The Ombudsman, Endrit Shabani and Commissioner Vilma Shurdha, today presented the study "The State of the Rights of National Minorities in Albania", carried out with the support of the Council of Europe and the European Union. In his speech, Mr. Shabani focused on the distance between the legal recognition of national minorities and the way these rights are lived every day by the citizens of these communities.

According to him, the adoption of Law No. 96/2017 on the Protection of National Minorities was an important step, but recognition on paper is the beginning of the work, not the end of it.

"Assimilation does not always come as politics. More often it comes as disregard", - said Shabani.

The Ombudsman emphasized that the collection of evidence from international partners and from the communities themselves, on issues that public institutions often do not see, is in itself a finding for the state.

On this basis, he made two commitments: that the next annual report contain a structured chapter on the rights of national minorities, integrating also the reports of civil society; and that he open offices in the communities where national minorities live.

This activity was organized by the General Section of the People's Advocate, within the framework of the action "Improving protection against discrimination in Albania", part of the joint program of the European Union and the Council of Europe "Horizontal Mechanism for the Western Balkans and Turkey".