{"id":76156,"date":"2026-06-05T14:37:42","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T12:37:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/?p=76156"},"modified":"2026-06-05T14:37:42","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T12:37:42","slug":"albania-citizens-protest-controversial-resort-project-in-protected-coastal-area","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/az\/albania-citizens-protest-controversial-resort-project-in-protected-coastal-area\/","title":{"rendered":"Albania: Citizens protest controversial resort project in protected coastal area"},"content":{"rendered":"

Albania: Citizens protest controversial resort project in protected coastal area<\/strong><\/h1>\n

ISHR expresses concern over protests in Albania against controversial resort project in protected coastal area<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>

Tirana \/ Frankfurt am Main, 05.06.2026 \u2014 The International Society for Human Rights (ISHR) is closely following the ongoing protests in Albania against a controversial luxury resort project linked to Jared Kushner\u2019s investment firm, Affinity Partners. The planned development concerns Sazan Island and parts of the Vjosa-Narta protected landscape, a sensitive ecological area known for its biodiversity, including flamingos, seals and sea turtle nesting sites. Albanian anti-corruption prosecutors have opened an investigation into changes made in 2024 to the area\u2019s protected status and land ownership, which made tourism development possible. Citizens and environmental organisations have taken to the streets for several days, demanding transparency, protection of the area and accountability from the government.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/span><\/div>
Margarita Kola, President of ISHR Albania and ISHR Vice-President for Europe, pictured in the middle with demonstrators during protests in Tirana. Photo: Margarita Kola<\/em><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>
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Margarita Kola, Head of the Albanian Section of ISHR, stated:<\/p>\n

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\u201cThousands of Albanian citizens, especially young people, are protesting because they no longer accept corruption, lack of transparency and poor governance. This is not only about one tourist project. It is about the way decisions are made, how protected public land is treated and whether powerful people can benefit at the expense of citizens and nature. Albanians are demanding accountability, equal treatment before the law and a government that serves the public interest.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The protests were sparked by public concern over the lack of transparency surrounding the project, questions about land ownership and reports that people connected to political and business circles may have benefited from changes in property rights. The situation escalated after fences were installed near the proposed development site, restricting access to the beach, and after footage reportedly showed private security guards using violence against protesters. Albanian authorities have since revoked the licences of two private security companies, while several protesters have also reportedly been charged. The case comes amid broader public frustration over corruption scandals, public procurement concerns and allegations of political protection for high-level officials. ISHR underlines that Albania\u2019s European future must be based on rule of law, environmental protection, transparent governance and the right of citizens to peacefully protest.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":119,"featured_media":76157,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"Albania: Citizens protest controversial resort project in protected coastal area - Menschenrechte Osteuropa - News & Konflikte","description":"Albania: Citizens protest controversial resort project in protected coastal area ISHR expresses concern over protests in Albania against controversial resort pr"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[367,116,216,939],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-im-fokus-en","category-in-focus","category-standard","category---2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76156","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/119"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76156"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76156\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76175,"href":"https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76156\/revisions\/76175"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}