Alleged demands in prison
Veliaj’s lawyer, Plarent Ndreca, stated that Minister of Justice Toni Gogu visited the prison where Veliaj was transferred last week with a list of demands from Prime Minister Edi Rama. Veliaj claims Rama used Gogu to pressure him to resign and admit he supports the violent protests that have rocked Tirana in recent weeks. Gogu denied sending any such messages, stating he went to assess the conditions of Veliaj’s treatment and hear complaints from his lawyer. Veliaj posted two handwritten notes allegedly taken from the meeting which contain Rama’s demands, and he challenged the Prime Minister to produce even a single piece of evidence to support his insinuations about the protests. He wrote, "I may indeed have less freedom than the Prime Minister but I possess far more dignity than he does."
The Albanian Helsinki Committee monitored Fier prison after Veliaj’s transfer from the Durres pre-trial detention centre, which Veliaj described as a "police abduction" because the authorities had classified the transfer order as a state secret. The committee found that the lack of transparency regarding the transfer and the classification of the order as restricted information hindered Veliaj’s right to an effective appeal. They also stated that security cannot be used as a blanket justification to circumvent transparency, proportionality, and judicial oversight. I find this situation to be a blatant violation of legal transparency.
Protests and political fallout
Veliaj has been in jail since February 10, 2025, following an arrest by the Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organised Crime on corruption and money laundering charges involving a scheme that also includes his wife, Ajola Xoxa. He denies these accusations. The current tension follows a message Veliaj sent on October 26 regarding the "Belgrade issue," where he congratulated students for toppling the "Machiavellian and populist" regime in Serbia. In that message, he wrote, "Congratulations to the students for toppling the Machiavellian and populist from Belgrade!" Since that message, Ndreca said on the local show "Opinion" that there has been a shift in institutional behavior, especially as Albanians have protested against the government for almost five months. Students joined these protests in October to demand Rama’s resignation. Political analyst Lutfi Dervishi said Veliaj is using language that leaves little room for misunderstanding, which creates a new problem for Rama. If Socialists begin to question whether they should support the party or defend every decision made by its leader, the debate ceases to be merely personal.
Former Socialist minister Ermelinda Meksi said that if Veliaj’s claims are substantiated, the situation shows the use of state authority to exert political pressure on an individual in pre-trial detention. The Albanian Helsinki Committee also noted that pre-trial detention does not entail the loss of rights that have not been restricted by law or a judicial decision.
