schema:articleBody
| - Albanian police fired tear gas in Tirana late Wednesday at hundreds of protesters angry at the police for allegedly killing a young man breaking a coronavirus curfew the night before. Chanting "We want justice!", the protesters hurled stones and firecrackers at the police as they demanded the resignation of Interior Minister Sander Lleshaj over the shooting death of the 25-year-old. Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd after scuffles broke out outside the Interior Ministry, where demonstrators set fire to a Christmas tree, and the government building in the capital. The victim, Klodian Rasha, was allegedly shot dead by a police officer the night before while violating a 10pm curfew introduced to control the spread of Covid-19 in the Balkan state. Relatives say he went out around midnight to buy a pack of cigarettes. The interior minister has announced an investigation into the incident, while the police officer who allegedly fired the shot has been arrested, according to prosecutors. He will appear in court on Thursday, the prosecutor's office said. The protesters braved freezing rain in the capital and violated anti-virus restrictions on gatherings as they rallied outside, also chanting against Prime Minister Edi Rama. At least eight officers were injured by the stones and firecrackers thrown by demonstrators, according to a police spokesman. Coronavirus cases have been spiking in recent weeks in the country of 2.8 million, where some 900 people have died since the start of the pandemic. bme-ev/ssm/lc
|