From dismissal in Kosovo to house arrest, Vlora Hyseni’s journey at the helm of SHISH

The placement of Vlora Hyseni under house arrest, on suspicion that she passed information to Ergys Agasi, brought back to attention the accusations raised earlier about her role in the State Intelligence Service.

In early 2023, Edi Rama appointed to the helm of SHISH a figure little known in Albania, but with experience and a well-known name in Kosovo.

Hyseni had previously held the post of deputy director of Kosovo’s secret service. She had left the post with the signature of Kosovo’s prime minister, Albin Kurti, and then-president Vjosa Osmani.

The authorities did not publicly provide an explanation for her dismissal. In the media, however, suspicions circulated that she might have ties to Belgrade.

After her appointment by Edi Rama to head SHISH, the Albanian opposition repeatedly described Hyseni as the link connecting the Albanian prime minister with Aleksandar Vučić.

The head of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, also stated that Vlora Hyseni had made a secret visit to Belgrade.

Later, during a speech in parliament, Berisha accused her of bringing in Serbian agents to confront the protests organized by the opposition.

The most serious accusations came when Berisha claimed that Hyseni had put the intelligence service at the service of Ergys Agasi, known as Edi Rama’s link to criminal gangs in the country.

According to today’s developments, these accusations were accompanied by the placement of Vlora Hyseni under house arrest, as she is suspected of having given information to Ergys Agasi.

The event is considered an unprecedented scandal in the history of the Albanian state, although the accusations and warnings about her had started earlier.