SHISH

The State Intelligence Service (Albanian: Shërbimi Informativ i Shtetit), commonly known by its acronym SHISH, is the main civilian national intelligence agency of Albania. It is a central state institution responsible for collecting and analysing intelligence from inside and outside the country on threats to national security, including terrorism, espionage, threats to the constitutional order and organised crime. The present service developed from the post-communist National Informative Service (Shërbimi Informativ Kombëtar, SHIK), which was established by Law No. 7495 of 2 July 1991 after the dissolution of the communist-era Sigurimi. SHIK was reorganised by Law No. 8391 of 28 October 1998, and on 22 November 1999 the Constitutional Court of Albania changed its name to the State Intelligence Service. The service operates under the authority of the Prime Minister of Albania, while its director and deputy director are appointed and dismissed by the President of the Republic on the proposal of the prime minister. History Early Albanian intelligence services SHISH presents the history of Albanian intelligence as beginning with the provisional government of Ismail Qemali. According to the service's official history, on 17 December 1912 the government decided that "a secret service" should be organised for the occupied areas of Albania, assigning Bajram Curri and Lef Nosi to assist with its creation. The service traces later interwar structures to the Ministry of the Interior created after the Congress of Lushnjë in 1920. In December 1921, Ahmet Zogu was appointed Minister of Internal Affairs and reorganised the ministry, creating a secret section headed by Haki Stërmilli. During the interwar period the main Albanian intelligence structure was known in 1922 as the Sekretari Sekrete and from 1923 to 1939 as the Zyra Sekrete. From 1927 Albania also operated a foreign intelligence service attached to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and using diplomatic missions as cover. Communist-era Sigurimi After the Second World War, the communist state created state-security organs between December 1944 and March 1945. The Directorate for the Protection of the People, subordinate to the Ministry of Defence, operated until 1946, when the Directorate of State Security, commonly known as the Sigurimi, was created. The official SHISH history states that the Sigurimi's activities were based on a platform of the former Politburo of the Party of Labour of Albania, rather than on law, and that this led to serious violations of law and human rights, especially in the context of class struggle. Creation of SHIK Following political pluralism in 1990 and the collapse of the communist regime, the State Security organs were formally reformed. Law No. 7495, dated 2 July 1991, created the National Informative Service (SHIK). Its primary task was described as preventing, detecting and interrupting unconstitutional activity threatening Albania's freedom, independence, defensive capacity, territorial integrity and national wealth. The new service was officially intended to be a depoliticised institution, although the legacy of the Sigurimi and the political use of the security services remained controversial during the 1990s. During the 1997 Albanian civil unrest, Prime Minister Bashkim Fino announced that SHIK activity would be suspended effective 31 March 1997. SHIK director Bashkim Gazidede and his deputy Bujar Rama resigned, and the leadership of the service changed several times during the year. In October 1997, the United States Central Intelligence Agency sent a team of specialists to assist the Albanian government with restructuring the service. Reorganisation as SHISH Law No. 8391 of 28 October 1998 defined the National Informative Service as an intelligence body functioning for national security and acting in accordance with the Constitution and laws of Albania. By Constitutional Court Decision No. 61, dated 22 November 1999, the name was changed from the National Informative Service (SHIK) to the State Intelligence Service (SHISH). The status of SHISH employees was later regulated by Law No. 9357 of 17 March 2005. In 2016 the service was awarded the "Golden Eagle Decoration" by presidential decree for what was described as the 25-year contribution of its employees to legal duties, state security and democratic development. In December 2023 a new SHISH emblem was approved by Order No. 224 of the prime minister. Legal mandate and functions SHISH's legal framework includes the Constitution of Albania, Law No. 8391 of 28 October 1998 "On the State Intelligence Service" as amended, Law No. 9357 of 17 March 2005 on the status of SHISH employees, and legislation on classified information. The service is an intelligence body for national security and is legally required to operate in accordance with the Constitution and the laws of Albania. According to SHISH's transparency programme, the service's main tasks include: collecting information from abroad in the interests of national security; conducting counterintelligence activity to protect Albania's integrity, independence and constitutional order; collecting information on terrorism, the production and trafficking of narcotics, weapons of mass destruction and crimes against the environment; collecting information on organised crime that threatens national security; protecting its own activity, information, employees and property, including through vetting and qualification of candidates, employees and contractors; providing technical and administrative support needed to perform those functions. The service says that its mission is to protect national security through intelligence instruments beyond publicly available facts and opinions, helping state institutions assess and anticipate current and potential threats and risks. Governance and oversight SHISH is under the authority of the Prime Minister of Albania. The director and deputy director are appointed and dismissed by the President of the Republic on the proposal of the prime minister. The director reports and provides information to both the president and the prime minister on issues related to national security. Parliamentary oversight is carried out through the Assembly of Albania, particularly the Committee on National Security. The director of SHISH is required to report to the committee at least once a year, with reporting conducted in a manner that protects sources and classified information. A 2011 study by the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces noted that, among Albania's intelligence services, SHISH was the only service that reported regularly to the National Security Committee, but that these reports were not made public and that broader parliamentary oversight remained limited. The service is also subject to other forms of control. The prime minister may inspect operational funds, the Supreme State Audit Institution may audit public funds, and the Prosecutor General or competent court authorities oversee the use of special investigative measures where required by law. An inspector general, appointed by the Council of Ministers, may inspect SHISH activity and report directly to the prime minister, although the inspector is also administratively linked to the SHISH director. Article 10 of the SHISH law excludes the service from obligations that would require publication of its methods, sources, classified information, structures, staff names, official titles, salaries or number of personnel. Areas of activity The public areas of SHISH activity include terrorism and extremism, foreign intelligence, hostile intelligence services, domestic and regional stability, cyber security, organised crime, corruption, economic security, energy security, global security challenges, internal protection of classified information and security vetting. The official description states that SHISH collects intelligence inside and outside Albania against threats related to terrorism, espionage, the constitutional order and organised crime. Publicly reported activities and incidents Counterterrorism In 2016, Albanian Defence Minister Mimi Kodheli stated that intelligence services had helped prevent terrorist attacks, without giving full operational details. Albanian media reported that some of the security concerns were connected with a football match involving Israel and Albania. 2018 exposure of intelligence data In December 2018, journalists Borzou Daragahi and Vincent Triest reported in The Independent and Bellingcat that sensitive information about SHISH payments and personnel had been made publicly available through Albanian government financial-transparency spreadsheets. The reports said that the data revealed names, positions, expenses, national identification details, vehicle registrations and travel information of domestic and foreign-based personnel, including officers posted in Belgium, Greece, Kosovo, Italy, North Macedonia and Serbia. Bellingcat wrote that the information appeared to come from spending spreadsheets published by Albania's Ministry of Finance and Economy as part of transparency measures. The reports were widely described as a serious security breach for a NATO member state. The Independent reported that SHISH officials acknowledged the sensitive nature of the information, while SHISH later issued a statement denying that secret information had been leaked. Allegations relating to North Macedonia During the 2001 insurgency in Macedonia, Der Spiegel alleged that the United States and Albanian intelligence had maintained close links with Albanian armed groups in the region and that the CIA treated the Albanian service as a partner in the Balkans. The allegation has been reported as part of wider controversy over Western policy during the insurgency, but it has not been established as an official Albanian government admission. Directors SHISH's official website lists the heads of the Albanian post-communist intelligence service from SHIK to SHISH, beginning with Irakli Koçollari and ending with the incumbent Vlora Hyseni. See also Sigurimi SHIK SHIU (Albania) AIDSSH (Albania) References