Former President of the Republic Ilir Meta has denounced the camera monitoring of meetings with his lawyer Ledi Bianku at the “Jordan Misja” detention facility in Tirana. Meta has described the situation as “a violation of the right to effective protection and the confidentiality of lawyer-client communication.”
Meta said that the second meeting held this Thursday with Bianku took place because he will represent him before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). According to Meta, even during the first meeting, on July 17, Bianku found that the environment where the meeting was taking place was under camera monitoring. For this reason, his two legal defenders officially addressed the Minister of Justice and the Director General of Prisons, requesting measures to be taken to guarantee the confidentiality of legal meetings.
Meta claims that no response was given to this request and that, even during the meeting held today, the environment continued to be monitored by cameras.
ILIR META'S REACTION:
Today I held my second meeting with the well-known lawyer Prof. Ass. Ledi Bianku, whom I gratefully thank for his willingness to represent me before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
I consider it necessary to make public a serious fact, which directly affects the effective exercise of the right to defense and the confidentiality of communication between a person deprived of liberty and his legal defender.
During the first meeting, held on July 17, 2026, lawyer Prof. Ass. Bianku noted that the environment at the "Jordan Misja" Penitentiary Institution, where our meeting was taking place, was under camera monitoring.
This fact, in our assessment, constitutes a serious issue of incompatibility with Albanian legal guarantees and the standards of the European Convention on Human Rights, especially regarding the confidentiality of communication between the detainee and the lawyer, as well as the real and effective exercise of the right to defense and representation before the ECHR.
For this reason, in order to rectify the situation before the next meeting, my two legal defenders have officially addressed the Minister of Justice and the Director General of Prisons, requesting that concrete measures be taken to guarantee the confidentiality of legal meetings.
Despite this official communication, until today's meeting, no response has been given to the request of my defense attorneys and, most worryingly, the situation has not changed.
Even today's meeting with Av. Prof. Assoc. Prof. Bianku was held in an environment monitored by cameras.
This fact cannot be considered a purely administrative or technical issue. The confidentiality of communication between lawyer and client is a fundamental guarantee of the right to effective protection and due process of law, whether before the Albanian courts or before the ECHR.
Any interference or monitoring of this communication, beyond the limits clearly defined by law, violates the very essence of this guarantee.
Under these circumstances, and in the absence of an institutional response to the requests submitted, I consider it necessary to make public the official letter from my two legal defenders, as well as to pursue all legal remedies available to protect my rights.
For this reason, together with my legal counsel, Av. Prof. Ass. Ledi Bianku, we will address the European Court of Human Rights, presenting before it the concern regarding the violation of the guarantees of the Convention and, in particular, of the standards related to the right to a fair trial, the right to effective defense and representation, as well as the necessity of respecting the confidentiality of communication with the lawyer.
I emphasize that the purpose of this public statement is not simply to denounce an individual case, but the necessity of respecting the standards of the rule of law and the guarantees that must be indisputable for every person deprived of liberty who must enjoy effective legal protection.
The matter will now be pursued through institutional and legal channels, in accordance with all legal means provided for by Albanian legislation and the European Convention on Human Rights.
