Albania PM Threatens Travel Bans For Violent Protesters

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) AFP

Tirana, Albania: Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said Wednesday that his government was working on a "special registry" to restrict violent protesters from travelling, after more than a week of unrest in the country.

For over a week, protesters have routinely clashed with police and attacked government buildings, as months of protests escalate, driven by fresh demands for better university conditions and anger over corruption.

During a meeting with banking officials in Tirana, Rama threatened a range of new measures targeting anyone who participated in protest violence and said authorities were already compiling lists of offenders.

"We are collaborating with European Union countries to ensure that these individuals, as perpetrators of violence, are denied entry into those nations," Rama said.

"We will restrict access in many places -- at airports, in hotels, on trains, and across all modes of transport."

Albania is not an EU member, although it hopes to join, and Rama did not detail how such a travel ban would be enforced.

Protesters have widely targeted banks in the week-long demonstrations that have also left several government buildings badly damaged.

The streets were relatively quiet on Wednesday, according to an AFP reporter, but the student-led protest movement has called for a national rally on Saturday.

The recent protests turned violent last week as students took to the streets to demand better support for education and renew months-long calls for Rama's resignation.

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