Greek minister Stavros Papastavrou visits Fredi Beleri in the Albanian prison, lights go out in the Durres pre-trial detention

 Greek minister Stavros Papastavrou being interviewed by Albanian journalists after visiting Fredi Beleri

 The Greek State Minister, Stavros Papastavrou, visited today the elected mayor of Himara, Fredi Beleri, in the pre-trial detention cells of Durres, where he has been held since before the elections on May 14th on charges of "vote-buying."

According to journalist Kloida Gjuzi, it is reported that after the meeting in the Durres pre-trial detention, the electricity was cut off, local media say.

OSSH (Operatori Sistemit te Shpërndarjes) announced that the power outage lasted no more than 5 minutes and was due to a fire in a business.

"In connection with the power outage at the IEVP Durres institution, it is necessary to clarify that:

Due to the fire in a private subject (car service), to allow the firefighting team to operate on the scene, and to avoid the risk of damage to people and objects, OSSH was forced to cut off the electrical power in the cabin that supplies the area where IEVP Durres also operates.

For the necessary actions, no more than a 5-minute interruption was required, until the return to normal power supply scheme for subscribers," said the OSSH statement.

"This visit aims to express support for him once again, while a court session is expected tomorrow," Protothema writes.

It is recalled that the official meeting of the Greek government official with Beleri takes place one day before the next court session against the elected mayor of Himara.

Greece has long supported Fredi Beleri, demanding that he take the oath after the vote for mayor. The neighboring country has also "threatened" Albania with the EU integration process if the issue of Fredi Beleri is not resolved.

It is worth mentioning that Athens has strongly urged Beleri to be allowed to take the oath, and this conflict has worsened relations between the two governments. Greece has warned of blocking Albania's EU integration process due to the "Beleri" issue.

"We are here in support of Fredi Beleri because the situation is very dangerous. He has been held in prison for 7 months, and his right to take the oath is being denied. He is the only mayor in Europe elected by the citizens and not allowed to take the oath. We call on the Albanian authorities to allow his oath, as an expression of the universal human rights. On the other hand, allowing him to take the oath would be an expression of good neighborliness. A fair solution must be found, and a fair trial by Albanian justice should start tomorrow since Albania aspires to join the EU, and this should be a sign of good neighborliness. We fully support Beleri's right to take the oath as the elected mayor," the minister expressed.