Athens: Tirana violating Beleri’s right to fair trial
With regard to the continued imprisonment of the ethnic Greek mayor of Himare, Fredi Beleri, Greek diplomatic sources have stressed that, as a candidate for EU membership, Albania must strictly respect his right to a fair trial and the presumption of innocence.
The comments were made after the announcement by the Albanian Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office on the referral of the elected mayor of Himare and an associate to trial by the Special Court of First Instance for Corruption and Organized Crime.
The same diplomatic sources said the move will effectively prejudge the outcome of the proceedings and violates the presumption of innocence and the right to a fair trial.
At the same time, the Albanian authorities continue to deprive Beleri of his political right to take the oath of office.
It was also reported that Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis raised all these issues with his Albanian counterpart in their telephone conversation on Tuesday.
The Foreign Ministry is closely monitoring the development of the case and continues to inform Greece’s partners in Europe and internationally.
