Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj has requested permission to attend the National Assembly meeting of the Socialist Party, scheduled for November 14.
The request was formally sent today from the detention facility in Fier to the PS secretary-general, Blendi Klosi, and to the prosecutor handling the case at SPAK. Veliaj is seeking to attend the meeting in person; if that is not approved, he proposes joining by videoconference.
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In the letter, he argues that the security measure of “imprisonment” should not deprive him of the political and statutory rights he holds as a member of the National Assembly and the PS Presidium, as well as of the party’s leadership structures in Tirana. He says he should be given the opportunity to hear the discussions, speak, submit proposals and take part in decision-making. Restrictions on his movement, he stresses, do not automatically mean the loss of these rights.
Veliaj asks SPAK to treat the matter as urgent and cooperate with prison authorities to make his participation possible. He clarifies that he is not seeking to change or suspend the security measure, but to exercise his political rights within the legal restrictions of pretrial detention.
FULL LETTER
Fier, 10.11.2026
ADDRESSED TO:
Secretary-General of the Socialist Party of Albania
Prosecutor handling the case at the Special Prosecution Office against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK)
FOR INFORMATION:
General Directorate of Prisons
Directorate of IEVP Fier
SUBJECT: Urgent request to enable participation and the exercise of statutory rights at the meeting of the National Assembly of the Socialist Party on November 14, 2026, either in person or, alternatively, by videoconference.
Dear Secretary-General,
Dear Prosecutor,
The meeting of the National Assembly of the Socialist Party of Albania has been announced for November 14, 2026. This body is the party’s most important governing and political decision-making structure between congresses.
I am a member of the National Assembly and the Presidium of the Socialist Party. I am also the political leader for Tirana County, chairman of the Tirana Socialist Party and the elected mayor of Tirana. My participation in the meeting is directly connected to the rights I hold by virtue of my membership and the positions I occupy in the party’s governing bodies.
I am being held in pretrial detention at IEVP Fier, where a personal security measure has been imposed on me. This measure restricts my freedom of movement, but does not, in itself, mean that I have lost my political and statutory rights, provided they can be exercised consistently with the legal restrictions of the measure and the pretrial detention regime. The organization of and participation in political life are protected by the Constitution and conventions. Under Articles 17 and 46 of the Constitution and Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights, restrictions must have a legal basis and comply with the principle of proportionality.
My presence at the Assembly is particularly important because I wish to personally present my positions, proposals and requests concerning the functioning of the Socialist Party, the responsibilities of its bodies and the future of the political organization to which I belong.
For this reason, I request permission to attend the November 14, 2026 meeting in person, if possible; otherwise, I request to join it directly by audiovisual link.
I. REQUEST TO THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE SOCIALIST PARTY
As the authority responsible for organizing and coordinating the activities of party bodies, I ask you to take the organizational and technical steps necessary to ensure my effective participation in the National Assembly.
Specifically, I request:
1. That I be officially informed of the time and location of the November 14, 2026 meeting, its agenda and the documents to be discussed.
2. That arrangements be made for me to attend in person, if I receive authorization from the competent authorities.
3. If this cannot be arranged, that the technical equipment be provided for a direct videoconference link from IEVP Fier, so that I can follow the discussions, speak, submit proposals and exercise the other rights granted to me under the Statute.
4. That, to establish the audiovisual connection, arrangements be coordinated in advance with the administration of IEVP Fier and the General Directorate of Prisons, in accordance with the institution’s security requirements.
5. If my direct participation cannot be arranged, that I be allowed to submit my position to the Assembly in writing and have it included in the meeting documents. This option should not automatically be treated as a substitute for the right to participate.
Participation in a collegial body does not mean merely receiving information about decisions. It requires a genuine opportunity to listen and be heard, to discuss and to contribute to decision-making in accordance with the rules of the Statute.
II. REQUEST TO THE PROSECUTOR HANDLING THE CASE
Since the personal security measure of “imprisonment” has been imposed on me, I ask that the possibility of my attending the National Assembly meeting in person be considered without delay. Within your authority, I request that you issue the relevant authorization or immediately forward my request to the body competent to decide. If I cannot attend in person, I request that the possibility of joining by videoconference from the premises of IEVP Fier be considered and made available.
This method of participation would not require me to leave the institution and would not interfere with the enforcement of the security measure. It could take place under the supervision of the prison administration, in compliance with legal and security requirements. I wish to emphasize that I am not asking for the personal security measure to be changed, suspended or circumvented. I am seeking only a proportionate solution that would allow me to exercise a political and statutory right without undermining the legitimate aims of pretrial detention. If the request is restricted or denied, the decision should be based on a specific legal ground, be reasoned and take remote participation into account as a less restrictive alternative.
III. THE NEED FOR IMMEDIATE REVIEW
Since the National Assembly meeting is taking place on November 14, 2026, I ask that my request be considered immediately and that I be notified of the response in time to arrange my participation. If I do not receive a response before the meeting, it will become practically impossible for me to exercise my right to take part in this particular political decision-making process.
Deprivation of liberty should not, beyond necessary and lawful restrictions, become exclusion from political life or from the exercise of the statutory functions I continue to hold.
In conclusion, I ask the Secretary-General of the Socialist Party and the relevant authorities to coordinate the necessary steps to ensure my effective participation in the November 14, 2026 meeting of the National Assembly, either in person or by videoconference.
Respectfully,
ERION VELIAJ
Member of the National Assembly of the Socialist Party
