Today’s rejection of Heimarra Mayor-elect Freddy Beleris’s appeal against the continuation of his pre-trial detention does not appear to be in line with the rule of law, nor is it fair treatment of an elected representative of the local government, since, according to a statement from the Albanian Special Prosecutor’s Office, this is the only pre-trial detention from 31 complaints of electoral crimes, underlined in a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. .

The Department of Foreign Affairs continues to emphasize that the dismissal of the appeal raises questions about the political expediency of maintaining detention, as it creates a significant barrier to Freddy Beleris’s accession to the mayor’s office.

In its statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicates that the ongoing pre-trial detention of F. Beleris was the subject of today’s conversation between Foreign Minister Vasilis Kaskarelis and his Albanian counterpart Olta Tsatska in Oslo on the sidelines of an informal ministerial meeting of NATO foreign ministers.

Foreign Office Statement Rejecting Heimarra Mayor-Elect Freddy Beleris’s Appeal Against the Continued Detention

https://t.co/T1knBuCcHG pic.twitter.com/3Ys6ElUHex

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs (@GreeceMFA) June 1, 2023

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasizes that it pays very much attention to this issue and that, in addition to the bilateral aspect of the issue, it will continue to inform and raise awareness of the international community and in particular its European partners, since Albania is a candidate country for EU membership.