Ervin Salianji was released from Fier prison today after spending nearly 9 and a half months behind bars. In a statement to the media immediately after his release, he called his imprisonment a politically motivated act, aimed at sidelining him from the electoral battle.

Salianji emphasized that his time in prison served as inspiration for Democrats and vowed to continue his political struggle, taking his case all the way to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

“Over 9 months in Fier prison for political reasons — for denouncing an international drug trafficker and pushing the matter through the justice system.
My release at this time is self-incriminating [for the regime]. This sentence was meant to remove me from the electoral race, to punish me for the victories I’ve had against the Socialist Party and in every area I’ve worked for the Democratic Party.

Every single day I spent in prison was a statement in itself — a denunciation of the regime that has taken root in Albania, and a source of motivation for thousands of Democrats who will resist to bring down a corrupt government.

I want to thank the electoral zone in Fier where the Democratic Party won — for their endurance and for showing that with resistance and loyalty, victory is possible,” he said.

Salianji affirmed his commitment to pursue legal action at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg and to remain politically active wherever he can.

“Today I feel more personally the injustice that Albanian citizens experience under this government. I didn’t go to prison for theft or crime — my imprisonment was entirely political.

The consequence of my denunciation was this: the man I exposed, who had lived freely for more than 7 years despite a conviction in Italy, finally surrendered. I believe I should have been thanked by the institutions. Instead, under this regime, I spent 10 months in prison,” Salianji concluded.