The mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj, has been transferred from the prison of Durres to that of Fier. to as of now, there is no publicized reason to explain the move, but the timing of the transfer makes it controversial.
A few days ago, Veliaj reacted through a post about the developments in Serbia, where student protests and then general parliamentary elections resulted in the overthrow of former President Aleksandër Vucic. Veliaj in his reaction congratulated the students on the victory and described Vucic as a Machiavellian politician. The post was read by many as a jab at Prime Minister Rama, given the student protests that have engulfed our country for more than two weeks.
So far, no conflict of Veliaj has been reported in Durrës prison that would justify the transfer. Also, it does not result that he himself asked to leave this institution.
Then why was it deemed necessary to relocate him, in the absence of a known conflict or a request from him?
The distance of Durrës prison from Tirana facilitated access for people who need to meet with the mayor, especially for employees of the Municipality of Tirana.
The prison conditions in Durrës are also considered better compared to those in Fier.
If the move is not related to a disciplinary problem or a request from Veliaj, then naturally the question may arise, was this a revenge of Prime Minister Rama?
