An incident was reported today in the village of Vuno, where journalist and publicist Arjan Konomi was involved in a clash with members of Prime Minister Edi Rama’s escort. Following the incident, Konomi was escorted to the Himara Police Station.
The case was made public by the leader of the “Albania Becomes” movement, Adriatik Lapaj, who gave his version of the dynamics of the event.
According to Lapaj, the conflict started because of the Prime Minister’s escort vehicles parked in the center of Vunoi. Konomi, a resident of the area, is reported to have objected to the parking method, demanding that the rules be applied equally to citizens and officials, regardless of the function they hold.
The argument, according to Lapaj’s claims, later escalated into a physical altercation with members of the escort. He claims that Konomi was forcibly removed from the venue and then taken to the police station.
“Mr. Konomi went and asked that the same standard be maintained for state officials, regardless of function. The law must first be implemented by the Prime Minister and then by every citizen,” Lapaj writes.
Reacting to the incident, Lapaj harshly criticized the behavior of the prime minister’s escort, calling the way Konomi was treated unacceptable.
He has also leveled accusations against Prime Minister Edi Rama himself, considering the journalist’s escort as arbitrary and demanding that the law be applied equally to all citizens.
Lapaj also used the occasion to raise concerns about how other citizens may be treated in similar cases, arguing that if a public figure faces such a situation, the concern is even greater for citizens without a public voice.