From the murder of Pjerin Xhuvani to the armed groups/ Gazment Bardhi and his connections with the gangs

14 Janar 2022, 15:15, English CNA

The April 25 parliamentary election campaign bled in its last days. On April 21, a few days before the elections in Elbasan, was killed Pjerin Xhuvani. In that event, 2 people were injured, a police officer, a passer-by and another citizen, the son-in-law of the late Xhuvani.

Today, more than 10 months later, this crime, which is suspected to have political motives, has only one person arrested as the perpetrator. He is Arbër Paplekaj. In fact, it is the latter who fired the weapon in the direction of Xhuvani. But the story that led to the bloodshed of the election campaign didn?t start at that moment.

It is suspected that political actors are also involved, such as Gazment Bardhi, who at that time was the political leader of the Democratic Party in Elbasan, and the first in the list of candidates for MPs in the Elbasan region. Bardhi was moving in Elbasan accompanied by groups of armed people, claiming that he was defending the votes, which later produced a murder.

But Bardhi has also been accused of connections with the gangs. He was even warned by the DP allies not to guarantee anything to the gangs. This was confirmed by the chairwoman of the SMI, Monika Kryemadhi, on a television show in November 2021.

At first, Gazment Bardhi considered the event politically motivated, and denied any connection to Arbër Paplekaj. According to Bardhi, the victim was a member of the electoral staff of Taulant Balla, and in his car were found money and identity cards of citizens suspected of having sold their vote.

But on Thursday evening in the show ?Opinion? on TV Klan in front of the journalist Klodiana Lala, Bardhi denied that the murder of Pjerin Xhuvani had political motives. He even said that Arbër Papleka is not a murderer, and according to him, the only responsibility for the murder lies with those who incited the gangs to confront or attack the Democratic Party militants.

But what was his role? Wasn?t in the role of the instigator of the gangs? The person who created the armed groups, the so called Vote Protection Structure, outside of any legal definition, and who associated with armed persons?

These are some questions for which Gazment Bardhi must be held accountable as an accomplice in the crime. Also in the show ?Opinion?, the former General Director of the State Police, Agron Kuliçaj, reacted to the accusations of the latter regarding the clashes of January 8.

He mentioned the name of Ardit Meçe as a member of Gazment Bardhi?s accompanying group in Elbasan during the election campaign. This accusation has destabilized Bardhi. Justice must go to the end of this issue, and hold accountable and responsible Gazment Bardhi./CNA.al

Nga vrasja e Pjerin Xhuvanit tek grupet e armatosura/ Gazment Bardhi dhe lidhja me bandat