He was temporarily released this morning. Expatriate candidate for Mayor of Heimarra Freddy Beleriswho was arrested at midnight by the special forces of the Albanian police accused of “vote buying”.

Minority bodies, OMONIA and CEAD, reacted strongly to what they call an unprecedented attack on the Hellenism of Albania, while the raid on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Albania held by Athens.

The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement:

“Following the news of the arrest by the Albanian authorities of Dionysus-Fredi Beleris, the KEAD mayoral candidate for the municipality of Heimarra, the Greek Ambassador to Tirana Konstantin Kamitsi, following the instructions of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Dendias, is making progress today, May 12, in the Albanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”

At the same time, a telephone conversation took place between Minister of Citizens Protection Takis Theodorikakos and his Albanian counterpart Beldar Tsutsi, during which Mr. Theodorikakos demanded the immediate release of expatriate and mayoral candidate Cimara Dionysus-Freddy Beleris. .

For his part, PS SYRIZA head of foreign affairs Giorgos Katrugalos tweeted that “the arrest and detention by the Albanian police authorities of President Omonia Heimarra and mayoral candidate Freddy Beleri lasted two days. ahead of the municipal elections raises serious concerns and questions.”

Mr. Katrugalos stressed that “immediate response is needed”. “We expect that in addition to the self-evident step at the bilateral level, the government will also mobilize decisively at the EU and OSCE levels. Support for the Greek national minority in difficult times must be practical. “Holidays are not enough,” he stressed.

Freddie Beleris, president of the local branch of OMONIA, is running in the municipal elections in Himarra as a candidate for mayor, supported by the Human Rights Union Party (KEAD) and OMONIA, as well as an opposition coalition led by the Democratic Party. Sali Berisha and the Freedom Party of the former President of the Republic, Ilir Meta.

On his way to the ballot box, Freddie Beleris was heavily criticized by parts of the press, as well as by Prime Minister Edi Rama himself, who allegedly told a TV station hours before his arrest that the day after the election, he “billed in person” together.

With information from APE-MPE