Opposition leader supports protesters who want him jailed

Albanian opposition leader Sali Berisha said his Democratic Party would support anti-government protesters, even though many of them have been calling for his arrest for more than a month.

The protesters have gathered outside Prime Minister Edi Rama’s office, demanding Rama’s resignation. Their chants have also included calls for “Berisha in prison.”

Berisha said the protesters’ demands were now also Democratic Party demands.

He spoke after Saturday's protest in Tirana, where demonstrators displayed an empty coffin to symbolise what they called Rama’s political end.

Berisha compared the protest to the February 1991 fall of communist dictator Enver Hoxha’s statue in Tirana.

He also called for the release of protesters arrested during recent demonstrations and warned the government to stop using force.