Himare’s ethnic Greeks rally for detained mayor

A large number of ethnic Greeks attended a demonstration on Monday staged by the Omonoia organization in the southern Albanian city of Himare, demanding the immediate release of mayor-elect Fredi Beleri. 

Beleri was elected mayor of Himare on May 14 after being jailed on May 12 on suspicion of buying votes, a claim he vigorously contests. His numerous judicial appeals in Tirana have been dismissed.

Earlier, police tried to cancel the planned gathering by issuing a document saying that it had not approved the request to hold a rally. The representatives of Omonoia refused to receive it.

The event was attended and addressed by the mayors of Athens Kostas Bakoyannis and Thessaloniki Konstantinos Zervas, while a pre-recorded message from the vice-president of the European Commission, Margaritis Schinas, was shown.

“The European way of life means democracy, justice, freedom to vote and to be elected,” he said, adding that “this is the basis for all those who want to become members of our great European family. Albania cannot be an exception.”