Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has reacted on social media following a request from the Special Prosecution to the Parliament of Albania to lift the immunity of MP Belinda Balluku and authorize her arrest.

In his statement, Rama criticised what he described as a growing trend of arrests without trial in Albania, saying the country has more pre-trial detainees than sentenced prisoners, a situation he called “shameful” and inconsistent with European democratic standards.

Rama wrote: “After being overturned by the Constitutional Court for the unconstitutional and undemocratic suspension of a government member, and before the ink of the Court’s decision has even dried, the prosecutor requests Parliament’s authorization to arrest the Deputy Prime Minister — either in prison or under house arrest. This practice of arrests without trial, in houses or in prison, has become a harsh trend in Albania and has seriously concerned the Council of Europe.”

He added that, unlike other cases where the government does not comment on ongoing investigations, this time they were asked for an opinion. Rama said the government would respond responsibly and “prepare to take a fair, clear, and dignified stance, as the leading force of the country and of the Justice Reform.”