Democrats go on hunger strike
Vili Minarolli and Azem Hajdari entered an indefinite hunger strike yesterday afternoon.
Their sit-in is right in front of the Italian Embassy in Tirana, opposite the building of the Albanian Radio and Television. After their usual protest ritual, the protesting Democrats abandoned Skënderbej Square yesterday and moved in front of the Radio and Television building. In their protest, PD activists demanded that they be filmed by Television, so that the demonstration held every afternoon would not go unreported on Albanian Television. Vili Minarolli and Azem Hajdari went inside the building while this protest was taking place to speak with the Director General of Radio and Television, Albert Minga. It seems that no common ground was found during the talks. Immediately afterwards, the two PD leaders began an indefinite hunger strike. When asked yesterday evening, they said they would not leave their confinement outdoors unless the “Arbnori Amendment” was respected. This amendment was also put forward after a hunger strike by the former Speaker of Parliament. Yesterday evening, PD leader Sali Berisha came to the hunger strikers. After expressing his full solidarity with the strike by members of his party, Berisha asked for a food tent to be found for the strikers, so that they would not spend the damp autumn night completely in the open. The PD hunger-striking MPs chose the citizens waiting for visas outside the Italian Embassy as their overnight company. At tomorrow’s meeting of the parliamentary parties, the first item for discussion is expected to be Television and its problems.