Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj, who has been in prison for 9 months, published today the letter sent to him by Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who is also facing criminal prosecution and is behind bars. Veliaj shared the full letter on Facebook, thanking his counterpart for the encouraging words.
Imamoglu's letter, however, is more an expression of concern for democracy than a personal message.
"Under your leadership in Tirana and your commitment to the B40 Balkan Cities Network, you have shown that democracy is not only maintained by institutions, but by those who defend it with courage, integrity and conviction... The fight for democracy in one country is, in essence, a fight for democracy everywhere... Your resilience in the face of challenges continues to inspire those who believe in democracy and justice," reads some of the lines of the letter from the mayor of Istanbul.
The message, which at first glance shows mutual solidarity between the two mayors, seems to seek to parallel the situations of the two mayors.
Imamoglu, despite being the mayor of Istanbul, was also one of the opponents of the Turkish president. He has been openly attacked by President Erdogan, who has seen him as a threat to his power and popularity. Thus Erdogan used the institutions to raise corruption charges against Imamoglu and isolate him in prison.
Veliaj was in almost the same situation, and was seen as one of the figures within the SP who could challenge Edi Rama's power. The blow came to the mayor at his weakest point during his leadership of the Tirana municipality, which was corruption. But the file that led to his investigation by the Special Prosecution Office remains enigmatic, as it was submitted by an anonymous person named Nesti Angoni, which raised suspicions of revenge from within the party.
Therefore, Veliaj's action by distributing the letter of his counterpart Imamoglu seems to seek to draw a parallel between the two mayorships. Because otherwise, Veliaj could have kept the message to himself without publishing it. This is also due to the fact that the Imamoglu case is treated by his country's politics, but also by the international one, as a revenge by Erdogan against the only rival who threatened his superpower for several years.
In this context, the publication of the letter seems to carry a hidden message: Is this another case where Veliaj will show his distance from Rama and that he is a victim of his superpower?!
