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By Elvi Fundo/ When insults and threats are called procedural emotional reactions

2026-03-25 10:05:00, Editorial Elvi FUNDO

By Elvi Fundo/ When insults and threats are called procedural emotional

In a state governed by the rule of law, there are certain minimum expectations for how a high-level public official should conduct himself, especially when facing justice. But it seems that in some cases, these expectations are being replaced by a new standard: “procedural emotion.”

The case of Erion Veliaj is an interesting illustration of this evolving standard. Initially, albeit abusively, he seeks to physically dispose of the files in his pre-trial detention.

The court, in fulfillment of this request, decides that the acts be sent through investigators of the National Bureau of Investigation. So far, everything is in order, a model procedure.

Exclusive/ Veliaj clashes with prison officers
March 15, 12:26

But then the "emotional" part of the procedure begins.

According to the minutes read at the court session, when investigators appear to implement the court's decision, they are not simply received as officials performing their duties, but as the object of a verbal performance with strong... artistic notes.

Insults, intimidating, in fact threatening tones (he addresses the investigator with "I don't forgive you") and rhetoric that you would hardly find in any public ethics manual.

"Fuck! I won't forgive him"/ The minutes are revealed, Veliaj threatened the BKH officer
March 24, 17:18

But don't be too quick to judge, because, according to the defense, this isn't problematic behavior. No. It's just... emotional.

At this point, a simple question arises: have we entered a new phase of law, where, in addition to material evidence and legal procedures, the category of “justified emotional outbursts” is also introduced? If so, then perhaps the legal literature should also be rewritten: from the “rule of law” to the “rule of feeling.”

Because after all, what are some insults to investigators? A human reaction. What is intimidation and threatening of justice officials? A form of communication under pressure. And what is denigrating language? A style of expression that reflects… the intensity of the situation.

Meanwhile, on a more mundane level, a high-level public official, who even today represents the institution of the largest municipality in the country, is expected to demonstrate self-control, respect and dignity, even in difficult conditions. But this is perhaps a somewhat outdated expectation. Today, it seems that the standard is more flexible: the higher the function, the more understandable the “emotion” becomes.

Details from the minutes/ Here's how Erion Veliaj threatened and insulted BKH officers
March 24, 17:43

To complete the picture, we also have the last procedural request, such as the one for the inventory of the file. In a classic reading, this could be seen as an attempt to drag out the process. But in this new framework of interpretation, perhaps it is simply another manifestation of the same emotion, this time expressed in the form of a legal request.

In the end, a reflection remains: if this is the way a high-ranking official behaves towards representatives of justice when under security, it is legitimate to ask, not with emotion, but with logic, what his behavior would be like under different conditions.

But maybe this question is also... emotional./ CNA