A moving testimony for the Gazette ELBASAN — Excavations have been under way for three days in the fields of Cermënikë, in search of the 129 Italian carabinieri massacred by Mehmet Shehu’s men in 1943. A commission from the “Onor Caduti” office of the Italian Ministry of Defence, led by Major Ciro Cantore, is carrying out a series of excavations, trying to locate the mass grave in which the carabinieri of the “Gamucci” group were buried. They were killed by a firing squad so their uniforms could be stolen. The former partisan commander Kadri Hoxha recounted the event and himself called it “cruel and unlawful”. “The carabinieri had surrendered,” Hoxha said, “and for that reason the partisans should have protected them, not massacred them.” But despite the many testimonies collected, the mass grave has still not been found. Relations between the Italian soldiers who remained in Albania after the armistice and the Albanian people, however, have always been marked—with a few exceptions—by great honesty. Thus, Albanian citizens’ accounts continue to be collected; their purpose, through their reports, is to find the bodies of Italian soldiers buried here, far from their homeland. The latest testimony given to the Gazette is that of two doctors, Enver Lleshi and Ferdin and Xhelili, who know of the tragic fate of an Italian soldier in late 1943. The witnesses cannot tell us his name, but offer only a general description: “He was about 30 years old and had chestnut-coloured hair.” The incident they recounted took place in the village of Gjurale, near Elbasan. The soldier, who was fighting alongside the Albanian partisans, was shot after stealing a horse and some soap for a family with whom he had been a guest for one night. His body is still there, buried beneath a tree, and its location is known to “Onor Caduti”. The “Onor Caduti” commission found—in villages near Tepelenë—four other bodies of Italian soldiers who died in Albania during the Second World War. ... a separation between the premises for juvenile detainees and those ... The Albanian Helsinki Committee, in a report released recently, drew attention to the need for greater care ... ... Albanians in the wake of the recent transformations. An appeal for ... Albania to be great — devoted with the same attention ... to improve, otherwise we will continue to suffer under the burden of the problems piled on our backs.

Overcrowding, hygiene, old facilities Director General of Prisons: “Someone must intervene” Prisons | Prisoners | Main age groups 18–25 years | 26–30 years | 31–35 years LEZHA 250 99 65 31 LUSHNJA 130 70 27 20 KAVAJA 220 94 40 24 TEPELENA 30 — — — TIRANA 1 120 35 25 12 TIRANA 2 130 47 30 24 SARANDA 120 59 30 24 FATOS BAXHAKU TIRANA — It is a journey into the particular world of Albanian prisons. A reality now in a state of emergency. The Director General of Prisons, Bardhyl Lleshi, voices his concern today with an appeal: “Someone must intervene.” At present, around 1,000 prisoners are serving their sentences in the country’s eight prisons—not counting 400 people detained by the police—and they are living in difficult economic and humanitarian conditions. Most are young, between 18 and 35 years old. Separating the facilities for juvenile prisoners from those for older inmates is impossible. The prisons are severely overcrowded, and almost every new prisoner presents a problem in their own right. In 1992 there were also 18 sentenced women in Albania, housed in a separate unit of Tirana Prison. The ratio of prison staff to prisoners is 7 to 10. Like all the other institutions, and perhaps more than most, the Albanian prison system is in an extremely difficult state: old buildings, without even the most basic sanitation and security systems; facilities unable to cope with the growing number of prisoners, in most cases located far from the cities and connected to them by unpaved roads. This was the state of Albania’s eight prisons on the eve of the recent transformations. An appeal by the Albanian Helsinki Committee, read recently, called for greater concern in a democratic society for improving prisoners’ living conditions. The DAB (Directorate for Prison Administration) is now operating within the Ministry of Public Order and is trying to put things in order amid the tangled maze of numerous problems. The directorate will soon be transferred to the Ministry of Justice, as in most European countries. On the eve of this transfer, DAB Director Lieutenant Colonel Bardhyl Lleshi tells the Gazette of his deep concern about the situation, which remains dire. “The prison problem is one that society as a whole must pay greater attention to,” he says. “It cannot be solved simply by transferring administrative responsibility from one ministry to another. The question is whether the DAB is capable of solving certain problems that are becoming increasingly urgent.” Deeply concerned, the DAB has sent a letter to the highest institutions, including the Presidency, requesting that several measures be taken as soon as possible: restructuring and increasing the DAB’s staffing levels; structural renovations to the prisons; providing new capacity; moving the Kavaja and Lushnja prisons closer to the cities; and abolishing the commission “For the verification of sentence duration” and the commission “For finding the remains of those executed by the dictatorship.” “If these requests are granted,” Lieutenant Colonel Lleshi says, “then we believe many things will improve; otherwise we will continue to suffer under the weight of the problems that have piled up on our backs.”

REPAIR WORK TO BE CARRIED OUT ON THE ALBANIAN-YUGOSLAV BORDER — The Albanian government has also recently decided to begin work repairing the damaged pyramids and other border markers along the border between Albania and Yugoslavia. The decision was taken following a proposal made in Tirana in April, during a meeting of a joint commission. The Albanian authorities also stated that in various sectors the border had been crossed inaccurately, a claim the Yugoslav side calls nonexistent. This border was defined in the document of the International Commission in 1922 and 1925, as well as in an agreement signed between the two governments — between and December 1923. — SKËNDER GJINUSHI AGAIN REPEATS THE PARLIAMENTARY BOYCOTT OVER THE CONSTITUTION — The press conference organized by PSD chairman Skënder Gjinushi once again announced the party’s decision. “We will not take part in the plenary session, as provided for by law, in Parliament. The Constitution defined by the commission appointed ...” After this statement, Gjinushi said that the government had become a shield for one part of the Social Democratic Party and that a parliamentary crisis had been created, but “for it” to take up the position of work, Parliament is ... [part illegible/cut off]

KRUJË — Two police officers quarrelled with each other, as a result of which one was wounded by a gunshot and the other is being held by the Public Order Department of the city of Krujë. The incident took place in the village of Derven, where the two policemen were on duty. Gjin Shohta was wounded, while Mark Kol Koleci, 31, was detained. “The incident happened as a result of a trivial quarrel between them,” Myzafer Zaloshnja, chief of the Krujë Police, told the Gazette. “It is very possible,” Sabri Vata, the duty officer, specified, “that Mark Koleci will be placed under arrest.”

His condition continues to worsen TIRANA — (Ed. La) — The health of ATSH journalist Fatmir Elezi, who was struck several days ago by a person who has yet to be identified, remains very serious and his prognosis is hopeless. The incident was reported to the police for the first time yesterday, and their investigators are working intensively to identify the person who may have struck the journalist on Saturday evening, very close to the building of the Presidency of the Republic. It was police officers and investigators themselves who—following an appeal by the Presidium of the Albanian Journalists’ Association—went to ATSH to take the report. “Although the incident is serious,” says Azem Duraku, chief of Police Region No. 2, “it was an isolated incident and should not be prejudged.” The investigation is now very difficult to pursue, since, as the investigator in the case also explains, “the matter was made public without the incident having been reported to the police.” Fatmir Elezi, director of foreign news at ATSH and father of two children, remains in critical condition in the neurosurgery ward of Tirana Civil Hospital.

Many valuable icons and books went up in flames GJIROKASTËR — A lightning bolt struck the protected and approved Church of Goranxi at around 23:00, as a result of which it was completely destroyed by fire. This church had only recently been built, and its burning also caused other major losses, including valuable icons and books. The burning of the church has deeply affected the faithful in the Dropull area. All the more so because some of them had worked to build this church. Many Orthodox believers gathered in the village near it and made considerable efforts after the natural discharge, but the structure—which was lightly built—could not withstand the flames. Following the authorization of this church, the Autocephalous Orthodox Church has often expressed its concern over the lack of places of worship. Therefore, to come to the faithful’s aid as quickly as possible, the Church had provided, in record time, religious objects for the construction of the church in Goranxi, its restoration, and many books and other valuable religious objects that the faithful had kept for years during the communist regime.

EDMOND HABERI From what was discussed in previous articles concerning marine protected areas, it is clear that their function and the ways in which they are organized differ according to the purpose for which they were established. They play a special role in ensuring a living space for one or more species at risk of extinction, in protecting communities of particular interest and their breeding grounds, and in providing the time needed for reproduction in areas where fishing is intensive. Establishing these important centers does not require major investments or expensive equipment and technology. The establishment of marine parks and reserves in Albania, similar to those in other countries, is entirely feasible. It would be good for them to include at least two areas of representative value, one on the Adriatic coast and the other on the Ionian coast, so that at least two of the most characteristic marine environments of our coastline could be preserved intact. This would be of interest not only nationally but also internationally, bearing in mind that the marine currents entering from Ma[?] and dissipating in the Adriatic through the eastern part of the Strait of Otranto pass through our waters and continue circulating counterclockwise along the coastline. In this way, our waters and coast serve as a passageway for many organi[?]ms, which then spread throughout the Adriatic. Marine parks and reserves thus represent a national asset because of the natural values they contain. In addition, they can also become an economic alternative benefiting the populations of the surrounding areas. Experience in other countries has shown that communities located near them have seen average incomes rise because they are visited more often by tourists passionate about nature. As this overview of the value of marine protected areas shows, marine parks and reserves contribute indirectly to improving biological stocks by playing a role in creating breeding areas for many species of organisms, which can then spread into the waters of other areas where they have disappeared as a result of various negative factors. Marine protected areas established in the interests of fishing, for the creation of specific facilities to farm species of particular economic importance in the sea, play a direct role in improving and significantly increasing these stocks. Of course, given the area they occupy, the creation of marine protected areas must be harmonized with socio-economic interests through rational coastal planning—a kind of planning that characterizes many developed countries. Life and the Environment

Good Year in Albania

Died in Albania In Albania, Good Year His condition continues to worsen Inside

TIRANA — “Good Year” has arrived in Tirana too. The company “Albtenca”, whose Albanian president Agim Xhixha has secured the “Good Year” exclusive distributorship, has now begun operations. The famous tire products, imported from the USA, are sold at prices comparable to those of other brands currently on the market, but come with a guaranteed mileage of 80,000 kilometers—a guarantee that “Good Year” has managed to achieve to date.

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