TIRANA, Nov 17 /ATA/ The Democratic Party chairman, Sali Berisha, revealed on Monday that he has received a summons to appear before the Special Prosecution Office Against Corruption and Organised Crime (SPAK) as part of the investigation into the 21 January 2011 protest, during which four demonstrators were killed outside the Prime Minister’s Office.
The Democratic Party chairman, Sali Berisha, added that he received a summons at SPAK, where he appeared to comply with the obligation to report, in connection with the “Partizani” case and the investigation into the 21 January file.
“In fact, those who had not summoned me previously had their reasons, but now I have been called in this investigation, and I will absolutely come forward to testify to everything in my knowledge. As for when I was summoned, you will find out in due course,” Berisha stated.
Nevertheless, Berisha maintained that he had not received any prior notification from SPAK. He claimed that he had never been summoned before, as they feared what his testimony might reveal.
“From 3 January until today, no one has come to inform me of a time or date, to deliver a letter, nor has anyone taken responsibility for doing so,” Berisha said.
Berisha stated that the Democratic Party’s parliamentary group had not received any summons.
He added, “Gazment Bardhi has confirmed that no notification arrived in the parliamentary group’s mailbox, and I trust him far more than Altin Troplini. Peleshi has not delivered anything, though I could not deny it if he had.”
Berisha added that he attends any summons issued by a court or prosecutor. “I have attended, and I will continue to do so,” he stated.
The Democratic Party leader added that he has previously characterized the 21 January incident as a state authorized killing before the Strasbourg court.”
“To be consistent with myself, I was the first to describe it as such. Initially, it was claimed that the injuries were inflicted at close range, an expert examination was conducted, and it found that they were not. A surgical expert had defended that examination two years prior. However, a subsequent expert report confirmed that the wounds were not caused at close range, and based on that, I referred to the incident as a state-authorized killing,” Berisha said.
Asked why the server data at Prime Minister’s office were deleted following 21 January, Berisha replied, “I have no knowledge of this.”
He added, “The Prime Minister’s Office did not possess any servers for surveillance purposes. If the Guard maintained a server there, that is a separate matter. The Guard has offices within the Prime Minister’s Office, the President’s office, and various ministries, as they are responsible for security. What is stored there is their responsibility. What has unfolded has been investigated.”
On 21 January 2011, during the protest outside the Prime Minister’s office, four citizens were killed: Aleks Nika, Ziver Veizi, Faik Myrtaj, and Hekuran Dedaj.
In July 2024, the Special Anti-Corruption and Organised Crime Prosecutor’s Office (SPAK) officially opened investigations into the 21 January incident.
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