The Facts

• Fredis Beleris, a jailed ethnic Greek Albanian politician who was elected member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Greece's ruling New Democracy party, was released from prison and arrived in Athens on Monday.Fredis Beleri, a Greek-born Albanese politician recently elected member of the European Parliament (MEP), arrived in Athens on Monday, a day after he was granted a five-day leave from an Albanian prison.

• This comes as prison authorities in Albania granted him a five-day leave on Sunday to attend the opening session of the new European legislature in Strasbourg, as Beleris won a seat in elections last month.Beleri was temporarily freed to attend the opening session of the new European Parliament in Strasbourg after he won a Greek seat in the EU legislature as a member of the ruling New Democracy party.

• In a meeting with the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis before heading to France, he said that he wants to assist the Greek ethnic minority in Albania and bring his country closer to the European family.The 52-year-old was arrested on vote-buying charges two days before becoming the mayor-elect of Himara in May 2023 and sentenced to two years in prison. Earlier this month, Albania's election commission revoked his mandate.