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Shkruar nga Pamfleti
The lawyers of Mayor Erion Veliaj, who has been held in custody since February, said in a reaction to the media that SPAK is not providing him with a physical copy of the investigative materials.
According to Veliaj's lawyers, the request was rejected after they were told that the documents were delivered to his lawyers via a USB drive, but they state that there is no access in the cell to open the latter.
Full reaction
This month, Erion Veliaj officially requested the Special Prosecution Office to make available to him a physical copy of the investigative materials related to the investigation against him. He made this request in order to have the opportunity to prepare an effective defense, based also on the right guaranteed by Article 31 of the Constitution of the Republic of Albania and Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
However, the request was rejected on the grounds that the documents were submitted to his lawyers via a USB. A USB, which, in the conditions of isolation where Mr. Veliaj is currently located, in the complete lack of access to electronic devices, is practically unusable for him, and we are not even able to send him all the documents, due to their high volume.
Likewise, the Special Prosecution Office continues to refuse Mr. Veliaj's lawful request to meet with his international lawyers, who are preparing the case for the European Court of Human Rights, a right guaranteed to him by the European Convention on Human Rights.
The Special Prosecution is handling this case with the mentality of “first arrest, then investigate”. This is worrying, considering the high number of detainees in Albania. Erion Veliaj is unable to access the documents he needs to defend himself. He is also prevented from exercising his duties as Mayor of Tirana, where he was democratically elected for 3 consecutive terms by the citizens of Tirana.
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