TIRANA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of civil protesters together with the opposition representatives blocked 4 main crossroads across Albania on Thursday to protest against the payment to use a highway.
At a parliament session, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama explained the reason why the government must impose a tariff on the road, saying that it will serve to its maintenance.
At the end of last month, the Albanian government announced that Durres-Kukes highway, known also as the Albanian Nation's Road, will be Albania's first toll road starting from April 15, 2018, and that all drivers crossing this road would have to pay 5-euro tax (6.1 U.S. dollars).
Rama said the Nation's Road has cost 1.3 billion U.S. dollars to the Albanians and 200 million euros more are required for its completion.
Rama said the Albanian government will not start the toll system in the Nation's Road without finding the best solution for citizens of the area.
According to Rama, the state needs the tariffs to pay for the roads, saying that the principal obligation payment for roads in one year amounts to 110 million U.S. dollars, 37 percent of which covered the Nation's Road.
March's decision resulted in a violent protest in the Nation's Road on March 31 and around 24 protesters and police officers were injured as the result of the protest.
A total of 23 protesters were arrested by Albanian police on the next day, for destroying the public property and for using violence against the state police officers.
On April 4, under extreme security measures, with around 1,000 police forces near Tirana Court, the Judge decided that 11 from the 23 protesters to remain imprisoned, 5 of them to stay in house arrest and 7 on probation.
The court decision caused tensions among the protester's supporters, relatives, oppositions MPs and police forces. The Democratic Party MP Edmond Spaho told reporters that the police forces used violence against them and didn't let them enter the courtroom.
The Albanian opposition warned of launching civil disobedience demonstrations and called on the citizens to join the protest and not pay any tax imposed by the government.
