Tirana Court Frees 19 Protesters Against Trump-Linked Resort In Albania

A Tirana court on Sunday freed 19 protesters detained during a protest against a resort linked to US President Donald Trump’s family, a lawyer said.

The protests have been held daily in Tirana since late May against the planned construction of a luxury hotel linked to Trump’s daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner in a nature reserve on the country’s coast.

Al Jazeera

Police used tear gas, pepper spray and water cannon to break up hundreds of demonstrators, and AFP reported that dozens of people gathered outside the tribunal chanting "Free the boys" greeted the announcement with cheers of joy.

The court released the 19 demonstrators held on suspicion of "refusing to obey police orders, organising illegal demonstrations and disturbing public order", and lawyer Dorian Matlija said two would be put under house arrest and 12 would have to report to the judicial police once or twice a month.

Al Jazeera said the protesters released on Sunday were held on suspicion of “refusing to obey police orders, organising illegal demonstrations and disturbing public order,” and that two would be placed under house arrest while 12 would have to report to the judicial police once or twice a month.

The rallies, which began over a luxury coastal resort project linked to Jared Kushner in a protected natural area, have evolved into broader anti-government and anti-corruption protests, with demonstrators chanting “New Albania” and “Edi Rama, resign”.

Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera reported that protests escalated last Thursday when hundreds of demonstrators rallied outside parliament for the second time in a week to confront politicians and block entry, and police used tear gas, pepper spray and water cannon to disperse them.

It also said that some protesters tried to push through the lines of police and threw eggs, stones and other objects, while Thursday’s violence contrasted with the “overwhelmingly peaceful daily gatherings” that had drawn thousands onto the streets since the movement began.

La Stampa described the protests as the “Flamingo Revolution” against a mega-luxury tourist project tied to Jared Kushner’s company, with protesters and environmental groups calling for suspension of the construction site opened on the small Zvërnec Island in the Vlore district and for the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama.

“A court in Albania’s capital Tirana has freed 19 protesters detained during a violent protest against a resort linked to US President Donald Trump’s family”

Al Jazeera

The outlet said the area where the 10,000-room complex would rise is part of the Adriatic migratory route and that it would develop between the Narta Lagoon and the uninhabited island of Sazan, where the former military base would be redeveloped.

La Stampa reported that SPAK, Albania’s independent anti-corruption prosecutor’s office established in 2019 with support of the European Union and the United States, opened investigations into 2024 changes to the area’s protection status and land ownership that it said paved the way for tourism development.

In a separate account, Réseau Voltaire framed the unrest as a revolt against the seizure of Sazan Island by Affinity Partners, Jared Kushner and Luis Videgaray’s company, and said the Albanian prosecutor’s office for anti-corruption and organized crime (SPAK) had opened an investigation into the funds used.