Lawyer Idajet Beqiri has alleged that one of the organizers of the recent anti-government protests, Gent Progni, met with opposition politician Flamur Noka shortly before the demonstration where violent clashes later erupted.
Speaking during an interview on ABC News' program Ora e Fundit, Beqiri claimed that Progni—who has been arrested over alleged violence against members of parliament outside the Albanian Parliament building—was seen inside Noka's vehicle approximately one hour before the protest began.
 |
According to Beqiri, the meeting allegedly took place near the Rogner Hotel Tirana, where he said multiple witnesses observed Progni entering Noka's car.
"Before heading to the protest, he went to meet Flamur Noka. He was in Noka's car about an hour before the protest. Near the Rogner Hotel, there are many witnesses who saw Gent Progni inside Flamur Noka's vehicle," Beqiri claimed during the interview.
The lawyer further alleged that a number of the protest's leading figures are politically aligned with the opposition Democratic Party of Albania (PD) and that some of them receive financial support from the party.
Beqiri also argued that the protest movement, which initially emerged as a civic initiative, had gradually come under the influence of opposition leader Sali Berisha. He claimed that Berisha now exercises near-total control over the demonstrations and alleged that several prominent speakers at the protests are closely associated with the Democratic Party.
Among those he mentioned were activist Gashi, whom he described as openly loyal to Berisha, as well as other protest figures including Ndregjoni and Malka, whom he also claimed are strong supporters of the opposition leader.
The allegations made by Beqiri have not been independently verified by OCNAL, and neither Flamur Noka nor Gent Progni had publicly responded to the claims at the time of publication.