Balliu "cries" about Meta's prison conditions: The only cell where the signal doesn't work

2026-04-29 13:51:00, Aktualitet CNA

Balliu "cries" about Meta's prison conditions: The only cell

DP MP Klevis Balliu visited the Freedom Party leader Ilir Meta in the "313" prison today. After leaving prison, Balliu spoke to the media, saying that Meta is being held in difficult conditions.

According to him, an example to show this is that out of the entire prison, only in Meta's cell does the signal to call the police officer not work.

Among other things, the MP said that what Meta wants is to have communication with his MPs.

"Today I was given the opportunity to both inspect and meet with President Ilir Meta, whom I wanted to explain to him about some things, but he ended up explaining it to me, because it is clearer than we who are here outside. I want to say that the communist level is unchangeable. They are trying with all sorts of games to make President Meta's conditions difficult. I can tell you, for example, that the only cell in the entire prison where the signal to call the police officer does not work, for a reason that the prisoner may have, the only cell where the signal does not work and does not work is Ilir Meta's cell. That is, that alone is enough to show you how meticulously these people deal with these issues.

But Ilir Meta, for this he was very clear, he can handle everything and that cage they are trying to keep him in during the trial. What Ilir Meta is asking for is what is the minimum in every country in the world, that he has the opportunity to communicate with his deputies. I can tell you something that is also personal, for 19 months Ilir Meta has not met his parents who are sick, because here everything is done with a list that is extremely limited, because in the meantime he needs to put the lawyer and the deputies on the list to inform them, to take political action and everything else".

Meanwhile, the MP said that Meta also demands transparency in the judicial process against him. He further emphasized that Meta is being held in prison in violation of the law.

"And the only thing he wants is for the hearings to be public, for citizens to hear where Ilir Meta has stolen from, even a cent of the Albanian state. And he wants this to be public. Now a man who has problems with the law, the only thing he does not want is for the hearings to be public, he wants them to be secret. And that is why the government is doing its best, Edi Rama is doing its best, for the court hearings to be secret. Not only that, but it is the only case, I am reminding you here of Navalny. Navalny was given the opportunity to give an interview in prison in Siberia. He was given the opportunity to give an interview. Ilir Meta is not given this opportunity. It is a unique case in the world. A unique case. Navalny in Russia, what these people are telling us about the dictatorship and all that, Navalny was given the opportunity to give an interview. Ilir Meta is not given the opportunity to give an interview, and he is asking for interviews with journalists who are registered. So that everyone has the opportunity to hear what is happening.

But the government, because they have not found, and I give you this with a guarantee, in addition to slandering cases that have been tried, not only in Albania, but also in the international arena, such as that of CEZ-DIA, they bring it back with some empty claims of some people, who themselves were part of those structures and have never mentioned the name of Ilir Meta. And today this man remains there. In violation of the law, in violation of all deadlines. And the only thing he asks for is transparency with the citizens. Transparency so that the citizens know what he is here for, that he is not here for theft, he is here to denounce the corrupt affairs of Edi Rama. "As many citizens are suffering today, even on their backs, as you have seen citizens protesting, but today there is also Ilir Meta, who has been in custody for almost 19 months, almost two years, it has been almost two years that Ilir Meta, the former President of the Republic, the former Speaker of the Parliament and the former Prime Minister of the country, has been in detention, in prison without even a single charge ," said Balliu. /CNA