Statement on media weaponization

We, the defence lawyers of Mr. Erion Veliaj, express our deep concern over the repeated attempts to turn a criminal proceeding into a public spectacle trial through the use of media connected with SPAK and through flagrant violations of the law, such as the unlawful disclosure of investigative secrecy. Commissioned articles, presented as so-called ‘exclusive revelations,’ are not aimed at uncovering the truth, but at constructing a ready-made public narrative before the case is tested with facts in a courtroom.

In recent days, further details have been leaked to the media, including those related to witness testimonies.

In a democratic and European state, justice takes place within the institutions of justice, not in newspaper headlines, social networks, or ‘crime serials’ produced by media controlled through anonymous and illegal leaks. Even more concerning is the fact that these leaks occur during the preliminary investigation phase, which is under the mandatory protection of the authority that administers it—the prosecution. Here, the failure is indisputable: not only has the integrity of the proceedings not been protected, but the principle of investigative secrecy has been gravely violated, turning the process into a public farce.

We are documenting every act that not only distorts this criminal procedure but also seriously undermines the constitutional order and the European standards of justice upon which Albania’s path toward EU membership rests. This case represents a distinct and desperate regression toward a pre-democratic era.

Mr. Veliaj is the legitimate and democratically elected Mayor of Tirana, chosen by over 160,000 citizens. Although his rights, as well as those of the citizens he represents, are protected by the Constitution of the Republic of Albania, he continues to be held in total isolation, under harsh and unjustified restrictive conditions that prevent him from exercising his duties as Mayor.

We are confident that when this prosecution is brought before an impartial court of law, it will collapse and be exposed for what it truly is: a criminal proceeding that has fundamentally set back Albania’s progress toward alignment with European standards of justice and the rule of law, while simultaneously denying the citizens of Tirana the service of their Mayor and causing great harm to Tirana and its people.