Albanian police have brought criminal charges against 17 people following clashes between protesters and private security personnel at a disputed coastal development site near the village of Zvërnec, an ecologically sensitive area on the Adriatic coast that has attracted international investor interest.

The confrontation erupted on May 30 in the Portonova area, north of the southern city of Vlora, where local residents and activists gathered to oppose a large tourism project being developed by private company Zvërnec South Adriatic Development.

Permits issued to the company are reportedly linked to a development announced by US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who outlined plans to build a major new resort in Albania in 2024, according to Reporter.al. 

The Albanian Ornithological Society, which has raised objections to development of nearby Sazan Island by Affinity Partners, has also linked the  Zvërnec South Adriatic Development to Kushner’s company. 

According to the Vlora Police Directorate, authorities had been informed in advance of the demonstration and had deployed officers to maintain public order and protect private property.

Police said tensions escalated when a group of protesters attempted to breach a fence surrounding the construction site. During the incident, a protester was taken inside the site's perimeter by employees of a private security company and escorted to an area used by guards.

"During the escort by employees of the private security company, citizen ES suffered bodily injuries," police said in a statement.

Authorities said officers intervened and removed the man from the site. He later filed a complaint against two security employees, who have since been criminally prosecuted. Police also launched proceedings against 15 protesters on suspicion of offences including property damage, participation in illegal gatherings and minor intentional injury.

Activists and residents presented a sharply different account of events. Lëvizja Bashkë (Together Movement), a leftwing political activist group that joined the protest, alleged that demonstrators were intimidated by "black-clad civilians, some with masked eyes" and claimed that one of the protest's organisers had been forcibly detained.

"Following the resistance and pressure from the protesters, the unidentified bandits were forced to release the citizen," the movement said in a statement, accusing authorities of failing to intervene quickly.

The dispute centres on a planned tourism development in an area known for its natural and historical significance. Zvërnec is home to a protected lagoon, pine forests and the 13th-century St. Mary's Monastery, while nearby Sazan Island is a former military base renowned for its largely untouched coastline.

The area drew international attention earlier this year when Ivanka Trump and her husband Kushner, whose investment interests have been linked to tourism projects in Albania, visited the region alongside businesspeople and architects.

In a statement issued after the May 30 unrest, Zvërnec South Adriatic Development defended the project and said the fenced land was privately owned.

The company described the initiative as "one of the largest investments in the field of tourism in the Mediterranean Sea" and said it was expected to exceed €4bn, according to the statement published by Vox Albania. 

"The investment will directly and indirectly create over 10,000 new jobs," the company said, adding that it could contribute between 3% and 4% of Albania's gross domestic product within five years.

The developer also rejected criticism from opponents, saying all land acquisitions had been completed legally and that environmental studies were being conducted by international experts.

Residents opposing the project argue that the development threatens both local property rights and the area's fragile ecosystem. The competing claims are likely to intensify scrutiny of one of Albania's most ambitious tourism investments as legal proceedings continue.