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Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Anyone who supports the protest is declared "non grata"/ After Kosovo, Rama clashes with North Macedonia
The civic protest against the government has entered its 39th day today, but in parallel, it seems that the reaction of institutions towards anyone who shows support for it is also becoming harsher.
First, there was the Kosovo activist Ikballe Huduti, who was publicly attacked by Prime Minister Edi Rama as being linked to the Iranian regime. Just hours later, Interior Minister Besfort Lamallari signed an order declaring her a "persona non grata" for 15 years, banning her from entering Albania.
Now another episode has sparked debate.
According to TV21, the coordinator of the VLEN parliamentary group Bekim Qoku, MP Adnan Azizi, and the Deputy Secretary General of the Government of North Macedonia Hasim Murtezani were detained at the Qafë Thana border crossing.
The three officials claim that they were held for about an hour without receiving any explanation, even though they were traveling on diplomatic passports. They were then told that they could not enter Albania.
According to TV21 reporting, the measure is related to suspicions that they have supported or been involved in organizing civic protests in Tirana, known as the "Flamingo Revolution".
The event comes just a few days after Edi Rama opened a strong debate over the participation of Albanians from Kosovo and North Macedonia in anti-government protests.
The Prime Minister rejected the use of the term "diaspora" for Albanians coming from Kosovo and North Macedonia to protest in Tirana, while later Socialist Party officials also joined the same line.
Socialist MP Ulsi Manja declared that "there is no greater barbarity than coming from Kosovo to overthrow the government in Tirana," even demanding that Kosovo institutions distance themselves from the protesters.
Meanwhile, for weeks now, Rama himself has been building the narrative that foreign interests are behind the protests. Initially, accusations of Iranian influence were leveled, then the public identification of some protesters began, while the case of Iqballe Huduti was accompanied by the most severe administrative measure, declaring her "persona non grata."
At the same time, protest organizers have repeatedly denounced that participants are photographed and identified during rallies, while some protesters have been prosecuted by the police.
Within a few days, a chain of developments related to the same issue has been created: first the declaration of Iqballe Huduti as "persona non grata", and now the detention at the border of three senior officials from North Macedonia, who claim they were penalized for supporting the protest.
And while citizens are expected to gather this evening in front of the Prime Minister's Office, recent developments are raising questions about whether the government's confrontation is no longer limited to protesters in the square, but also to any of their supporters who come from outside Albania's borders. / Pamphlet
Ky ka rroitur krejtesisht. Sipas tij edhe Isa Boletini nuk duhej te vinte ne Vlore per ngritjen e flamurit te pavaresise
Pushtuesi sllavomongol kucovlleh ardhacak me Shurrel, qe ka mbledh te gjithe drogaxhinjet e hajdutet dhe ka pushtuar Shqiperine. Kumbari Ramovićotaqis, edhe pak kohe te ka mbetur deri te burgu!