Practical guide

Safety at the protest. Your rights.

Short guidance. What to bring. Where to turn when things get dangerous.

Medical emergency · 127

Trouble breathing. Heavy bleeding. Unconscious. Burns or trauma.

Call 127

This material is for practical orientation. For legal advice, ask a lawyer; for medical emergencies, call 127.

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Before the protestWhat to bring and how to prepare as well as you can.During the protestWhat to do when things turn dangerous.If the police stop youYour legal rights and the first steps.First aidHow to help someone who needs medical help.Free contactsFree legal, medical and psychological help.After the protestHow to document abuses and protect your digital safety.

Before the protest

Get ready before you go

Have a plan for every situation.

Go prepared

Don't go alone. Go with people you know or join a group at the protest. If you have no one to go with, write to us on WhatsApp to find a group.
Tell a family member where you will be and keep them updated if you move.
Agree on a meeting point with your friends in case you get separated.
Write on paper a family member's and a lawyer's number. The police may take your phone, or its battery may die.

Dress for protection

Cover as much skin as you can: long sleeves, gloves, a hood. Cover tattoos and take off jewellery.
No make-up, oil-based creams or Vaseline on skin that may be exposed: they hold the gas on your skin.
Don't wear contact lenses. Tie your hair back and avoid accessories that can be grabbed.
An N95 mask does not protect against tear gas, but it is better than nothing; a gas mask protects more. Any mask also limits identification by cameras.

Bring with you

Drinking water and sterile saline for rinsing your eyes, somewhere easy to reach.
Non-latex gloves, sterile gauze, bandages and plasters.
A charged phone and a power bank, an ID, any medicines you need, a little cash and spare clothes in a bag.

Secure your phone

Set a strong passcode and turn off Face ID and fingerprint unlock before the protest.
Limit the notifications shown on your lock screen.
Don't share your location publicly, only with people you trust.

Careful: protective gear does not make gas exposure safe. The safest choice is to get away from the source.

During the protest

Get away from danger

Stay with your group. Don't let yourself get trapped.

In the crowd

Keep room to move and don't go into places with no way out. Know your ways out in advance.
Keep at least 3 metres from police lines. If they come closer, move away.
If you get separated, go to the meeting point only when it is safe.
Don't become part of an escalation of violence. Help others without putting yourself at risk.

If you see violence or someone hurt

Check the danger to yourself first. Don't walk into gas, fire or a fight without protection.
Don't touch gas canisters or suspicious objects.
For heavy bleeding, press hard on the wound and call 127. For anything else, see first aid.
Document violence only when you are safe.

Careful: if the police have detained or arrested you, don't try to get away by force and don't resist physically. Ask for a lawyer.

If the police stop you

No statements without a lawyer

Ask for the reason. Ask for your lawyer. Ask for your family to be told.

Say it clearly

“Dua të di arsyen e ndalimit. Kërkoj të njoftoj familjen dhe të komunikoj me avokatin tim. Nuk bëj deklarata pa praninë e avokatit.”

I want to know why I am being held. I ask to notify my family and to speak to my lawyer. I will not make any statement without my lawyer present.

What to do

Stay calm and don't resist physically.
Ask to call your lawyer or a family member. If they won't let you do it yourself, ask the police to notify your family.
Don't give a statement about what happened without speaking to your lawyer. Give only the identity details the law requires.
Don't sign anything you don't understand. Ask to read it and to speak to your lawyer.
If you are hurt, say: “Kam nevojë për ndihmë mjekësore” (I need medical help) and ask for your injuries to be recorded.
Ask for the officer's identification and remember the time, the place and any ID numbers, if it is safe.
Note the time you were stopped and at the end ask for a copy of the police report (procesverbal).
If you don't have a lawyer, see the list of free lawyers.

What the law says

State Police Law, Article 10: an officer must identify themselves before taking any measure against you.
Same law, Article 19: temporary police holding lasts at most 5 hours, and the clock starts when you are stopped, not when you reach the station. You are entitled to a copy of the police report (procesverbal).
Constitution, Article 28: you must be told at once, in a language you understand, why you are held and what you are accused of; you do not have to make any statement, and you can contact a lawyer immediately. If you are arrested or detained over a criminal offence, you must be brought before a judge within 48 hours.
Constitution, Article 31: if you cannot afford a lawyer, you are entitled to free defence in criminal proceedings.
Code of Criminal Procedure, Article 255: the police must notify your family without delay, with your consent.
Under 18: the police must notify your family and must not question you without a lawyer and a psychologist present.

Careful: temporary police holding (up to 5 hours) and arrest over a criminal offence (before a judge within 48 hours) are different legal situations. Keep a lawyer's number on paper before you go out.

First aid

Act at once

Protect yourself. Stop the harm. Get help as serious as the injury.

Tear gas · eyes and breathing

Get away at once to fresh air and, if you can, to higher ground: the gas stays close to the ground.
Don't rub your eyes. Rinse them with clean water or saline for 10 to 15 minutes.
Take out contact lenses and don't put them back in.
Once you are safe, take off contaminated clothes without pulling them over your head, seal them in a bag and wash your skin with soap and water.
No milk, oils or home remedies in your eyes.
For trouble breathing, severe eye pain or blurred vision that doesn't clear, get medical help.

Burns from fire

If clothes catch fire: stop, drop, cover your face and roll.
Cool the burn under cool running water for 20 minutes. No ice, oil, butter or creams.
Take off jewellery and clothing near the burn, but don't pull off anything stuck to the skin and don't burst blisters. Cover it loosely with clean cling film.
Get urgent treatment for large or deep burns, or burns on the face, hands, neck or genitals.

Chemical burns

With gloves if you can, take off contaminated clothing. Brush dry powder off gently before rinsing.
Rinse with plenty of water for at least 20 minutes. Eyes: hold the eyelids open and rinse for 15 to 20 minutes.
Don't put anything on the skin and get it checked at a hospital.

Smoke

Get to fresh air at once.
Get a medical check for a hoarse voice, trouble breathing, burns on the face or soot in the mouth or nose. Symptoms can come later, especially with asthma.

Blows to the head or neck

Protect your head and neck with your arms as you get away from the danger.
If you suspect a neck or spine injury, don't move the person unless their life is at risk.
Loss of consciousness, vomiting, confusion, seizures or trouble speaking: get emergency medical help.

Unresponsive or not breathing normally

Check whether they respond and look for breathing for no more than 10 seconds.
If they are not breathing normally or only gasping, call 127, ask for a defibrillator and start chest compressions: centre of the chest, 100 to 120 a minute.
If they breathe normally and you don't suspect trauma, put them in the recovery position and keep watching them.

Bleeding and wounds

Press hard and without letting go directly on the wound with gauze or a clean cloth.
Heavy bleeding, or bleeding that won't stop: call 127.
Don't pull out objects stuck in a wound; press around them.
Rinse small wounds with clean water and cover them with sterile gauze.

Careful: call 127 for trouble breathing, heavy bleeding, loss of consciousness, severe burns or serious trauma. Don't delay help out of fear of the authorities.

Free contacts

Lawyers · Doctors · Supplies

Save the numbers before the protest. Ask whether the service is still running.

Democratic Party · 24/7

PD lawyers' group

Legal help at the police, the prosecutor's office and court for protesters taken in, detained or arrested. It is a service of a political party. The lawyers: Marash Logu, Eda Grimci, Adriana Kalaja, Franc Nuri, Shaqir Manjani, Besart Logu and Ledio Nuraj.

067 482 5149

Unconfirmed list

Free legal help, 24/7, for students and minors detained by the police.

@avokat_redi_shima

069 688 1469

Medical help

Medical · 24/7

Albanian Medical Clinic

Free treatment for injured protesters: medication, stitches, IV fluids and possible transport.

068 24 77 367

Volunteers in red scarves

Young women in red scarves hand out water and saline and give free first aid at the protest. Their link to the Red Cross has not been verified. Ask for identification, and don't let them replace 127 in serious cases.

Psychological support

Psychology · free

Elida Kërçyku

Free psychological support, including in emergencies.

067 57 47 365

Saline and masks

Free supplies

Rrjeti ASAN

Free saline and medical masks.

069 36 34 332

Pharmacy

Dante Pharma

Saline, masks and hyaluronic acid eye drops. The drops are not for rinsing gas out of the eyes.

068 31 37 804

Careful: these numbers are not emergency services. If a life is at risk, call 127.

After the protest

Document. Protect privacy.

Keep the facts without exposing other protesters.

If you saw or went through violence

Write down the time and place, what happened, the witnesses and any identifying marks.
Keep original photos, videos and medical records unedited, with a backup somewhere safe.
Don't publish other people's faces, names or locations without their consent, especially minors'.
Talk to a lawyer about filing a complaint. Don't rely only on social media posts.