Citizens' protests against project in Zvrinec, Vlora Police Director suspended

Vlora Police Director Elidon Cela has been suspended on Saturday from his post following citizens' protests against the Zvrinec project.

According to the State Police press release, the reason for the suspension comes from the wrong reporting regarding one of the protesters, who has been caused body injuries by private society employees. Thus, the two security society employees -- namely, citizens G -- were prosecuted. V., 41, and A. G., 35, both residents in Tirana.

“The General Director of State Police demands public forgiveness for the wrong reporting of the Vlora Police Directorate, regarding the citizen, which has not actually been forced into the site siege, as reported. Under these circumstances and despite all the rest of the municipality of the Vlora Police Directorate is correct, the General Director of State Police has decided to suspend the immediate suspension by the Director of the Local Police Directorate Vlora. Public confidence in the State Police is the most important value and its violation cannot be justified in any case“, State Police report.

In the announcement it was named that the protestor was forced into the site's siege, which was rejected by the State Police.

<x) Vlora police, after the announcement received by residents for the development of this rally, have taken necessary measures to ensure public order and security, as well as to protect private property. During the rally, the situation has escalated, and a group of protesters have committed violent acts aimed at undermining the company's shipyard siege. Under these circumstances, one of the protesters, citizen E. S., has been forced into the shipyard siege and accompanied by private security society employees in the environment designated for the guards. During association by private security society employees, citizens E. S. was caused body damage“, Vlora Police announced earlier.

The State Police's response also points out that the territory surrounded is entirely private property, with regular mortgage documents, and with legal authorization for the siege.

A protest has been held Saturday by various citizens and activists, who oppose intervention in the area near the Narta lagoon, warning possible environmental consequences.

Albania's prime minister, Edi Rama, has also spoken of land in Zrinec, saying the state has forgiven nothing because that land does not belong to the state, but has been private.

It's an effort that we believe will succeed, turning it into reality. Turning it into reality means that we possess a product produced in our country, which is exported. The Albanian Investment Corporation is a reality today that clearly speaks of the superiority of this approach, in relation to the previous one, which was stoned by the time and poor mechanisms we had at our disposal. The Investment Corporation today has created a portfolio with a capacity of over half a billion euros that will go into the interest of the Albanian state, doing nothing but public property, deciding on state interests as well. Not only whenever and wherever public property is given in the name of development, something that was done in the past, and rightly there were other opportunities. There's some news coming up with the state damage, I'm sorry. The state is not forgiving anything, because the state there is nothing. It's a private property, bull bull bull bull bull. Investors involved in that business are serious investors who took that property from privates. The state has had on the other side of the project, where the island of Saban is, where negotiations have not yet ended, as the Investment Corporation is part of the project. Even the island's land will be Albanian state”, Rama said. / TvKlan/Tch