The Beleri case: "For us, freedom is not self-evident"

On March 11, 2023, the night before municipal elections in Albania, the then candidate for mayor of Himare, the ethnic Greek Fredi Beleri, and his aide, Pantelis Kokavesis, were arrested by the police for allegedly attempting to buy votes. Months later, and while he has already been elected mayor, Beleri remains in pre-trial detention. Greece has monitored this case closely, stressing to Albania that, as a candidate for EU membership it must strictly respect Beleri’s right to a fair trial. This was even brought up during a recent meeting between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his Albanian counterpart Edi Rama on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius. Yiannis Souliotis, a journalist with Kathimerini who spoke with Fredi Beleri from prison, joins Thanos Davelis to discuss his exclusive interview with the imprisoned mayor of Himare and look at the latest developments in his case.Read Yannis Souliotis’ interview with the imprisoned ethnic Greek mayor-elect of Himare: ‘For us, freedom is not self-evident’You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:Greece’s government is planning tougher penalties for arson following a spate of wildfiresEthnic Albanian party in North Macedonia offers deal to clear the way to join EU