Sali Berisha (; born 15 October 1944) is an Albanian cardiologist and
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
politician who served as the
president of Albania
The president of Albania (), officially the president of the Republic of Albania (), is the head of state, commander-in-chief of the Albanian Armed Forces, military and the representative of the unity of the Albanian people.
The president sets ...
from 1992 to 1997 and as the 32nd
prime minister of Albania from 2005 to 2013. Berisha has served as Chairman of the
Democratic Party of Albania
The Democratic Party of Albania (, PDSH), also known as the Democratic Party (, PD), is a Conservatism, conservative political party in Albania. It has been the largest opposition party in the country since 2013 and has dominated the Albanian ...
since 2022. He has previously held the position of chairman from 1990 to 1992 and 1997 to 2013. He is the
leader of opposition in Albania.
Under the
Biden Administration
Joe Biden's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 46th president of the United States began with Inauguration of Joe Biden, his inauguration on January 20, 2021, and ended on January 20, 2025. Biden, a member of the Democr ...
, he was barred from entering the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
under Section 7031(c)(1)(A) of the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 due to accusations of 'involvement in significant corruption' and ties to
organized crime groups and criminals deemed a 'risk to public safety in Albania. Berisha is also
sanctioned by the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
.
Despite major speculation to the contrary, backed by a tweet made by journalist Marc Caputo regarding Sali Berisha's "non grata" status in the United States, Berisha is still barred from entering the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
as of May 9, 2025.
On 9 September 2021, Berisha was expelled by party chairman
Lulzim Basha from the Democratic Party's Parliamentary Group due to legal issues with the
US Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs o ...
. This decision led to 79-year-old Berisha starting a nation-wide movement to remove Basha as leader of the Democratic Party, causing a major rift in the party's internal structures, between Berisha's and Basha's supporters.
On 30 December 2023, Berisha was placed under house arrest due to alleged corruption during his term as Prime Minister.
He was released following a court order on 27 November 2024.
Early life and career
Berisha was born in
Viçidol
Viçidol ( sq-definite, Viçidoli) is a village in the Kukës County, northern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Tropojë. It is located away from the town of Tropojë and from the border with Kosov ...
, then
Tropojë District, in
northern Albania
Northern Albania () is one of the three NUTS-2 regions of Albania, along with Central Albania and Southern Albania (). It consists of the counties of Dibër, Durrës, Kukës, Lezhë and Shkodër.
Historically and in ethnography, Northern ...
, to a
Muslim
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
family of mountain farmers. His family belong to the
Berisha tribe. As a child, he tended sheep.
After his father became a functionary of the
Party of Labour of Albania
The Party of Labour of Albania (PLA), also referred to as the Albanian Workers' Party (AWP), was the ruling and sole legal party of Albania during the communist period (1945–1991). It was founded on 8 November 1941 as the Communist Party of ...
, Berisha enjoyed a higher education and was then able to study medicine at the
University of Tirana
The University of Tirana (, abbreviated UT) is a public university located at the central borough of Tirana 10 in Tirana, Albania. It was established as the State University of Tirana (SUT) in 1957 through merging of five existing institutes ...
, graduating in 1967. With a one-year scholarship, he specialized in cardiology in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
.
Subsequently, he was appointed as an assistant professor of medicine at the same university and as staff cardiologist at the Tirana General Hospital. At the same time, Berisha became a member of a discussion forum for changes in the
Albanian Party of Labor while having been enrolled as a member a few years earlier. During the 1970s, Berisha gained distinction as the leading researcher in the field of cardiology in Albania and became professor of cardiology at the University of Tirana. In 1978 he received a United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural (
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
) fellowship for nine months of advanced study and training in Paris.
He also conducted a research program on
hemodynamics
Hemodynamics or haemodynamics are the dynamics of blood flow. The circulatory system is controlled by homeostatic mechanisms of autoregulation, just as hydraulic circuits are controlled by control systems. The hemodynamic response continuously ...
that attracted considerable attention among his colleagues in Europe. In 1986 he was elected to be a member of the European Committee for Research on Medical Sciences.
In an interview for the Albanian Writers League newspaper published also in the international press, Berisha demanded that the remaining barriers to freedom of thought and expression be ended, that Albanians be granted the right to travel freely within the country and abroad, and that Albania abandon its isolationist foreign policy. At an August 1990 meeting of the nation's intellectuals convened by President
Ramiz Alia
Ramiz Alia (; 18 October 1925 – 7 October 2011) was an Albanian politician serving as the second and last leader of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania from 1985 to 1991, serving as First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania. He ...
, Berisha urged the Albanian Party of Labor to abolish the third article of the communist constitution which sanctioned that the Party of Labor had the hegemony of the Power, to recognize the Human Rights Charter, the drafting of a new democratic constitution, and to remove all monuments of Stalin in the country.
In an article published in the
''Bashkimi'' newspaper on 17 September 1990, Berisha condemned what he termed the "cosmetic reforms" of the Alia regime, which had only served to aggravate unrest within the nation. Without political pluralism, he argued, there could be no true democracy in Albania.
Berisha emerged as the chairman of the
Democratic Party of Albania
The Democratic Party of Albania (, PDSH), also known as the Democratic Party (, PD), is a Conservatism, conservative political party in Albania. It has been the largest opposition party in the country since 2013 and has dominated the Albanian ...
(DP), the first and largest of the new opposition parties. All leading members of the party wore white coats during demonstrations. He was formally elected DP chairman in February 1991 at the party's first national congress. He was elected member of Albania parliament in 1991, 1992, 1997, 2001 from the constituency of
Kavajë
Kavajë ( , sq-definite, Kavaja) is a city and municipality centrally located in the Western Lowlands region of Albania, in Tirana County. It borders Durrës to the north , Tirana, Tiranë to the east and Rrogozhinë to the south . To the west ...
.
President of Albania (1992–1997)
After the
1992 elections—the second free legislative elections held in the country—Berisha was elected president on 9 April 1992. He was the country's second freely elected head of state, and the first non-Communist head of state in 53 years.
Following his election, Berisha and his government were engaged in a profound course of political, economic, institutional, legislative and multifaceted reforms. Therefore, the complete
privatisation
Privatization (rendered privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation w ...
of land and residencies, as well as of all small and medium state enterprises, was accomplished over the period 1992–96; prices and exchange rates were fully liberalised, and Albania changed from a country of a three figure inflation rate and economic growth regression of −20% into a country with a one-figure inflation rate and with an average economic growth rate of 9% in 1992 and, in '93 – '96, 75% of GDP was generated from the private sector.
Albania opened towards the West: it signed the
Partnership for Peace Agreement in 1994 and it became a member of the
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe (CoE; , CdE) is an international organisation with the goal of upholding human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it is Europe's oldest intergovernmental organisation, represe ...
in 1995.
Berisha also introduced
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
to the Albanian political scene, pursued re-Islamisation of the country (approximately 74%
Sunni Muslims
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Musli ...
of Albania's population) to reverse decades of anti-religious policy under
Communism
Communism () is a political sociology, sociopolitical, political philosophy, philosophical, and economic ideology, economic ideology within the history of socialism, socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a ...
. Non-governmental organisations from
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
and other parts of the Muslim world were invited in to build mosques and schools and provide other aid, and spread
Wahhabi
Wahhabism is an exonym for a Salafi revivalist movement within Sunni Islam named after the 18th-century Hanbali scholar Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab. It was initially established in the central Arabian region of Najd and later spread to other ...
or
Salafi
The Salafi movement or Salafism () is a fundamentalist revival movement within Sunni Islam, originating in the late 19th century and influential in the Islamic world to this day. The name "''Salafiyya''" is a self-designation, claiming a retu ...
Islam to Albania (and along with it, Saudi geopolitical influence).
The collapse of the
Ponzi schemes towards the end of 1996, into which Albanians allegedly invested $1 billion worth of life savings from 1994, recapped the crisis. The schemes failed, one by one, from December 1996, and
demonstrators took to the streets accusing the government of having stolen the money. In the midst of the crisis that had escalated into a civil war, Sali Berisha was re-elected president for a second five-year term on 3 March 1997 by a parliament totally controlled by the Democratic Party.
During the first ten days of March, the situation deteriorated, culminating in the desertion of large numbers of police and military, leaving their arsenals unlocked. These were promptly looted, mostly by militias and some criminal gangs, and for a time it looked like civil war would erupt between the government and rebels. Although the Prime Minister resigned immediately, Berisha refused opposition demands to step down, claiming he had to ensure continuity, and UN and European Multinational Forces were required to step in and take the situation under control. After their intervention in Albania, early elections were held in June 1997, leading to the victory of a socialist-led coalition of parties. On 23 July 1997, a month after the DP lost the
1997 elections to the left coalition, Berisha stepped down as president and was replaced by the socialist
Rexhep Meidani. In 1997 he became the chairman of the Democratic Party, which became the biggest opposition party. He eventually returned to power as prime minister between 2005 and 2013.
Leader of the Opposition (1997–2005)
The murder of DP MP
Azem Hajdari on 12 September 1998, triggered two days of violent protests in Tirana. During Hajdari's funeral procession on 14 September 1998, armed DP supporters ransacked government offices, and for a brief period, held the PM's office, the parliament building, and the Albanian State television and radio building. Estimates of casualties during the protests and riots ranged between 3 and 7 deaths and 14 and 76 injuries. After 72 hours, the Government restored order and reclaimed tanks and armored personnel carriers seized by DP supporters that were being held at the Democratic Party main offices in Tirana. Parliament subsequently lifted Berisha's immunity due to his alleged role in what the government described as a ''
coup d'état
A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup
, is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...
'', but no charges were laid. Berisha blamed the
Socialist Party of Albania
The Socialist Party of Albania (, PSSh), also known as simply the Socialist Party (, PS), is a Social democracy, social-democratic centre-left political party in Albania. It is the successor to the Party of Labour of Albania, which reconstituted ...
and its leaders for the murder. Twelve people were arrested for their alleged involvement in the violence. In February 2002 five people, including Jaho Mulosmani, were sentenced for the murder by a Tirana district court.
Sali Berisha led the coalition of the center-right parties in the
general elections held in five rounds in June–August 2001.
In the winter of 2004, a number of protests with over 20,000 people were organized by the opposition led by Berisha demanding Nano resign as prime minister which became known as the "Nano Go Away" Movement (''Levizja "Nano Ik"'').
Prime Minister of Albania (2005–2013)

On 3 July 2005, Sali Berisha led a coalition of five right center parties into the
2005 parliamentary elections, which eventually won a majority of 74 MPs from a total of 140. He was appointed Prime Minister of Albania on 8 September 2005.
On 10 June 2007, Berisha met with U.S. President
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
in Tirana. Bush became the first U.S. president to visit Albania and repeated his staunch support for the independence of neighbouring
Kosovo
Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...
from
Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
, national_motto =
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
, national_anthem = ()
, image_map =
, map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
: "At some point in time, sooner rather than later, you've got to say, enough is enough. Kosovo is independent."
On 15 March 2008, Berisha faced the toughest challenge of his government when an
ammunition dump exploded in the village of
Gërdec near Tirana, killing 26 people and injuring over 100. Defense Minister
Fatmir Mediu resigned, and the press reported many irregularities at the blast site, operated by an Albanian company that deactivated the country's aging ammunition and then sold it for scrap.

In June 2009, Democrats declared a narrow win in the
parliamentary elections
A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. General elections ...
.
Berisha's alliance came up one seat short of a majority and had to join forces with a splinter socialist party, the
Socialist Movement for Integration of
Ilir Meta, in order to retain power. Berisha appointed Meta to the post of deputy prime minister and at the same time Minister for Foreign Affairs, and later Minister of Economy, Trade and Energy. It was the first time since the start of multi-party democracy in 1991 that a ruling party had been forced into a coalition due to not winning enough seats on its own.
The 2009 elections were called flawed by the
socialist opposition, which asked for a recount of the ballots. Berisha refused, on the ground that the
Albanian Constitution
The present Constitution of the Albania, Republic of Albania () was adopted by the Parliament of Albania on 21 October 1998 and certified by presidential decree on 28 November 1998, following a public referendum which approved the new Constitution ...
does not call for such a procedure. He however called the opposition to the Parliament to change the Constitution, but the Socialist Party refused. The political crisis between government and opposition worsened over time, with the Socialists abandoning parliamentary debates for months and staging
hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance where participants fasting, fast as an act of political protest, usually with the objective of achieving a specific goal, such as a policy change. Hunger strikers that do not take fluids are ...
s to ask for internal and international support. The EU attempted a conciliation, which failed. The ongoing political crisis was one of the reasons for the EU's refusal to grant Albania official
candidate status in late 2010. However, The elections were certified by the OSCE/ODIHR as having marked significant progress in voter registration, the identification process, the legal framework, the voting process, the counting of votes and the resolution of complaints.
In 2009 during the government led by Berisha, more than 10,000 km of roads were built, connecting over 900 villages with the municipalities and 169 municipalities with the national road infrastructure with paved roads. To be mentioned are the
Tirana-Elbasan road and, in particular, the Durrës-Kukës road, otherwise known as the
"Nation Road", because it connected neighboring Kosovo with the city of Durrës. The latter crosses Albania from east to west and is the largest road project in the history of Albania. The construction of this road was criticized by the
Socialist Party
Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...
.
On 21 January 2011, clashes broke out between police and protesters in an
anti-government rally in front of the Government building in Tirana. Four people were shot dead by government special forces. The EU issued a statement to Albanian politicians, warning both sides to refrain from violence, while Berisha called the protests and subsequent charges by judges upon policemen as stages of an attempted coup against him – consequently, he attempted to consolidate his grip on state institutions. He accused the then-President of having been part of the coup after relations had soured between the two, and embraced his perceived victim status to install his own 'yes man' in the office.
In 2011, commenting on the
Middle East
The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq.
The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
, Berisha said: "Peace between Israel and the Palestinians must go through direct negotiations, and by guaranteeing the security of both states.... The solution must bring full security to both states, but I have not seen any support for the acceptance and recognition of the State of Israel."
Under his leadership, Albania made several strides in
sustainable development
Sustainable development is an approach to growth and Human development (economics), human development that aims to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.United Nations General ...
. In the 2012
Environmental Performance Index
The Environmental Performance Index (EPI) is a method of quantifying and numerically marking the environmentalism, environmental performance of a state's policies, highlightning the degradation of the planet's life-supporting systems on which hum ...
, the country ranked 4th out of 132 countries, while maintaining an average
GDP
Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the total market value of all the final goods and services produced and rendered in a specific time period by a country or countries. GDP is often used to measure the economic performance o ...
growth of 5.1% between 2007 and 2011. By 2012, the country was producing more than 96 percent of the energy through renewable
hydropower
Hydropower (from Ancient Greek -, "water"), also known as water power or water energy, is the use of falling or fast-running water to Electricity generation, produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by energy transformation, ...
resources. For his significant achievements and contributions to sustainable development, he was awarded the Fray International Sustainability Award in 2012.
After his party's defeat in the
2013 parliamentary election, Berisha resigned as party leader, but remained in parliament.
Leader of the Opposition (2022–present)
The
Democratic Party led by
Lulzim Basha, lost its third consecutive election in 2021, which led to many members of PD calling for him to resign. He refused to do so, following his win the party's leadership election, where he was backed by Berisha. On 9 September 2021, Basha expelled Berisha from the parliamentary group of PD due to the US Department of State designating him as non-grata. On 11 December 2021, the National Council of PD, called by Berisha and his faction, gathered at the Arena Kombëtare, where they voted to remove Basha as leader of the Democratic Party.
On 8 January 2021, Berisha and his faction, organized a protest outside the Democratic Party headquarters, where they tried to enter the building. This resulted in
RENEA being called in due to the protest becoming violent.
On 21 March 2022, Lulzim Basha stepped down from party leadership, resulting on
Enkelejd Alibeaj becoming the legal leader of PD. In the meantime, Berisha was considered the ''
de facto'' leader, leading the re-foundation faction of the party and creating the
Bashkë Fitojmë coalition in 2023 local elections. On 22 May 2022, he was elected leader of the PD, following a leadership election organized by the Re-Foundation Commission. He managed to win over 93.45% of the vote.
On 7 July 2022, he staged protests against the Albanian government over prices and wages in front of the
Prime Minister's Office. Berisha also stated that the future of Albania and the Albanians was at risk and the people should decide in their own hands.
On 6 December 2022 during protests Berisha was assaulted in the face resulting in him being given a black eye. The assailant's mother had told the media that her son had been suffering from mental problems for 5 years. He is awaiting trial. President
Bajram Begaj
Bajram Begaj (born 20 March 1967) is an Albanian politician and military officer who has been President of Albania since 2022. Having had a long career in the Albanian army, he served as the 26th Chief of General Staff of the Albanian Armed Fo ...
, Prime Minister
Edi Rama
Edi Rama (born Edvin Kristaq Rama; 4 July 1964) is an Albanian politician, artist and writer who has been serving as the 33rd and incumbent prime minister of Albania since 2013 and chairman of the Socialist Party of Albania since 2005. He was M ...
, and
Lulzim Basha all condemned the assault on Berisha. Berisha himself forgave the perpetrator.
In December 2022, Zylfie and Muharrem Haklaj filed a lawsuit against Berisha and 15 other people in the
Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organized Crime (Struktura e Posaçme Anti-Korrupsion, SPAK) for allegedly ordering and directing the murder of their four brothers Shkëlqim, Halil, Fatmir and Ylli Haklaj in
Tropojë
Tropojë (; sq-definite, Tropoja) is a municipality in Kukës County, northeastern Albania, within the historical ethnographic region of the Gjakova Highlands. The municipality consists of the administrative units of Bajram Curri, Bujan, By ...
in the late 1990s and early 2000s and the attacks with shells and
TNT
Troponin T (shortened TnT or TropT) is a part of the troponin complex, which are proteins integral to the contraction of skeletal and heart muscles. They are expressed in skeletal and cardiac myocytes. Troponin T binds to tropomyosin and helps ...
against their tower in the village of Kërrnajë.
On 11 June 2024, the Court of Appeal gave a final verdict recognizing Berisha as the official Chairman of the Democratic Party.
Personal life
Berisha is married to
Liri Berisha (née Ramaj), a
pediatrician
Pediatrics (American English) also spelled paediatrics (British English), is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, pediatrics covers many of their youth ...
. Liri Berisha is the president of Albanian Children Foundation. Her foundation focuses on children with
autism
Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...
and
Down syndrome. The couple have two children, a daughter, Argita Malltezi (née Berisha) who is a professor of law at the University of Tirana, and a son, Shkëlzen Berisha.
On October 21, 2023, Berisha's son-in-law, Jamarbër Malltezi, was arrested by Albanian police on accusations of corruption and money laundering allegedly committed during Berisha's tenure as Prime Minister of Albania.
Berisha was placed under investigation on suspicion of abusing his position as prime minister to help Malltezi privatize public land in order to build 17 apartment buildings in
Tirana
Tirana ( , ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in Albania, largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills, with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest ov ...
.
Berisha has strongly denied the allegations, and has publicly accused the prosecutors of a political attack, claiming that they were acting on the orders of Prime Minister
Edi Rama
Edi Rama (born Edvin Kristaq Rama; 4 July 1964) is an Albanian politician, artist and writer who has been serving as the 33rd and incumbent prime minister of Albania since 2013 and chairman of the Socialist Party of Albania since 2005. He was M ...
.
In December 2023, Berisha was stripped of his
parliamentary immunity
Parliamentary immunity, also known as legislative immunity, is a system in which politicians or other political leaders are granted full immunity from legal prosecution, both civil prosecution and criminal prosecution, in the course of the exe ...
and placed under house arrest. He was formally charged with corruption on 11 September 2024.
Berisha was released following a court order on 27 November, while his freedom to travel abroad was restored by the
Constitutional Court
A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ru ...
.
Elmar Brok
Elmar Peter Brok (born 14 May 1946) is a German politician who was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 1980 until 2019. He was the chairman of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs from 1999-2007 and from 2012-2017. He i ...
, former
Member of the European Parliament
A member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been Election, elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament.
When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and S ...
and former
Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament, visited Berisha while under house arrest by labelling him as the last political prisoner in Europe considering that "''a man should not be prohibited to go to Parliament until a court has taken a decision that he is guilty''".
Sanctions
On 19 May 2021, Berisha, his wife, son and daughter were sanctioned by the US Department of State and barred from entry into the United States after being accused of "involvement in significant corruption". On the press conference
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken stated:
Berisha has disputed the allegations, commenting that
On July 21, the British embassy in
Tirana
Tirana ( , ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in Albania, largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills, with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest ov ...
announced it had taken action against several Albanian individuals but did not disclose their names. The prime minister's special envoy to the Western Balkans
Stuart Peach
Air Chief Marshal Stuart William Peach, Baron Peach (born 22 February 1956) is a British retired senior Royal Air Force officer. After training as a navigator, Peach commanded IX (Bomber) Squadron and then became Deputy Station Commander RAF Br ...
said in a statement: The next day, Berisha revealed that he was subject to this action.
On 7 May 2025,
Axios
Axios commonly refers to:
* Axios (river), a river that runs through Greece and North Macedonia
* ''Axios'' (website), an American news and information website
Axios may also refer to:
Brands and enterprises
* Axios, a brand of suspension produ ...
reporter, Marc Caputo tweeted that the
U.S. Department of State, under the
Second Trump Administration, would allow Berisha to visit the United States. Berisha and his political allies posted celebratory messages and insinuated that the non-grata designation had been lifted. However, according to Albanian media, two days later the State Department said that it had "no new information to provide at this time regarding this designation." According to th
Albanian Times Caputo's post "made no mention of a policy change or removal of Berisha’s “non grata” status. Instead, it refers to visa waivers—a longstanding practice used in special cases for reasons of national interest. Such waivers have previously been granted to controversial figures including Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, without altering their sanction status."
Honours and awards
*1996 –

Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the
Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic () is the most senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of Italy, President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi.
The highest-ranking honour of the Republi ...
(23 April 1996)
* 2009 – Doctor
Honoris Causa
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
of the
University of Pristina
* 2009 – Doctor
Honoris Causa
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
of the
International University of Struga
* 2012 – : Honorary Citizen of
Deçan
Deçan (, ; , ) is a town and municipality in the district of Gjakova, Kosovo. The municipality has an area of and it includes the town and 37 smaller settlements.
According to the last census of 2024, the municipality has a population of 27,7 ...
* 2013 – : Honorary Citizen of
Prizren
Prizren ( sq-definite, Prizreni, ; sr-cyr, Призрен) is the second List of cities and towns in Kosovo, most populous city and Municipalities of Kosovo, municipality of Kosovo and seat of the eponymous municipality and District of Prizren, ...
* 2013 – : Honorary Citizen of
Debar
* 2015 –
National Flag Order
The National Flag Decoration () is one of the highest decorations to be given in Albania, among the Civil awards and decorations of Albania, and was instituted by special law Nr.8113, of 28 March 1996.
This award is granted to Albanians or forei ...
(Albania, 2015) – decorated by President of Albania
Bujar Nishani
See also
*
List of presidents of Albania
*
Fall of communism in Albania
References
External links
''The violations of the legal procedure evidence the politically rigged process against the leader of the Albanian opposition Sali Berisha'' by Sokol Mëngjesi and Genc Gjokutaj*
ttp://www.lajme.gen.al/teme/sali-berisha.html Sali Berisha news(in Albanian)
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Berisha, Sali
1944 births
Living people
People from Tropojë
Presidents of Albania
Prime ministers of Albania
Government ministers of Albania
Members of the Parliament of Albania
Leaders of the Democratic Party of Albania
Political party leaders of Albania
Albanian Muslims
Albanian physicians
Cardiologists
Individuals sanctioned by the United States Department of State
University of Tirana alumni
20th-century Albanian politicians
21st-century Albanian politicians
Corruption in Albania