Church, clerics and canonical property are clearly considered as the highest values that should be protected at any costs, by any means. Blasphemy in any of its forms has been considered a capital crime in the pre-modern societies. Under this aspect, as per Albanian customary law, it is explicit and even more categorical: not only irreverence for God, but offenses against clergy might deserve exemplary punishments. In order of severity, people may be imposed or charged with murder or forced displacement of the entire family from territorial premises, whose member has committed the felony, prohibiting the felon and his family to cultivate the land, along with extension of the punishing by cutting down of all trees under their property, imposing fines through confiscating domesticated cattle and Fines in the form of monetary currency etc. Crime against clergy or clergymen was universally condemned and duly reprimanded. Most important, the customary law describes the forms of carrying out a popular verdict, especially when the community of a territorial division has condemned someone to death, following the felony.
Last date updated on September, 2024