Albanian law on secret police annulled

Albania's Constitutional Court has reversed a law banning former Communist secret police staff and informants from holding public office or serving in the judiciary.
Spokeswoman Edlira Abazi said Wednesday that the court found the law, passed in 2008, was unconstitutional.

The decision followed a challenge by the main opposition Socialists, who claimed the ban gave conservative Prime Minister Sali Berisha sweeping powers to target political opponents.

The European Union and the United States have expressed concern the law fails to comply with international standards of democracy.

The widely feared Sigurimi secret police was instrumental in preserving Albania's ruthless Communist regime, which ruled for four decades until 1990.

Source:etaiwannews.com