The Mayor of Tirana has warned he will take his case against his continued detention to the European Court of Human Rights.
Erion Veliaj has been held in what is termed “pre-trial detention” (PTD) since February 2025, pending an investigation by Albanian prosecutors.
His trial is yet to start and he robustly denies any wrongdoing but he continues to be held in a detention centre in Albania.
His lawyer told this website Veliaj may take the case to the European Court of Human Rights unless a scheduled court hearing later this month agrees to free him from PTD.
The Court is understood, generally, to view pre-trial detention as an exceptional measure that must not be used systematically, emphasizing it as a “last resort” that violates Article 5 of the ECHR if not strictly justified. On a general level, detention must be “reasonable in length, lawful, and based on specific, non-stereotyped reasons.”
Veliaj says the PTD he remains subject to is “inhumane” and adversely impacts on his defence and also his ability to carry out his mandate as mayor of Tirana, the capital city of Albania which has been widely praised for its reform efforts ahead of its expected integration into the 27-strong bloc.
The latest episode in what has proved a long, drawn out saga came with an administrative court hearing in Tirana on Friday (8 May) where Veliaj was due to challenge the legitimacy of the lead prosecutor in the case.
The modest-looking court, normally the scene of dry, legal cases such as appeals against dismissal, was transformed into something of a dramatic media circus with Veliaj arriving in a two-car police convoy from his detention centre outside Tirana.
Over 50 Albanian media, friends and well-wishers of Veliaj and others crowded into a tiny court room, designed to hold about 20 people.
After the judge over-ruled Veliaj’s request for live transmission of the proceedings, the detained mayor used the opportunity to address the court, reading from a long written statement.
He outlined the reasons why he believes the prosecutor involved “lacks the qualifications” to preside over his case.
Just ahead of the hearing, Veliaj wrote to embassies in Tirana and other organisations, such as the Council of Europe and OSCE, asking them to send representatives to monitor the session so as to ensure “full transparency.”
His “open letter” (dated 30 April) to the “international community” stated that, in February this year, he initiated a legal action “challenging the validity” of the lead prosecutor’s appointment way back in 2008.
The hearing was scheduled to address whether the lead prosecutor in Veliaj’s criminal case was lawfully appointed under Albanian law.
It is not known how many, if any, of the recipients took up the invitation – one replied saying it did not comment on ongoing legal cases – but one very clear show of solidarity and support for the mayor came in the presence of Robert Ndrenikaj, a well-known Albania film and theatre actor, who received the People’s Artist of Albania award in 1988.
Sat in the front row of the court, he and Veliaj warmly greeted each other with a handshake after the mayor, flanked by two burly police officers, entered the crowded room.
As the hearing started Ndrenikaj made an impassioned plea, telling Veliaj: “What is left of your punishment I will take your place in prison.”
Outside court, in pouring rain, the 85-year-old actor said he had known the mayor for many years as they’d grown up in the same neighbourhood.
“I have followed him since he was a boy. His father died when Erion was very young so he was raised by his mother. He was very good at school and also something of a philosopher. A rare gem,” he said.
He went on, “His detention is completely absurd and, yes, I would happily take his place. People in the neighbourhood, knowing I was coming to court, told me to wish him well. Erion has done a very good job as mayor, such as ensuring new roads were built, not just in the city but in the suburbs. He’s also supported the arts with, for example, the construction of new theatres. Tirana
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