The Socialist reaction came after the parliamentary commission asked for the phone records of four journalists, placed under investigation for allegedly conspiring to overthrow the government during the January 21 unrest in the country. The opposition, the general prosecutor, the secret service and President Bamir Topi face similar accusations. “Today the violence against institutions was escalated by a regime of thieves,” opposition leader Edi Rama declared in a press conference. “This is not only a full on attack against four journalists but against the fourth [branch] of power that has not bowed to the regime,” Rama added.
The Socialists are expect to hold rallies on February 4 in Tirana and four other large Albanian cities.
Albania's current political crisis unfolded after a protest on January 21 led to clashes between police and demonstrators in which three people were shot dead, allegedly by members of the Republican Guard, and dozens wounded. Prime Minister Sali Berisha claims that the protests were part of a failed attempt to overthrow the government, and has vowed to punish those responsible. Berisha was the first witness to testify on Monday in front of the parliamentary commission set up by his Democratic Party.
He reiterated his accusations against General Prosecutor Ina Rama (no relation to the Socialist leader), the president and the opposition, who the Albanian premier says were trying to take power with sophisticated weapons, such as “umbrella shaped pistols, pen pistols and knifes with poisonous tips.”
Berisha said that President Bamir Topi and Prosecutor Rama had a plan to “eliminate him.”
“A group of [prosecutors] had been organised so that if the prime minister was not eliminated during the coup, he would be arrested,” Berisha declared before the commission.
Most of the MPs present in the commission only nodded with approval and did not question Berisha’s narrative, while asking the premier for more details of the coup and previous opposition misdeeds.
However, when asked by Democratic Party lawmaker Dashnor Sula if Berisha had proof of the coup attempt that could be admitted in a court of law, the prime minister failed to answer. Instead he lashed out against the institutions that according to him either did not provide information before the January 21 unrest or did not see the events as a coup d’état. The Socialist opposition has boycotted the commission as illegal and unconstitutional and on Monday filed an appeal with the Constitutional Court for its annulment. Meanwhile, in his first televised speech since the January 21 unrest, President Bamir Topi called the events tragic and illegal and called on political parties to start a dialogue for the sake of the country’s future. “On January 21 no blood should have been spilled,” Topi said. “On January 21 the law was violated in a grave manner,” he said in his addresss on Monday afternoon.
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