The anatomy of a Kafkaesque drama

For the past nine months, Kathimerini has been drawing attention to the judicial odyssey of Fredi Beleri, the mayor-elect of the predominantly ethnic Greek city of Himare in southern Albania, and to the violations of human rights, the rule of law and the principles of democracy entailed in his persecution. As a former ambassador for Greece to Albania and an honorary citizen of Himare since 2005, I hope to explain the judicial crisis in detail and alert readers to the magnitude of the Albanian regime's overreach, with the objective of eradicating Himare's ethnic Greek minority.

Rama's pre-election bomb

The persecution of Fredi Beleri was set into motion after Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama's visit to Himare on May 6, 2023. He realized that his Socialist Party candidate would be getting a trouncing in the May 14 local elections - as was the case - and...