A shocking and powerful testimony from a former inmate has exposed a series of institutions that allegedly tried to cover up a serious criminal incident inside Reç Prison. Pjerind Ndoci was an eyewitness on June 29, 2024, the day when six Reç prison guards allegedly beat inmate Edmond Piraniqi to death.
The investigative show Fiks Fare continued to probe the grave incident, several days after the Shkodra Prosecutor’s Office sent the case file to court, indicting six staff members on charges of arbitrary actions and inciting suicide. The file states that the prisoner was beaten before attempting to take his own life in his cell. According to the prosecutor, security camera footage shows coordinated actions by the guards, pulling the inmate by his hair and kicking him. The case file also mentions details indicating that the prisoner’s feet were still on the ground when he was found in the isolation room.
After this investigation aired, the Fiks Fare newsroom received a call from a former prisoner, Pjerind Ndoci. He had been in isolation on June 29, 2024, in the cell opposite Edmond Piraniqi’s isolation cell. He claims that Mondi (Edmond) had cursed at the prison doctor, who in turn insulted the inmate back. Then, the duty officer alerted the rapid response team, which arrived immediately.
“Five guards entered Mondi’s cell and beat him for nearly 15 to 20 minutes. Then they dragged him into the corridor, and one of his slippers fell off in front of my cell door. Mondi was in an extremely serious condition, visibly weakened, with his head hanging. A guard struck him again in the corridor and then placed him into another isolation room, where he continued to beat him,” Pjerind said.
He gave his testimony on camera for Fiks Fare, claiming that the Reç prison guards staged the suicide.
“Mondi didn’t have the strength to kill himself. Those guards made it look like he had committed suicide. I’ve testified about this to the Ombudsman and the Helsinki Committee as well. The prosecutor’s office has not questioned me. A few days after the incident, I was transferred to Tirana. I am willing to testify about all of this before the prosecution too,” the former prisoner said.
Following his testimony, the former inmate spoke on the phone with Edmond Piraniqi’s father. Pjerind recounted the incident, insisting that Mondi did not kill himself but was beaten to death by the guards. Lulzim (Edmond’s father) told him he would come to Albania from France to collect his testimony. Pjerind expressed his willingness to testify and give his statement officially. Lulzim thanked him and asked for his phone number.
