Satanism has developed a worldwide reputation throughout time. Already classified as a religion, it has frequently resurfaced as a trigger for violent crimes. Despite this, Satanism still exists and is evolving. In 1990, Satanism had a membership of only 50,000 persons. According to unofficial figures, this number has now doubled, and it continues to rise year after year as demonic churches and temples are built in various regions of the world.
In contrast to other religions, Satanism has its own traditions and canons for performing rituals, including human sacrifice.
Sacrifice is at the heart of the satanic cult. For them, the true sacrifice is the fatal torture of a living being, not such killing. This is where the suspicions of Albanians losing their lives arose. The fact that satanic ceremonies are already widely disseminated via the internet adds to the gravity of the situation.
Something like this, according to specialists and the religious community, is concerning, particularly for young age groups, who are one of the most vulnerable categories of satanic organizations.
A wave of teen self-sacrifice stunned the public 7 years ago. All of the victims, youngsters at various ages, adhered to some form of religion in the country, and their sacrifices were never explained, but all required resurrection.
Kombinat’s terrible incident in July 2020, in which a mother and daughter killed themselves in the hopes of being resurrected, is without a doubt the worst in Albanian society. Police concluded that the widow and her two daughters had accepted “Jehovah’s Witnesses,” although the latter rejected this. And this isn’t the first time that religious factions have played a role in suicide in Albania.
A case was reported in Karbunare, Lushnja, in 2003, in which a 17-year-old girl killed herself with a firearm, but explained the terrible act in a farewell note. After death, the young woman wrote, she would approach God and be revived. She had recently been declared a “Jehovah’s Witnesses” follower.
Another suicide happened in Fier in February 2005. After a fight with her parents, a minor, who was just 11 years old, took her own life. The parents had been criticizing her for neglecting school and spending too much time with the Jehovah witnesses . A 24-year-old girl died during the same time period after refusing to take blood to save her life. She, too, was a follower of the same cult.
In April 2014, another minor committed himself by hanging himself from a tree in Durres’ “Youth” sector. According to the family members, the 13-year-old had a relationship with “Jehovah’s Witnesses.” Despite the fact that numerous relatives of the victims have pushed and asked that actions be taken, no investigative results have been made to identify the instigators of these self-sacrifices.
A 23-year-old girl died in Tirana under unexplained circumstances some time ago. Although the cause of death was stated to be a tooth infection, suspicious symbols of satanic rituals were discovered on the body of 23-year-old Evgjeni Baxho. The 23-year-old was communicating with someone who was never accompanied for questioning. In her social media conversations with this individual, she once wrote to Evgjeni Baxho that she would feel her energy dwindle, but that this was not the end, while instructing her to avoid meeting and speaking with anyone.
Although no documented cases of these ceremonies have been found in Albania, Evgjeni Baxhos’ case and the marks on her body indicate that she was a member of a sect.
The legal vacuum prompted the Ministry of Interior to hold a consultation gathering of members from Albanian institutions, academia, the media, and civil society at the end of 2021 to consider the best strategy to preventing “occult crimes.”
The case of Evgeni Baxho shown that the criminal charge of “inciting to suicide” could not be the solution, despite the fact that there is no legislation or criminal code that addresses these offenses.
In what became known as the “Son of Sam” file, the first case of murder as part of satanic ceremonies was recorded in America 45 years ago. The event ended with the arrest of David Berkowitz in the United States after six murders and seven injuries at the time, but what was later disclosed by journalist Maury Thery was pursued as part of the inquiry.
David Berkowitz was a member of a large satanic cult that forced its members to kill as part of ritual sacrifices.
So far, four people have died in Albania over the course of a year, with the authorities never concluding an inquiry into the true reasons for these sacrifices.