Tension over Beleri apparent at funeral

The difficulties that lie ahead in finding an acceptable solution to the case of Fredi Beleri, the jailed ethnic-Greek mayor of Himare, were reflected at the funeral of his grandmother, which took place on New Year's Eve in the southern Albanian town, under tight security, with the presence of a total of almost 30 armed police officers. 

The palpable tension in the cemetery and the very limited time that Beleri was allowed to be present in his hometown did not suggest a police operation to guard someone accused of bribery, but rather of someone serving hard time.

If anything, the behavior of the Albanian police indicated an effort at sending a signal that the Tirana government will not make any concessions in the case of Beleri, who is accused of vote bribery to the tune of 340 euros.

The politicization of his case by the government of Edi Rama was also seen as...