By Tirana Times Staff
TIRANA, October 7, 2025 — The fatal shooting of Appeals Court Judge Astrit Kalaja inside a courtroom in Tirana on Monday has sent shockwaves across Albania, raising profound questions about the state of justice reform, courtroom security, and the country’s fragile rule of law.
Judge Kalaja, 53, was shot multiple times in the chest shortly after delivering a verdict in a long-running property dispute. Police identified the shooter as 30-year-old Elvis Shkëmbi, a party in the case, who was immediately subdued and arrested. Two other individualsfather and son, the opposing parties in the trialwere also wounded but are reportedly out of danger.
The killing, unprecedented in Albania’s judicial history, unfolded in the courtroom of the newly consolidated Appeals Court, which serves as the only such court for the entire countrya result of sweeping judicial reforms that merged multiple courts in recent years.
The attack has reignited public debate about the controversial justice reform that Western diplomats once hailed as Albania’s most successful institutional transformation. In practice, however, it has left the judicial system understaffed, overburdened, and, as Monday’s tragedy showed, dangerously exposed.
More than half of the country’s magistrates were dismissed or suspended during the vetting process meant to root out corruption. As a result, tens of thousands of cases remain pending, and citizens wait yearssometimes over a decadefor a verdict. “The reform was meant to deliver justice. Instead, it has produced paralysis,” said one Tiranabased legal analyst, noting that over 30,000 files are currently unreviewed across Albanian courts.
Beyond the systemic failures, the incident exposed alarming lapses in security. Witnesses said the assailant passed through the metal detector despite triggering an alarm. According to judicial sources, only one police officer and an administrative staff member were on duty at the entrance. The Special Anti-Corruption Prosecution (SPAK) has opened an investigation into how the armed man entered the courtroom.
The killing drew condemnation from across the political spectrum. Prime Minister Edi Rama called the act “a shocking crime against the state itself,” promising stricter measures against illegal weapons and increased protection for judges. Yet the government’s critics were quick to tie the murder to deeper structural failures.
Former Prime Minister and opposition leader Sali Berisha described the shooting as “the triumph of self-justice over justice,” accusing the internationally backed reform of having “destroyed the legal system” and deprived citizens of fair trials.
The tragedy also underscored a growing climate of fear within the judiciary. Several judges have reported threats in recent months, warning that security measures are minimal or symbolic. “We have been reporting threats for years, but nothing changes,” one sitting judge told local media anonymously.
Judge Kalaja, originally from Shkodër, had served in the judiciary for more than two decades and was one of the few magistrates to have passed the rigorous vetting process. He was respected for his professionalism and calm demeanor in court.
As police cordoned off the court’s main entrance on Monday evening, the sense of shock extended far beyond the justice system. For many Albanians, the killing symbolized not only the collapse of security inside the courts but also the erosion of faith in a reform once seen as a cornerstone of the country’s path to Europe.
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