Lamallari gives the reasons for declaring Ikballe Huduti “non grata”

Interior Minister Besfort Lamallari spoke on Euronews Albania on Saturday morning in an interview with host Alba Xhani. Appearing for the first time on this television channel after the decision taken in the case of Ikballe Huduti, the Albanian citizen from Kosovo who was declared “undesirable” by the Albanian government as a person linked to Iran, he explained how this measure was reached.

According to Lamallari, the decision was made after gathering and analyzing information collected over time about this citizen. He explained that law enforcement institutions, the police, the anti-terror unit and the intelligence service, in cooperation with partners, collect data every day and on a regular basis on various citizens who may pose a risk to security, public security, national security or the public interest.

He also stressed that the interior minister also has preventive response orders at his disposal, which require the approval and authorization of the Special Court Against Corruption and Organized Crime, whenever there are suspicions of terrorism financing, incitement to violence or incitement to hatred. According to him, this is part of the function of the institution he leads.

Lamallari underlined once again that this issue belongs to an earlier period and that the public should be clear that the right to protest is fully respected. He added that institutions listen to the concerns of every protester who sincerely expresses a different opinion, but participation in a protest, according to him, cannot serve as immunity for anyone who has a certain agenda, which has also been documented by law enforcement agencies.