The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that Albania violated the rights of Thoma Gëllçi, the former director of Albanian Public Television (RTSH), in connection with his pre-trial detention on abuse of office charges. The court found that his prolonged detention lacked sufficient justification, breaching Article 5 § 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

On October 7, 2021, Thoma Gëllçi was arrested following an investigation by Albania’s anti-corruption authorities. He was accused of abuse of office related to a public tender for technical equipment procurement while leading RTSH. Prosecutors claimed that he had approved a public contract without the necessary authorization from the Albanian Media Authority and had later extended its deadline unlawfully, allegedly disadvantaging other bidders and misusing public funds. Following his arrest, Gëllçi was held in pre-trial detention for more than seven months. On June 2, 2022, Albania’s First Instance Special Court for Corruption and Organized Crime convicted him of abuse of office and sentenced him to one year and four months in prison. He was released on August 30, 2022, after serving most of his sentence in detention. Gëllçi later challenged his detention at the ECHR, arguing that Albanian authorities had violated his right to liberty. On February 25, 2025, the court ruled in his favor, determining that Albanian courts had failed to provide sufficient and specific reasons to justify his prolonged pre-trial detention. The judges found that while there was reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing, the courts did not demonstrate why alternative, less restrictive measures were not considered. The ruling emphasized that Gëllçi’s detention should have been reassessed in light of the case’s progress. The ECHR ordered the Albanian government to pay Gëllçi €500 in non-pecuniary damages and €5,000 to cover legal costs.

He served as General Director of RTSH from 2016-2021. Thoma Gëllçi’s tenure as Director General of Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) concluded on May 6, 2021, upon the expiration of his contract. The RTSH Steering Council subsequently declared that any actions taken by Gëllçi beyond this date were unauthorized. Following this, Gëllçi handed over his duties to his deputy but contested the termination, filing a lawsuit in the Administrative Court of First Instance to challenge the decision and compel the announcement of a competition for the new director position.

​When Thoma Gëllçi was appointed Director General of Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) on May 6, 2016, concerns arose regarding his political affiliations and potential implications for the broadcaster’s impartiality. Gëllçi had a notable history with the Socialist Party (SP), having served as editor-in-chief of the party’s newspaper, Zëri i Popullit, and as the head of the information department under several SP-led governments. Given RTSH’s mandate as a public service broadcaster, these connections led to apprehensions about its independence and objectivity. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) highlighted such concerns, noting that RTSH’s reliance on state funding and the political backgrounds of its management could affect its impartiality.