After 72 hours in custody, Arben Kola returns to protest: My arrest was political, ordered by Rama

Arben Kola, one of 14 protesters released after 72 hours in custody, addressed the crowd during the protest after the Tirana Court ruled their arrests unlawful. The activist described his detention as politically motivated.

During his speech, Kola said the response by law enforcement was excessive and, in his view, demonstrated the executive branch’s fear of the public revolt. He directly accused the prime minister and law enforcement agencies.

“As you have seen, the regime is terrified! Rama also has several ‘devils’ who hide somewhere within the police and, from time to time, within the prosecution service as well. The arrest of the activists, including me, was political and was carried out on Edi Rama’s orders,” Kola told the protesters.

The activist also attacked the police officials who carried out the order to detain the protesters, as well as the prosecution representatives who sought to keep them in jail. According to Kola, these actions demonstrated professional failure.

“This was an arrest poorly carried out by several police officials and, to the government’s shame, some prosecutors also took sides because they were illiterate,” he concluded after being released from detention.