Fredis Beleris

Dionysios-Fredis Beleris is an ethnically Greek politician from Albania who was elected mayor of Himarë. Beleris was elected mayor in the 2023 local elections as candidate of the Together We Win political coalition, an office he did not take after being arrested a few days earlier for vote buying. His arrest mobilized both the Greek community in Albania and the Greek government, which accused the Albanian authorities of attempting to hinder the political activities of Albania's Greek minority. In the trial that followed, he was sentenced to two years in prison; as a result of the conviction, Albania's Central Electoral Commission declared Beleris's mandate invalid, and decided to hold new elections. He was released on 3 September 2024, having served 2/3 of his sentence.