The lawyer representing Fredi Beleri, the elected mayor of Himara (Χιμάρα, Albanian: Himarë) in detention in Tirana, visited the Athens Bar Association on Friday.
Eugen Gjyzari was met at the Association's offices by the president of the plenary of presidents of Greek Bar Associations, Dimitris Vervessos, who expressed "the lawyers' solidarity to the elected mayor of Himare."
He said that a delegation from the plenary would attend the following discussion of a request for release. The court at Tirana has rejected all such requests.
A statement by the Athens Bar Association said that Greek lawyers were briefed in detail about the continued detention.
Fredi Beleri, an ethnic Greek, was detained by Albanian authorities on suspicion of voter fraud, which he has denied. Beleri is held without formal charges made. Despite the allegations, the 51-year-old firmly refutes the accusations.
His arrest, which occurred in the lead-up to the local elections in Albania, has sparked tensions between Greece and Albania.
Athens has taken a firm stance, indicating that it may impede Albania's European Union accession aspirations if the elected mayor is not released and granted the opportunity to formally assume his position by taking the oath of office.
Beleri was detained on May 12 after he was elected mayor of Himara on May 14. His repeated appeals lodged with the Tirana courts have been rejected.
