The Avlonas court also ruled against Pantelis Kokavesis, an associate of mayoral candidate Freddy Beleris, who was also taken into custody. Albania.

The hospital in Tirana, where Kokavesis, who is facing health problems and having undergone a heart transplant a year ago, was transferred yesterday, was also informed of the decision.

Beleris and Kokavesis have the right to appeal within five days, and the Court of Appeal will issue a decision within ten days.

Tomorrow, Mr. Beleris will normally be on the ballot and his supporters will be able to vote for him.

Freddie Belleri’s first message from prison

“Tomorrow your vote will save the country and democracy,” Beleris wrote on his personal Facebook account. Speaking to the OPEN TV channel, he said that although according to initial estimates, from 1200 to 1300 people will go from Athens to Himarra to vote, in the last few hours the number has increased to 1500.

Albanian Foreign Ministry tweet

Against the background of the reaction of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs took a position on the Beleris case. AlbaniaOlta Jaska, after the reaction to his arrest two days before the elections.

In a Twitter post, he responds to the Greek side, citing a lack of respect for Albanian institutions, while accuses Beleris of criminal activity against “free and fair elections” in Albania.

“It’s almost impossible to understand how our Greek friends have the right to challenge a court decision in our country when the hard evidence they were looking for couldn’t be more complicated – Freddie Beleri was convicted of criminal activity against a free and fair election.” says Jaska originally in his post.

Greek Foreign Ministry for the arrest of Beleris

“Today’s decision of the court in Avlon, if the evidence is not irrefutable, then scandalous,” according to the message of the Ministry of Foreign Affairsin the case of mayoral candidate Heimarras Dionysus-Freddy Beleris.

“Arresting a mayoral candidate two days before an election is not the rule of law,” he adds characteristically. “The decision to pre-trial detention of a mayoral candidate leads to the complete abolition of equality rules in the municipal elections in Heimarra, the most important center of the Greek national minority in Albania,” he emphasizes.

“Such a decision will also affect the EU’s relations with Albania, since the condition of this European course is the commitment of the candidate countries to European rules and principles of the rule of law.”

“Decisions like today’s, which violate the above principles, mean that in practice Albania is not following the European path,” he concludes.

Earlier, the court of Avlona decided to imprison the candidate for the mayor of Heimarra and the Greek emigrant in a prison in Tirana, where he will be held for at least 10 days.

KEAD President Vangelis Dulles described the decision as political, as was the whole scene prior to his arrest. The judicial authorities will announce the decision of Pantelis Kokavesis in the Tirana hospital, where he was transferred due to health problems.

It is noted that Beleris was arrested just two days before the municipal elections in the neighboring country.

Recall that Kyriakos Mitsotakis sent a message to Tirana that if Albania wants to get closer to the EU, it must ensure free municipal elections and immediately release those whom it has imprisoned.