European Parliament lawmaker Fredi Beleri, an ethnic Greek mayor of an Albanian town who is currently serving a jail sentence for vote-buying, was temporarily released from prison on Monday to attend the inaugural session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.

Beleri, 52, a representative of the ethnic Greek community in Albania, was elected mayor of his Albanian hometown of Himare in May 2023, but was subsequently arrested and imprisoned after being found guilty of buying votes.

A month later, from jail, he was elected to the European Parliament as a member of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' conservative New Democracy Party.

The Albanian government has granted him a temporary reprieve to officially take up his seat in Strasbourg and take part in the inaugural session, but he must return to jail by July 20 to serve the rest of his two-year sentence.

Beleri: 'My ordeal is coming to an end'

"I am going to Athens now and tomorrow I will be in Strasbourg to take part in the first meeting of the [European] Parliament," Beleri told media at the airport in the Albanian capital Tirana, having been picked up from prison by a diplomatic car sent by the Greek embassy.

After landing in Athens to be greeted by a cheering crowd, he declared: "My ordeal is coming to an end. The fight for democracy, the rule of law and civil liberties continues."

Although it remains unclear how Beleri intends to carry out his duties as a member of the European Parliament (MEP) while still in jail in Albania, Beleri has promised to "defend the rights of our country and of Greeks wherever they live."

Before flying onwards to Strasbourg, Beleri held a meeting with Mitsotakis where, according to a transcript released by the prime minister's office, he said:

"I believe that the rule of law, the right to elect and be elected, are not self-evident in the country in which we live. I want to help with that."

He added that he wanted "to help the Greek ethnic minority stay in its ancestral home, but also for this state to come closer and become a member of the European family."

Albania-Greece strained relations

The Beleri case has strained relations between Balkan neighbors Albania and Greece, already complicated by historical and cultural differences, as well as significant ethnic minorities in the respective countries.

Having lost an appeal against his conviction, Beleri has also accused Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama of conducting a plot against him. Rama has repeatedly denied this, insisting it is a legal matter, not a political one.

Meanwhile, Greece has accused Albania of violating Beleri's human rights, which Tirana also denies, while Athens has threatened to oppose Albanian attempts to draw closer to the European Union.

mf/ab (AFP, Reuters, AP)