"We signed the Serbian letter", the testimonies of two Albanians who were expelled from Serbia

The two Albanian citizens, who were expelled from Serbia on the grounds that they pose a threat to national security, have revealed details of their detention in Belgrade while participating in a seminar organized by the Erste Foundation, which also has some collaborations with the Open Society Foundation.

Deportee Gazmir Memaj said they were detained in the lobby of the hotel where they were staying to be escorted to the police station, where he denies that he was even informed of the reason for the detention.

"After about 20 minutes of tense waiting in the lobby, two people without uniforms asked us to go to the police station. I and my colleague from Help Albania, Edlira Lilaj, were escorted to the car, which was a private car and not a police car. The road to the police station really scared me, as we were accompanied by two people without uniforms, in a private car that was taking me out of the city, and since I didn't know the road or the place, I had the feeling that my life was being threatened," Memaj told ABCnews.

"When I managed to distinguish the police station building, I calmed down and thought that now, no matter what, I was in a state institution. I didn't notice any uniforms at the police station either. No translation into Albanian was offered. I communicated with the officers in English after telling them that I didn't know Serbian. However, the document indicating the ban and non-entry into Serbian territory for a year, they gave me to sign in Serbian," he said.

Read too Two Albanians were detained and removed from the territory of Serbia, the Albanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacts

While Edlira Lilaj said that the next step will be to appeal to the Serbian Embassy in Albania.

"They never told us the reason for the ban. The letter they gave us to sign (in Serbian) states that we are a threat to the country's security. An article of a law is mentioned in the letter, but in reality they have not given us any reason or basis for the ban. The next step is to appeal to the Serbian embassy in Albania," said Lilaj.

Meanwhile, over 300 international organizations have condemned Serbia's action.

According to them, these acts signal the Serbian government's growing hostility towards activists, which is also fueled by the protests in which Belgrade has been involved.

They call on the Serbian authorities to ensure respect for human rights and freedoms. /ABCnews.al/