u/DavidShaw90s

"The Mayor of Tirana has warned he will take his case against his continued detention to the European Court of Human Rights. Erion Veliaj has been held in what is termed “pre-trial detention”(PTD) since February 2025, pending an investigation by Albanian prosecutors.

His trial is yet to start and he robustly denies any wrongdoing but he continues to be held in a detention centre in Albania.

His lawyer told this website Veliaj will may take the case to the European Court of Human Rights unless a scheduled court hearing later this month agrees to free him from PTD.

The Court is understood, generally, to view pre-trial detention as an exceptional measure that must not be used systematically, emphasizing it as a “last resort” that violates Article 5 of the ECHR if not strictly justified. On a general level, detention must be “reasonable in length, lawful, and based on specific, non-stereotyped reasons.”

My two cents to this piece:

Ekrem İmamoğlu is another European mayor undergoing pretrial detention.

Venice Commission of the CoE warns against the use of pretrial detention against sitting mayors.

In Albania specifically, pretrial detention is being reassessed. Perhaps due to pressure from CoE and/or European Union.