The Mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj, is in the observation room at Fier prison, after being transferred from Durrës Penitentiary Institution yesterday.
As is known, this procedure applies to prisoners who are transferred to another institution, for an initial period during which prison leaders review the file and assess which sector and cell the prisoner will be placed in, what regime will be implemented, and with whom he will stay.
According to standard procedure, the stay in observation lasts from 1 to 10 days. During this period, the institution's management must review the data on the detainee and decide on his placement.
But, despite the fact that observation is a common procedure after transfer, the physical conditions of the environment where Veliaj is placed have raised serious questions.
According to statements by lawyer Plarent Ndreca, the room has no windows, natural light, or ventilation, and he described the environment as unsuitable for a pre-trial detainee.
The reported conditions are expected to be assessed within the framework of verifications also initiated by the Ombudsman.
Another element that raises questions is the way the transfer was administered at the institutional level.
According to sources, the Minister of Justice, Toni Gogu, has not been informed about this procedure, an unusual case of the minister's lack of information from subordinate structures.
Veliaj was transferred yesterday from Durres prison to Fier. The move was made without initially making public an official explanation of the concrete reasons for the transfer.
Lawyer Plarent Ndreca stated that he was not provided with the act ordering the transfer and that, upon arrival in Fier, his client was placed in an environment with inadequate conditions. He requested that the responsible institutions disclose the legal basis and factual reasons for the decision.