Albanian opposition MPs try to disrupt Parliament to protest a colleague’s imprisonment

Associated Press

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albanian opposition lawmakers have protested in Parliament, burning effigies and clashing with bodyguards, after one of their colleagues was convicted of slander and imprisoned. The conservative Democrat lawmakers, who had called for a boycott of Thursday’s session, tried to block their colleagues from the governing Socialist Party from entering the chamber. They were protesting the imprisonment of Ervin Salianji, who in 2018 demanded the resignation of the then-interior minister over allegations of his brother’s illegal activity that later proved to be fabricated. The opposition has called for a national protest next Monday in Tirana, urging its supporters to take part in civil disobedience.