European Parliament calls on Albania to fully probe ethnic Greek man’s killing

The European Parliament is calling for a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Konstantinos Katsifas, a 35-year-old ethnic Greek man who was fatally shot by Albanian authorities in the southern village of Bularat at the end of last month in what was described by Albanian authorities as an exchange of fire.

The proposal for the probe was submitted by Greel Democratic Alignment (PASOK) MEP Nikos Androulakis and German Social Democrat Knut Fleckenstein and overwhelmingly supported by the European Parliament's plenary.

The amendment was added to a European Parliament report relating to accession talks between Albania and the European Union and calls on Albanian authorities to investigate and determine the circumstances that led to Katsifas's death. 

(The European Parliament voted in favor of the launch of talks for both Albania and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia subject to certain conditions including the ratification and enforcement of the Prespes name deal with Greece in the case of the latter.)

Katsifas was shot on October 28, the national holiday marking Greece’s entry into World War II, a few hours after raising a flag at a cemetery for Greek soldiers.

According to Albanian authorities, the 35-year-old opened fire on police with an assault rifle, obliging them to return fire.