By Isa Myzyraj
On the 24th, Erion Veliaj will appear before the court for the reassessment of his security measure. In parallel with this process, two developments are taking shape: voices demanding his release and the intensification of the debate over prolonged detentions, with accusations that justice is burdening citizens through excessive measures.
Pre-trial detention is a fundamentally legal, not political, issue. But the moment this debate is heating up is deeply political. With the increasing tone and public pressure, the impression is that there is an attempt to influence the climate in which the courts of this country operate.
In this republic, thousands of citizens have been in detention for years, awaiting the conclusion of lengthy court proceedings. The sudden opening of the debate about “Albanians in prison,” precisely when high-ranking officials are under indictment and behind bars, does not seem like an awakening of social sensitivity. It seems more like a selective concern for friends, associates, and party members.
It is no coincidence that the main parties seem to be aligned on the same side; their concerns seem to be common. Meanwhile, the government is expected to submit new legal initiatives to the Assembly that are likely to touch precisely on the issue of pre-trial detention. And this is not done for the ordinary citizen in a deep area, who ends up behind bars for a minor offense, such as stealing energy to iron clothes because he spends too much, but with a clear goal: the inviolability of high-ranking officials.
Therefore, citizens, intellectuals, activists, all those who have a voice and a public space, must stand on the other side of the line. The principle is simple and non-negotiable: all equal before the law.
