Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
Publication Date 28 September 2010
Citation / Document Symbol ALB103572.E
Cite as Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Albania: Situation and treatment of homosexuals; state protection and support services (2007 - September 2010), 28 September 2010, ALB103572.E, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/4dd10e342.html [accessed 2 May 2013]
Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
Homosexual acts were decriminalized in Albania in 1995 (Balkan Insight 24 June 2010; Pink News 24 June 2010; Freedom House 2010).
Media sources and human rights organizations indicate that there are high levels of homophobia in Albania (Human Rights Watch 16 Feb. 2010; The Human Rights Brief 3 Mar. 2010; Balkan Insight 5 Dec. 2007). Media sources report that the gay community has been primarily underground (BBC 30 July 2009; Reuters 5 Feb. 2010). In a telephone interview with the Research Directorate on 10 September 2010, an LGBT rights activist from the US with a Ph.D. in Anthropology, who lived in Albania, participated in the US embassy speakers program and was a founding member of the Tirana-based LGBT rights organization Aleanca Kunder Diskriminimit te LGBT (Gay-Straight Alliance Against LGBT Discrimination), stated that there are no gay clubs or neighbourhoods in Albania and that hardly anyone is public about being LGBT. According to Balkan Insight, an online publication produced by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN), most homosexuals in Albania do not reveal their sexual orientation, "fearing that if it is discovered their safety will be endangered" (24 June 2010).
According to human rights observers, LGBT people in Albania are subject to "intolerance, physical and psychological
Publication Date 28 September 2010
Citation / Document Symbol ALB103572.E
Cite as Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Albania: Situation and treatment of homosexuals; state protection and support services (2007 - September 2010), 28 September 2010, ALB103572.E, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/4dd10e342.html [accessed 2 May 2013]
Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
Homosexual acts were decriminalized in Albania in 1995 (Balkan Insight 24 June 2010; Pink News 24 June 2010; Freedom House 2010).
Media sources and human rights organizations indicate that there are high levels of homophobia in Albania (Human Rights Watch 16 Feb. 2010; The Human Rights Brief 3 Mar. 2010; Balkan Insight 5 Dec. 2007). Media sources report that the gay community has been primarily underground (BBC 30 July 2009; Reuters 5 Feb. 2010). In a telephone interview with the Research Directorate on 10 September 2010, an LGBT rights activist from the US with a Ph.D. in Anthropology, who lived in Albania, participated in the US embassy speakers program and was a founding member of the Tirana-based LGBT rights organization Aleanca Kunder Diskriminimit te LGBT (Gay-Straight Alliance Against LGBT Discrimination), stated that there are no gay clubs or neighbourhoods in Albania and that hardly anyone is public about being LGBT. According to Balkan Insight, an online publication produced by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN), most homosexuals in Albania do not reveal their sexual orientation, "fearing that if it is discovered their safety will be endangered" (24 June 2010).
According to human rights observers, LGBT people in Albania are subject to "intolerance, physical and psychological
References: Albania. 2010. "Law No. 10 221 dated 4.2.2010 On Protection from Discrimination." [Accessed 2 Sept. 2010] Aleanca Kunder Diskriminimit te LGBT (Gay-Straight Alliance Against LGBT Discrimination) Albanian Human Rights Group (AHRG). N.d. "This is the Albanian Human Rights Group." [Accessed 2 Sept. 2010] Balkan Insight _____. 21 September 2009. Besar Likmeta. "Transvestite Murder Prompts Accusation." [Accessed 3 Sept. 2010] _____ _____. 5 December 2007. Ben Andoni. "Albania 's Gay Flight." [Accessed 3 Sept. 2010] British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Council of Europe. 18 June 2008. Commissioner for Human Rights. Report by the Commissioner for Human Rights Mr. Thomas Hammarberg on his Visit to Albania 27 October - 2 November 2007. [Accessed 8 Sept. 2010] Freedom House The Human Rights Brief. 3 March 2010. Annamaria Racota. "Albania 's New Anti-Discrimination Law Protects LGBT Rights." [Accessed 2 Sept. 2010] Human Rights Watch International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association (ILGA) Europe. 5 February 2010. "Albania Protects LBGT People from Discrimination." [Accessed 1 Sept. 2010] Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Activist Pink News. 24 June 2010. Christopher Brocklebank. "Hillary Clinton Discusses Subject of Homophobia in Albania." [Accessed 1 Sept. 2010] Reuters United States (US). 11 March 2010. Department of State. "Albania." Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2009. [Accessed 1 Sept. 2010] Additional Sources Consulted