President of the Freedom Party, Ilir Meta, received at the “Jordan Misja” prison the Socialist Party MPs Antoneta Dhima and Saimir Hasalla, members of the Parliamentary Committee on Citizens’ Initiatives, Cooperation and Institutional Oversight.
In a public statement, Meta says he presented the MPs with his claims of legal violations during the investigation and court proceedings, as well as his concerns about restrictions on his communication with the media.
He also raised the issue of roughly 600 court hearings being blocked as a result of the conflict between the Special Court and the National Chamber of Advocacy, criticising the stance of the Parliament and the High Judicial Council as well.
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Today, at IEVP “Jordan Misja”, I met at their request with MPs Ms. Antoneta Dhima and Mr. Saimir Hasalla, members of the Parliamentary Committee on Citizens’ Initiatives, Cooperation and Institutional Oversight. I presented a clear account of the very serious legal violations that have accompanied the investigation, pre-trial detention and court proceedings against me, which have been documented and repeatedly confirmed, including by the Albanian Helsinki Committee.
I demanded the implementation of all the recommendations of the Albanian Helsinki Committee, particularly those relating to guaranteeing freedom of expression, which has been deliberately denied to me for more than two years. Despite the requests submitted and the permits issued by SPAK for journalists, I continue to be prevented from giving interviews to the media while in pre-trial detention. Precisely on this issue, in its recommendation of 25 May 2026, the Albanian Helsinki Committee stressed the need to guarantee this right and suggested that interviews be made possible also through electronic means, including online platforms such as Zoom.
The failure to implement this recommendation demonstrates the true purposes of this entirely political pre-trial detention and the violation of my rights beyond all imagination. The gravest concern, on which I focused, was the deliberate conflict, with a clearly political agenda, between the First Instance Special Court (GJKKO) and the National Chamber of Advocacy, which for at least two months has blocked around 600 court hearings, with very serious consequences that undermine due legal process and the effective protection of citizens involved in these proceedings.
I expressed my deep regret at the indifferent stance of the Parliament of Albania toward this situation, especially when the only legislative initiative undertaken by the Chairman of the Parliamentary Group of the Freedom Party, Mr. Tedi Blushi, on 14 October 2026, was rejected on 22 October 2026 and not included in the Parliament’s work calendar.
I also shared my concern about the position of the Chairman of the High Judicial Council, Mr. Ilir Rusi, during his public report on 13 October 2026 to the Parliamentary Committee on Citizens’ Initiatives, Cooperation and Institutional Oversight, where he stated that he had no intention of taking institutional steps to put an end to this conflict.
Such a stance by the Parliament and the HJC seriously undermines public trust in justice and in institutions that have a constitutional duty to administer judicial proceedings.
European integration cannot be merely a politically declared objective. It requires genuine respect for fundamental freedoms and rights, institutional transparency, implementation of the standards of the European Convention on Human Rights, and an independent judiciary that functions in accordance with the law, without political interference and without multiple standards.