After the decisions of the Albanian courts in 1993 Only 3 percent acquitted Contrasting comments from officials and lawyers about this phenomenon After the decisions of the Albanian courts in 1993 Justice, a record number of convictions Only 3 percent acquitted Contrasting comments from officials and lawyers about this phenomenon TIRANË — A record number of convictions in Albania. The issue is not the number of convicted people in relation to the population, but only the defendants who have been declared not guilty. According to statistics from the Ministry of Justice, in 1993 Albanian courts declared only 179 people not guilty out of a total of 5,424 tried. In the previous year, 370 out of 5,757 tried had been “acquitted.” So only 3.3 percent of those tried were able — after the proceedings — to escape punishment from the Albanian courts. Among the figures of the “highest 3 percent in Albanian justice” are the creation of amnesties — and although they are called communist — even though compared with other European countries this is quite low — but also the result of good work by the prosecutor’s office. Meanwhile, lawyers are debating: “It is very difficult, especially for those who have been arrested, to be declared not guilty by the court after proceedings.” According to the statistics, the courts with the fewest acquittals in 1993 — unlike the number of proceedings — were those of Dibra, Kolonjë and Tepelenë (!), while the opposite “record” belonged to Tirana, whose court had issued 29 such decisions. As a curiosity that emerged — Zef Brozi, President of the Court of Cassation, tells “Gazeta Shqiptare” — it was something extraordinary, requiring special analyses also for investigators and prosecutors.” “Further, commenting on the 1993 acquittal figures, Brozi stresses that ‘innocence in the legal sense is just as normal as guilt. So when the judge issues a verdict, he does so to administer justice and not to declare someone guilty or unpunished.’ Meanwhile, lawyers consider it almost impossible for a defendant to come out without fault when their clients have previously been arrested. “There is also an old and mistaken mentality,” says one of them, “that if you are dishonest in the innocence of the process this means that only the one who arrested him should be found innocent. But the innocence of the accused can be uncovered not only during the investigative process, but also during the trial.” Another argument is given on this by Fatos Dervishi, deputy prosecutor of the Republic, who says that the small number of acquittals is also the result of the fact that all accusations made by the Prosecutor’s Office first pass through the Court to assess their legal basis; as Brozi also does, Dervishi states: “This number shows that the Prosecutor’s Office worked very well during 1993 and sent to Court only persons with concrete accusations supported by evidence.” A chain of hypotheses — contradictory statistics — did not comment on the low number of acquittals by the Albanian court, even though the data itself is complete. According to surveys conducted by Gazeta Shqiptare during the past period in Tirana, Shkodër, Vlorë, Gjirokastër and Pogradec on the issue, the vast majority of those questioned state that from the judges. While hope is observed, anxiety also increases. The figures for the 1994 proceedings, whose statistics have not yet been confirmed. (e.l.) Ministry of Justice

TIRANË — The leadership of the General Staff of the Albanian Army changes. From Thursday it will be led by Major General Sheme Kosova. The appointment of the senior Defence official was accompanied by an official ceremony attended by President Berisha, who is also the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, as well as Minister Zhulali i Musaraj. The former Chief of Staff, Major General Ilia Vasho, has meanwhile been assigned a military-diplomatic post. Vasho will be the first Albanian representative in one of NATO’s support structures. He will represent Albania in the “Partnership for Peace” initiative; high praise was expressed by Berisha for the newly appointed senior military officers in their new posts. “I am sure that the presence of Vasho in Brussels will make a concrete contribution to explaining Albania’s integration into the full structures of this organization, both political and military,” Berisha said, later describing Major General Kosova as “an outstanding and dedicated serviceman.” (p.r.)

In the yard of the 37th Department, 37 Pakistanis They were hiding in an old military unit In the yard of the 37th Department, 37 Pakistanis Asian refugees detained in Vlora They were hiding in an old military unit VLORE — The trafficking of clandestine Asians from Vlora to the Italian coast continues. The Vlora police have detained 37 Pakistani citizens, all men, on the grounds of a former military unit. The building where they were sheltering belongs to a person from Kanina, who is now being sought by the police, which suspects his possible involvement in the smuggling of clandestine migrants. The unfortunate Pakistanis are now sleeping in the yard of the Public Order Department, where they have been temporarily sheltered because of the intense heat. This latest case is the second confirmed within a short period of time. The foreigners had been able to pay the police, who had stopped them in a simple apartment in the city. It is clear that Vlora is not a place for these refugees to be sheltered and for pleasure. The big road will go everywhere. A broken and clear one where the winds of recent heat have been the same thing. The high pace of such movements has led not only to the movement of trafficking channels and the exploitation of opportunities from which the illegal “tourists” come. (s. M.) The Pakistanis blocked in Vlora

Complaint VLORE — The Vlora police have detained the 37-year-old A.H., a resident of Vlora. A serious charge now hangs over him: rape. The American citizen G.C., a missionary with the “Peace Corps” and an English teacher at one of the city’s high schools, had previously appeared at the city police station and denounced A.H. as her rapist. The serious act made an impression on public opinion in the city not only because it was the first time news had been given of the rape of a foreign woman, but also because of the courage shown by the American, who, despite the ugly incident, went to the police herself. In many similar cases, raped women prefer to remain silent rather than denounce their attackers. The American woman has also refused any kind of medical assistance from the city doctors. (K.M.)

The new RTSH programs are also preferred Now over 400,000 televisions The new RTSH programs are also preferred The magic of the small screen Now over 400,000 televisions TIRANË — More and more Albanian viewers are being drawn to the magic of the television’s small screen. According to data available at RTV, the current number of television sets in the whole country has reached 400,000. According to data from the Institute of Statistics in Tirana, the television sector has experienced the greatest growth, with 77,000 television sets. The phenomenon is attributed to a number of factors: television channels are now also received through renewed satellite antennas, the quality of Albanian programs has improved, and there is also a relative lack of other alternative leisure activities. RTV has also won back its subscribers. On the 400,000 Albanian screens, in addition to more and more hours, the national television programs are being watched. The most followed remain films and shows. These two types of programs account for approximately 3.5 and 2.5 hours out of a total of 12 hours of broadcasting. The most followed program still remains the latest show of the hour, titled by RTV “Rreth e rrotull për 12 javë”. The other, less-followed programs average: children’s programs 30–45 minutes a day, talks 2.5 hours, sport over 1 hour. (v.bax.)

At the border TIRANË — Another Albanian victim of violence in Greece. Asfshi Berberi, 35, from Patosi, is fighting for his life in a Greek hospital after being mistreated by police forces and suffering serious injuries to his spine and head. Bregu, together with 30 other Albanians, was intercepted while travelling in a van with Greek license plates. To escape the police forces, Bregu and several others jumped from the vehicle. Although found in serious condition — fortunately the vehicle was moving at speed — Bregu was taken to a more serious centre. He was later returned to the Albanian border in a very serious health condition. e. m.

Energy in difficulty TIRANË — A new concern was raised at the latest government meeting. It was the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources himself who presented to the Council of Ministers one of the most worrying problems in his department: the serious financial difficulties created by the widespread non-payment by consumers. Xhaja complained mainly about many public and non-budgetary institutions that for a long time have not paid the price of the electricity they consumed. “We have not yet received payment even for the electricity we exported,” added Minister Xhaja. In his speech he also addressed the problems of calculating electricity bills, which will be sought from those who pay at a very representative level. The government has also tasked the Ministry of Finance with taking further organizational measures to curb this phenomenon, which has begun to become increasingly alarming and worrying. A similar problem had also been found in telephone payments; in some cases, “Telekomi” had even blocked a number of phone lines to 20 officials who had not paid the impulses they used. (p.r.)

TIRANË — They were caught for the first time after abandoning a car on the bank of the river in their area and then robbing the money of a street vendor. — They were caught for the first time after abandoning a car on the bank of the river in their area and then robbing the money of a street vendor, but they ended up very quickly in the police net. Four young men — two of whom had already had previous dealings with justice — were arrested on Thursday in Tirana at the end of a swift police operation. Only a few hours earlier the four had been on the run and, masked in the face, had carried out the robbery. In the homes of two of the arrested men, the police also found unlicensed hunting weapons.

WORLD CUP ’94 “Preparation in the penalty area between Belgium goalkeeper Michel Preud’homme and Saudi player Falatah Diego Maradona process From today the direct knockout rounds Predictions, comments and curiosities On page 3

PARLIAMENT SETS 27 JUNE AS NATIONAL DATE — From now on, 27 June will be marked on the calendar as “Day of the genocide against the Albanians of Chameria,” the Albanian parliament declared yesterday in Tirana. The law was approved by unanimous vote. The proposal — made by a group of parliamentarians from different political parties — was also passed unanimously by all deputies. In the same session, it also approved the draft law “On certain amendments to the law ‘On police lines and forestry service’.” ALBANIA SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH DENMARK ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE LABOUR MARKET — The cooperation agreement between Albania and Denmark for the development of the labour market has been signed in Tirana. This agreement was carried out on the occasion of the one-day visit of Pety Andersen, Denmark’s Minister of Labour. The purpose of Andersen’s meeting in Albania also involved some agreements on the creation of a centre for training development in the field of employment issues. VLORE, ACCIDENTS DUE TO THE LACK OF ROAD SIGNS — The lack of road signs has been the main cause of road accidents on the road to Vlora. According to local specialists from IPSH, 70 percent of these accidents occur because speed limits are not respected. While the situation is worsened by an ever-increasing number of vehicles entering and leaving — the number reaches 5,000 — no measures have yet been taken to install traffic signs. BUKËMEL, HIGH INVESTMENTS FOR INFRASTRUCTURE — Nearly 80 million lek have been allocated to improve infrastructure in the district of Mat. Of this, the largest part will be used for managing torrential waters with 96 wells, while work will also be carried out on several sections of the district bridge. The funds made available for infrastructure investment were also used to improve road works, water supply, and sewerage. The rest of the funds is intended to be invested in maintaining the drainage system and building bridge works.

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RAIUNO RAIDUE RAITRE ITALIA 1 ... Tomorrow in «GAZETA» four pages with all the week’s television programs