotted all the courts to protest a reorganization that cuts the number of courts almost by half. Last week the High Judicial Council, the country’s top institution on courts, decided to cut first instance courts from 22 to 13, the appeals courts from six to one and the administrative courts from six to two. It said the move was aimed at “increasing the efficiency of the judicial system for citizens” and also a better distribution of the judges’ workload. Attorneys on Tuesday said it was doing the opposite, violating citizens’ access to courts and delaying the court processes. They are boycotting 500 court cases this week and threatening to continue the strike.