Albanian police sue opposition leader, say he urged violence
TIRANA, Albania — Albanian police have sued the leader of the country’s opposition Democratic Party for allegedly inciting calls for violence.
A police statement Saturday said Democratic Party leader Lulzim Basha on Friday urged “citizens to violently react against state institutions,” a crime that, if proven, carries up to a three-year jail sentence.
For a week, hundreds of Democrats have blocked the main boulevard in Tirana, the capital, saying they don’t trust the left-wing government to hold the June 18 parliamentary election in a fair manner. They want a caretaker cabinet instead.
Police quoted Basha as saying “You want a fight? A fight it will be. Puncture the car tires, break the glasses. Time will come to drag (officials) at this square.”