U.S. Civil Society Groups’ Declaration of Solidarity with Albanian Citizens Advocating for the Rule of Law and Democratic Values

We are American organizations and international allied groups united in our commitment to core principles of democracy and rule of law: that public office is a public trust, and that the law applies equally to everyone. No one—however wealthy or well-connected—is entitled to bypass the laws and institutions of a free people. Across borders, these principles are interdependent. For instance, international business transactions that evade rule of law and democratic institutions in one country normalize corruption, corrode democracy, and promote political and economic instability in others and around the world. Conversely, adhering to democratically enacted laws and public integrity in one place strengthens standards in other places.

Successfully defending these democratic principles anywhere requires international solidarity, which is why we stand with the citizens of Albania who, since early June, have been protesting against US$4.6 billion luxury tourism development plans backed by Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, U.S. President Trump’s son-in-law and daughter. Protestors claim that the plans are unlawful, lack transparency, and threaten nationally significant and environmentally protected areas such as Sazan Island and Vjosa-Narta Lagoon. “Albania is not for sale,” they declare.¹

The “Flamingo Revolution” (as the Albanians’ protests are known)² spotlights a worsening global challenge in which transnational, unaccountable wealth undermines public interests, equal rights, and democratic legitimacy. Certain members and associates of the Trump family, including Mr. Kushner, are emblematic of this challenge. In Albania and beyond, they appear to disregard government ethics and pursue private gain with limited to no accountability, improperly enmeshing their financial interests in sensitive global security issues.³ For these reasons, Affinity Partners—Mr. Kushner’s private equity fund involved in the Albania deal—has been under U.S. Congressional scrutiny since 2022 for potential ethics and disclosure violations.⁴ Mr. Kushner holds a high-profile public role as a White House adviser, yet through Affinity Partners, he retains business ties with Gulf States and others, in obvious conflict with American and international interests in the Middle East, and compromising negotiations with Ukraine.⁵

The American political system under the current administration has thus far failed to ensure public accountability regarding the activities of U.S. officials and business leaders such as Mr. Kushner. This weakness has in turn escalated legal and political confrontation in Albania. Yet Albanian citizens recognize that the ethical, legal, and political challenges clouding Mr. Kushner’s business practices undermine any deal made in the interest of domestic economic development. Their demands for democratic accountability from their government in turn support rule of law and transparency within the U.S. Government, including ongoing calls in the U.S. to investigate Mr. Kushner’s conflicts of interest and potential legal violations, among those of other officials.⁶

Global markets are not free when individuals with close ties to government—ours or anyone else’s—appear to leverage political connections to secure deals that skirt legal processes, evade public scrutiny, and override the voices of affected citizens. Concentrated wealth wielded in this way poses risks to the environment, the rule of law, and democracy worldwide. In this form of crony capitalism, there are only losers, including the dealmakers who will eventually have to face justice under the nonpartisan rule of law.

Public demands for reversing these trends are thus interconnected, requiring solidarity across borders.⁷ Accordingly,

Organized by

DRG-RAD International Solidarity Working Group

Endorsed by

• #UnifyUSA
• Democracy Renewal Group (DRG)
• Federal Workers Alliance for Democracy (FWAD)
• American Kleptocracy Clearinghouse

To add your organization to the declaration, please use the sign-on link or contact DRG at info@democracyrenewal.org.

Sources and notes

1. Maira Butt, “Inside Sazan Island: The Albanian Ex-Military Base that Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner Want to Turn into a Luxury Resort,” The Independent, June 4, 2026. Sazan Island has structures left over from a Cold War military base, as well as 3,600 nuclear bunkers. Ibid.

2. Elias Camhaji, “The Flamingo Revolution Rises up against the Trump Family’s Megaprojects in Albania: ‘Our Country Is Not for Sale!’,” El País, June 15, 2026. The protests emerge against a backdrop of ongoing political and legal contestation regarding corruption and democratic backsliding in Albania. See, e.g., CIVICUS Staff, “Albania: ‘Corruption Is a Serious Problem, but No Political Force Commands Enough Public Trust to Unite Demands’,” CIVICUS Lens, February 13, 2026; Juljan Myftari, “Fading Freedoms: Democratic Decline in Albania,” Democratization 32(2), 2025, 495–512.

3. Letter from U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of House Committee on the Judiciary, to Mr. Jared Kushner, April 16, 2026, pages 2–4; Andrea Bernstein, “Jared Kushner’s Mysterious Role in the Trump Administration,” The Atlantic, April 15, 2026; Casey Michel, “They Went to Jared,” Mother Jones, July–August 2026.

4. Kate Kelly and David D. Kirkpatrick, “House Panel Investigating Jared Kushner Over Saudi Investment in New Firm,” The New York Times, June 20, 2022. See also, e.g., letter from Senate Finance Committee Chairman Wyden to Affinity Partners, September 24, 2024, page 2 (noting that terms of Affinity Partners’ agreements with foreign clients “create conflicts of interest with members of a Presidential family that are unprecedented in size and scope”); letter from U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Committee on the Judiciary, to Mr. Jared Kushner, April 16, 2026.

5. Letter from U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin to Mr. Jared Kushner, April 16, 2026, pages 2–4; Casey Michel, “They Went to Jared,” Mother Jones, July–August 2026; Andrea Bernstein, “Jared Kushner’s Mysterious Role in the Trump Administration,” The Atlantic, April 15, 2026.

6. “Democracy Defenders Fund Demands Investigation into Appointment of Jared Kushner as Special Envoy for Peace,” Democracy Defenders Fund, March 3, 2026; letter from U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin to Mr. Jared Kushner, April 16, 2026, pages 2–4.

7. See, e.g., Elleonora Elena, “CAN Europe Statement: We Stand with the People of Albania and the Vjosa Narta Wetland,” Climate Action Network Europe, June 8, 2026; “Open Letter to the Academic Community in Support of Civic Protests in Albania for Environmental Protection, the Rule of Law, and Democracy,” June 2026.