Albania court rules 26-day hunger strike illegal
Oct 17, 2012, 3:07 PM
TIRANA, Albania (AP) – An Albanian court has ordered victims of the country’s former Communist regime to end a 26-day hunger strike in Tirana, during which two men set themselves on fire.
Protesters say the government has broken its pledges to compensate former political prisoners. Eight people are taking part in the protest in Tirana, the capital. Another 11 have been hospitalized as a result of the hunger strike, plus the two who are now being treated abroad for their burns.
The court ruled Wednesday that the hunger strike was illegal after police argued that the two protesters had endangered the public.
About 100,000 Albanians were executed, imprisoned or sent to labor camps by the Communists between 1944 and 1990.
The government says the compensation payments were delayed but have resumed.
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