Fredi Beleri, elected mayor of Himar, was sentenced to 2 years in prison by an Albanian court.

Ethnic Greek Fredi Beleri, who was elected mayor of the city of Himare, was sentenced to two years in prison by a Tirana court on Tuesday. The verdict provoked an angry reaction from the Greek Foreign Ministry.

“It was a mock trial” – Beleri told media representatives after the announcement court decisions. He has been in custody since local elections in May 2023 on charges of voter bribery, and Albanian courts have rejected several requests for his release. Greece protested his detention in Albania and internationally, while Beleri said the accusations were false. The same court sentenced his fellow party member Pantelis Kokavesi to 18 months of suspended imprisonment.

Statement by the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs

“Today’s verdict by an Albanian court against the elected mayor of Himara, Fredi Beleris, heightens concerns about the objectivity of the trial. This is because the presumption of innocence is undermined by external statements and actions that favored conviction, and because the final sentence is clearly disproportionate to the extent of the alleged offense. And measuring the penalty in such a way that he is not released from prison prevents the elected mayor from taking office even today and keeps the losing mayoral candidate despite a direct court decision several months ago calling for his immediate removal. Selective application of court decisions and disregard of court decisions are not consistent with the principles of the rule of law. The Greek government will closely monitor the progress of the case and hopes for a fair and objective decision by the court of second instance.”.

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