Diplomatic thriller is in progress at Albania after arrest of the expatriate candidate of the mayor of Heimarra, Freddy Beleris. The Albanian authorities accuse the mayoral candidate of buying votes ahead of Sunday’s elections in Albania, however members of the diaspora speak of a deliberate act, aimed at intimidating the members of the Greek minority, so that they do not come to the elections. From Lesbos, the Prime Minister requested the immediate release of the Greek candidate, with Edi Rama in his statement distancing himself and speaking of the determination of the judiciary to implement the law and then, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Albania stating that “the strike vote buying is a priority” and that Freddy Beleris “is equal before the law”.

The relevant document of the prosecution presented by SKAI in the main news bulletin states that “the citizen in question was caught red-handed in Himarra on 12.05.2023, at 00:14, in collaboration with other persons, giving sums of money to various people in order to buy votes.”

At the same time, a protest rally is being held in the center of Himarra by citizens reacting to the arrest of Freddy Beleris as reported by mission of SKAI in Albania.

“This is an example of terrorism on the part of the Rama system towards the ethnic Greek minority because it is afraid that the Greeks will vote in Greek and the Greek municipalities will be governed in Greek because until now, Rama governed these municipalities with his own people,” said the Vice President of Omonia Giorgos Tzomakas..

The reaction of Athens was immediate, with Kyriakos Mitsotakis informing the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, while from Mytilini he sent a clear message to the Albanian government.

“To send a message to our friend Albania, Greece is not going to accept concessions to the rule of law and the protection of the rights of the national Greek minority. If Albania wants to get closer to the EU, it has an obligation to ensure free and fair municipal elections and to immediately release those it imprisoned to participate in the process,” the Greek Prime Minister stressed.

“We consider that these are practices with the aim of scaring people and influencing the election result,” said the President of the Union of Chimarriots of Athens, Theodoris Goumas.

Freddy Beleris is accused of buying votes ahead of Sunday’s elections. His opponent is the current mayor supported by Edi Rama’s Socialist party.

“The Albanian state cannot accept that a representative of the Greek minority can be elected in this municipality. And when he cannot achieve this with political criteria, he uses various ways and methods such as today’s which for me is a terrorist movement with political and nationalist motives”, notes the former president of Omonia and candidate for Mayor, Leonidas Pappas.

Along with Freddy Beleris, the Albanian authorities also brought in his associate Pantelis Kokavesis, who is a heart patient and has undergone a heart transplant and who protested the arrest of the Greek expatriate. His second associate, Fredis Beleris, who was brought in with him, was released a few hours after being brought in.

“This shows regime attitudes. And the way it happened but also the time they chose because it became night. The purpose is to intimidate the Greeks who are going to come to vote, i.e. the expatriates”. said his sister Eleonora Kokavesi.

Eddy Rama posted via twitter post.

Rama described Beleris’ arrest as “an example of the justice’s determination to apply the law.”

He also demanded that the arrest be “documented with evidence and legally protected” and called on politicians not to rush to conclusions and to leave the investigative work of the competent authorities unaffected.

He claimed, finally, that the event has nothing to do with the election campaign.

Rama’s entire statement: “The arrest of opposition candidate for Himarra Fr. Belleri by order of the prosecutor’s office is a big test for justice on the eve of the election, which means that the violation of the law on his part must be proven and his arrest must have a legal motive! Our dispute with this candidate has nothing to do with the investigations or the conclusions of the prosecution, therefore, respecting the full independence of the judiciary, I call on everyone not to rush to political conclusions while patiently waiting for the reason and evidence of justice.”

“It is an unprecedented and inexplicable act. A phenomenon associated only with totalitarian regimes. We demand his release,” said the head of the KEAD party.

Ndalimi i kandidat të opozitës për Himarën F. Beleri me ordan të prokurisië is a big challenge for justice in the vigilje të elections, which means se shkelja e liggit nga ana e tij must be e probën dhe prohibition i tij ligërisht i motivuar !

— Edi Rama (@ediramaal) May 12, 2023

Following the strict message of Kyriakos Mitsotakis regarding the arrest of Freddy Belleris the Foreign Ministry of Albania also made a statement by posting it on Twitter.

“Vote buying is a serious offense in our law and law enforcement agencies prioritize combating it during the election season. This applies to all citizens of the Republic of Albania, including the brothers of the Greek minority who participate in our elections”, says the Albanian Foreign Minister Olta Dziatska.

As she states, “the candidacy of Fredis Beleris, a citizen of Albania who is contesting elections from his fellow citizens, does not justify any special treatment. He is as equal before the law as anyone else. It’s up to prosecutors and judges to handle this case based on evidence.”

He calls, as he emphasizes, for friends in Athens to closely monitor the development of the case with patience, allowing the Albanian judiciary to do its work without external pressure or divisive messages. It is good to keep Brussels informed, but we should also wait for the data, Dziatska said.

3/3 We respectfully urge our 🇬🇷friends in Athens to closely monitor the development of the case with patience, allowing Albanian justice to do its work without external pressures or divisive messages. Good to keep Brussels informed, but we should also wait for the facts to emerge.

— Olta Xhaçka🇦🇱 (@xhacka_olta) May 12, 2023

Visit to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Albania – Communication of Dendias – Rama and Theodorikakou with his Albanian counterpart

Meanwhile, Mr Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias contacted Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, according to diplomatic sources, on the subject of the arrest.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Greek ambassador had made a relevant visit to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Albania.

In addition, following the instructions of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Dendias, the Ambassador of Greece to Albania, Konstantina Kamitsi, went to the Avlona Police Station, in order to meet the candidate for mayor of the Municipality of Heimarra with the KEAD, Dionysi-Frentis Beleris, who is being held there.

At the same time, the ambassador of Greece in Albania informed the ambassadors of the EU member states about the case of the arrest of Fredis Beleris. in Albania, during their meeting today.

Takis Theodorikakos contacted his Albanian counterpart requesting the immediate release of Freddy Beleris.

The diaspora invites voters not to be afraid of the latest developments and to go vote in the elections.

In announcement of n Union of Chimarriots states: “This Sunday the people of Himarra have decided to elect a mayor with their vote. The messages from the villages, the rallying of the residents in Himara and the massive participation from Greece ensure the victory of Fredis Beleris at the ballot box.

Knowing the regime practices followed by the Albanian prime minister for so many years, we had no hope that it would be a normal match. In recent weeks, he has used every illegal method by demeaning the concept of the Prime Minister to change the result. We will not allow him to succeed.

The people of Himara have suffered too much for twelve years now to give up their right to democratically elect their mayor. The people of Himara deserve to have the mayor they choose.

Beleris was forcibly brought in without charge, with one and only purpose: to scare his voters so that they would not go to the polls and leave the mayorship free to his chosen Rama.

We call on all our compatriots not to give in. We assure them that they have nothing to fear. On Sunday we will vote en masse and on Monday Beleris will be mayor”.