Heavy fines and seizures for the parents responsible TIRANA — Parents should now think carefully before failing to send their children to school. A new government decision sets out severe measures, much harsher than those stipulated in the “Law on Education” of 1991, which had failed to solve the problem, an increasingly worrying one, especially in the country’s rural areas. The new penalties for parents “indifferent” to their children’s education include, first of all, an increase in the fine they must pay — the exact amount has not yet been set, but it is thought to be several thousand new lekë. The authorities empowered to impose the fine and to seize property in the event of refusal to pay the penalty are the state authorities. The new decision — which will be implemented in the form of a presidential decree — concerns children aged up to 16 who are absent without justification or drop out of school altogether. The fine imposed in such cases is graduated: it applies when a child is absent from 50 percent of classes over a period of about two months, and in cases of dropping out when the child misses more than half the classes they should have attended during the same period. Now, unlike under the old law, the fine will be imposed by the highest education authority in the district: the Director of the Education Directorate. The school principal — who could only submit a proposal, which few took into account — will now merely make the relevant recommendation. Heavy fines are also envisaged for school administrators or private employers who hire minors within the age range covered by this law. If it is established that any of them has done so, they will be fined heavily by the labor inspector; the amounts have not yet been fully determined. But something else seems likely to have a greater effect than the fine itself. One of the new provisions of this law — perhaps the most important — is the right granted to state authorities to seize an item used in the household if the fine is not paid. A deadline is set for payment; otherwise, the authorities will wait up to a month, while increasing the sum due by a certain percentage depending on the number of days overdue. After that, seizure will be carried out on a scale that is sure to make many people “regret” it. Perhaps only in this way will thousands of children throughout the country no longer be arbitrarily deprived by their parents of their fundamental human right: the right to an education.

Risk of collapses in Tirana and Gjirokastër TIRANA — Homes are at risk of collapsing in several areas of Albania. Now, as summer ends and the rainy season approaches, the problem is becoming increasingly acute, and measures to deal with the situation are clearly necessary. The first warning comes from the village of Sharrë in the Tirana district, where a group of houses built by villagers are at risk of collapsing because of landslides. This phenomenon in the area has greatly alarmed residents. They say that in these conditions they can neither put up new buildings and homes nor repair the existing ones. The same concern has also arisen in Gjirokastër, where specialists see a risk that a group of homes in one of the city’s neighborhoods may collapse. A few months ago, six other houses had fallen victim to landslides caused by the heavy rains and by crooked tunnels built by construction workers years earlier. As a result, the families who lived in them were left homeless and remain so to this day. The fund of 5 million lekë in loans, allocated by the Government at the Municipality’s request for 94 other families affected by natural disasters, has still not been disbursed. ... Excerpts from the notes heard only the indictment — especially those of foreign [journalists] — to write true stories on their blogs, confirmed by the defendants themselves. [cut off] Albania, ultimately forcing the journalists who had heard only the indictment — especially the foreign ones — defendants themselves. A fund of 5 million lekë in loans, allocated for 3 families affected by natural disasters by the Government at the Municipality’s request, as well as not been disbursed. ... which, several times, [unclear] ... [cut off] ... met with her counterpart in ... [cut off] ... in Rome, and now there can be no question of a farcical trial, as the journalist tries to suggest, as the Greek prime minister, Papandreu, had said on Sunday. Edmond Laçi ... to silence sounds not of hatred, but of joy. That very night, the wedding guests celebrated the marriage of an Orthodox girl to a Muslim young man. (Ra. Ko.)

“Athens helped us on March 22” TRIAL / The five defendants explain themselves before the judges Three defendants during the trial: on the left, Vangjel Papakristo; in the middle, Theodhori Bezhani; and on the right, Panajot Marto. (Photo A. Babani) TIRANA — The protagonists’ account before the judges begins, alongside the reasonable politicization of the “Omonia” case. Following the diplomatic tension between Tirana and Athens, as well as the physical confrontation outside the Tirana Court on the eve of the trial, the five “Omonia” figures begin to make statements. The meeting of the leading “Omonia” figures with the Head of Asfalise, Andrea Zaggabolo; a lottery ticket worth 60 million drachmas — provided by the Greek state in Janina for Sotiq Qirjazati — as well as other favors given by Athens and Sebastianos for two election campaigns that “Omonia” had held in Albania, finally compel journalists who had heard only the indictment — especially foreign ones — to write down in their notebooks stories that are true and confirmed by the defendants themselves. Only a few hours earlier, news reports had also referred to hypotheses of a “staged trial.” The case of the five “Omonia” figures is thus entering a genuine trial; they are ultimately accused of “giving information of a military nature and other secret information to foreign agencies, as well as three years — for carrying weapons without a permit.” In fact, the “trial” of the members of the minority, Papakristo, Bezhani, Qirjako, Mato and Sirmo, had begun after their arrest on April 21 of this year. Even senior Greek diplomacy fell into this error, exchanging sharp retorts several times with its counterpart in Tirana, until, on the eve of the trial, news agencies circulated the claim that “Greece could condition the independence of the five ‘Omonia’ figures through drastic actions against Albanians and Albania.” The second day of the trial — when the defendants began to explain themselves regarding the charges — also offered the first serious opportunity for politicians to leave the task of judging to the judges themselves. After the defendants and their defense lawyers gave their accounts — beginning at Tuesday’s hearing — the arrival of witnesses and the presentation of other materials and evidence available to the prosecution are also eagerly awaited. In particular, the mystery has now begun to be cleared up, and there can be no question of a “farce of a trial,”

In the south too GJIROKASTËR — This time, the word does not heed politics. The feast of Saint Mary was celebrated normally by Orthodox believers in the south as well, although the press — especially the Greek press — had speculated otherwise, perhaps also because August 15 this year coincided with the opening of the trial against the five “Omonia” figures. The religious rites commemorating the death of Christ’s mother filled all the churches, as they had a year earlier, from Derviçan in Gjirokastër to Dhrovjan, Musj and Livadhja in Sarandë. Meanwhile, in Rrips — a place near the border by Sarandë — the traditional gathering between residents from the two sides of the border took place. The only “intervention” by the police on the eve of the feast took place on Sunday evening at the Hotel “Butrinti,” but this time it was not to silence sounds of hatred, but sounds (Ra. Ko.)

DURRËS, WINNER OF THE TENDER FOR HOUSING AT THE CITY ENTRANCE ANNOUNCED — The winner of the tender organized by the Municipality of Durrës to build a large apartment complex at the entrance to the city has now been announced. Of the four competing companies, the project submitted by “2GTS,” a joint Italian-Albanian company, won. Under its project, seven- to eight-story apartment blocks are planned on an area of 70 hectares, providing housing for around 50,000 residents. KORÇË, NEW COPPER RESERVES DISCOVERED — Reserves of copper ore have been discovered at a new deposit in the Korçë area. In addition to being abundant, the copper from these deposits is of high quality. It is among the factors that make it a rare-quality resource throughout the country. LAÇ, NEW SOFT DRINK PRODUCTION LINE — A new soft-drink production line has now begun operating in the city of Laç. This line — with a modest capacity — can manufacture drinks with different essences. During the winter, it is expected to switch to producing alcoholic beverages. MAT, 3.5 MILLION LEKË FOR ROAD CONSTRUCTION — 3.5 million lekë have been allocated by the Rural Development Fund for the construction of roads for motor vehicles. The entire fund will go to the area of Gурbujtës.

INSIDE International terrorist Carlos arrested Handed over to France by Sudan ON PAGE 2

Elbasan Proceedings begin against a rapist ELBASAN — An unusual trial has begun in Elbasan in recent days. In the dock is 40-year-old E.M., accused of inflicting sexual and physical violence on a 30-year-old woman. It seems that in E.M.’s case—we are dealing with a man who has also been convicted once before for another such act—we are dealing with a sexual maniac. After raping his victim, the accused tortured her with a hard object to her sexual organ, causing her irreparable injuries. The prosecution has requested the maximum sentence. (M. K.)

The Prosecutor’s Office has opened proceedings TIRANA — Former public-order employee Pellumb Malaj, who had been talked about for days, even in the press, has been detained—this time for real. Detained on Monday evening by Police Station 3, Malaj, 33, was charged by the Prosecutor’s Office just a few hours later: “possession of a weapon without a permit.” The weapon in question was his own, issued to him while he served in various units of the Ministry of Public Order and in the service sector of Prime Minister Meksi. Although the charge concerns this weapon, investigators have verified that Malaj—already dismissed from his job for “improper conduct”—had still not handed it in. Malaj’s career in the public-order authorities ended at Police Station 4 in the capital, where he had worked in traffic.

Accused of murder VLORA — Another hunger strike in Vlora, but this time it has nothing to do with the protest by former political prisoners. Its protagonist is 26-year-old A.M., who for several days has refused the food offered to him in one of the cells at the Vlora police station, where he is being held under arrest. Now his health has deteriorated, and doctors have recommended that he be admitted to the hospital’s intensive-care unit, where his room is guarded day and night by armed police officers. A.M. is suspected of possibly murdering a person while he was in Greece. The investigation has lasted seven months, something that A.M. apparently can no longer bear, and he has decided to protest by the means he chose himself: a hunger strike. (S. M.)

REALITY IN ITALICS ELBASAN — A volley of shots, a cow fatally struck, and two mules set in motion are now more common than [unclear] lost the only wealth he had, the cow, and the other had [unclear]. The cow, victim of a misunderstanding. ELBASAN — A volley of shots, a cow fatally struck, and two mules set in motion are now more common than [unclear] lost the only wealth he had, the cow, and the other had [unclear]. These are elements of a tragic story that happened a few days ago in P... [unclear section] ... in Elbasan. Just a few days earlier, such an incident had occurred in a nearby village. A cow lost its life and ... [unclear section] ... The story of the cow that was killed, with ... [unclear section] ... “Majorka” had happened ... [unclear section] ... ... [unclear] ... “I mistook him for someone who was stealing my corn,” the repentant farmer later said, but it was too late. The owner of the mother [cow] has put forward a claim that has made the c... [cut off section] ... In the first person: “The cow was the only property I had; I would ruin it with one [unclear] ...” [unclear section] ... It is precisely this last element that has made the owner’s sentence heavier, but also the guilt of the fir... [unclear section] ... Now the case is before the justice system, which will have to decide how to resolve this dispute between the two villagers. But even now, the villagers ... [unclear section] ... misunderstanding. In a sense ... [unclear section] ... Mentor Kikina Cow in photograph

Prices of the week from the Ministry of Agriculture ON PAGE 3