An Albanian murderer has posted a TikTok video from his UK prison cell, pleading to be transferred back to his home country so he can be closer to his family and avoid the ‘terrible’ food.
Eugert Merizaj, 32, has frequently shared on social media following his 32-year sentence in May 2022 for the shotgun murder of rival drug dealer Hemawand Ali Hussein.
Using a mobile phone while incarcerated is illegal, yet the guards at HMP Manchester seem unable to prevent him – he has even livestreamed himself playing online games for tokens convertible to cash.
In a recent video, Merizaj accuses UK officials of blocking his transfer to Albania to complete his sentence there.
When asked about his expectations to return home, he said: ‘I have done all the applications. It seems to me that those of us serving life sentences are not moving at all.’
A prisoner transfer agreement between the UK and Albania came into force in May 2023.
This initiative, designed to save taxpayer money, allows the transfer of Albanians serving more than four years in British prisons to finish their sentences in their homeland.
However, it has been dogged by delays and a source at the Albanian Prison Service told the Daily Mail that only ten Albanian prisoners have been transferred so far.
Eugert Merizaj, 32, has been repeatedly posting on social media after being handed a 32-year sentence in May 2022 for the shotgun killing of rival drug dealer Hemawand Ali Hussein
Merizaj first began sharing videos from his prison cell in 2023, and has even shared videos of himself earning tokens by winning online games
In a livestream he filmed earlier this month, Merizaj walked away with tokens worth $55.10 (£40.90) in real money
In an earlier TikTok chat discussing the possibility of being sent back home, Merizaj listed his grievances with the British prison system.
He said: ‘Maybe I won’t have a phone there in an Albanian prison, but I know I can get one. I haven’t seen my family in seven years. I talk to them every day, but I haven’t physically met them.
‘The food in this prison is terrible. You can’t even speak Albanian here – only English. I think… you never know, maybe it’ll be worse in Albania. But the main reason I want to go back is to see my family. That’s what matters most.’
Though it is rarely prosecuted, possession or use of a mobile phone in prison without permission is an offence.
Merizaj first began sharing videos from his prison cell in 2023, and has even shared videos of himself earning tokens by winning online games.
In one he filmed earlier this month, Merizaj walked away with tokens worth $55.10 (£40.90) in real money.
He has also been taking part in TikTok’s ‘Live Matches’, where users film themselves talking to other users for five minutes while asking online spectators for donations.
Merizaj’s social media content suggests he is enjoying a comfortable lifestyle, with a video from his cell at HMP Manchester last year revealing a TV, speaker and games console as well as an array of books in his native language.
Merizaj has posed on Instagram wearing £550 Dolce & Gabbana trainers outside his cell vaping with the caption ‘stronger than ever’ written in Albanian
Merizaj’s social media content suggests he is enjoying a comfortable lifestyle, with a video from his cell at HMP Manchester last year revealing a TV, speaker and games console as well as an array of books in his native language
Though it is rarely prosecuted, possession or use of a mobile phone in prison without permission is an offence
He has also posed on Instagram wearing £550 Dolce & Gabbana trainers outside his cell vaping with the caption ‘stronger than ever’ written in Albanian.
The Government is keen to reduce the number of foreigners in British prisons to relieve the strain on the taxpayer, who pays £40,000 a year for every prison place.
Under its current ‘early removal scheme’, foreign offenders of all nationalities can be deported after serving 50 per cent of their sentence in the UK, but this is set to be brought forward to the 30 per cent point in September.
Anyone deported under the scheme is free upon arrival in their home country and is not required to serve any further jail time there.
There were 1,099 Albanians in prisons in England and Wales last year, making them the largest group of foreign prisoners.
Merizaj was part of a gang who lured cannabis dealer Hemawand Ali Hussein to a house in Hartlepool in 2019 before blasting him with a shotgun.
He was tracked down in Belgium after the killing and extradited to the UK. Three other members of the Albanian gang were jailed for manslaughter.
Jailing him for life in 2022, Mr Justice Lavender accepted Merizaj did not pull the trigger and was not in the house when the killing took place, but said he had been heavily involved in its planning and had bought weapons including an axe.
Prison officers at HMP Manchester appear unable to enforce the rules banning mobile phones
Merizaj was part of a gang who lured cannabis dealer Hemawand Ali Hussein (pictured) to a house in Hartlepool in 2019 before blasting him with a shotgun
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: ‘The majority of returns happen under the Early Removal Scheme rather than Prisoner Transfer Agreement.
‘Prisoner Transfer Agreements are just one way in which we get foreign criminals out of our jails. Since taking office, this Government has deported 4,532 foreign offenders – a 14 percent increase on the previous 12 months.
‘We’re also deploying staff to 80 jails to speed up the removal of prisoners who have no right to be in this country.’
The Home Office declined to comment. TikTok has been contacted for comment.
