Gazetat — Albanian Newspaper Archive

Dictatorship, the final act

JUSTICE The investigation into the former President and 9 senior officials of the regime is closed. Also Çarçani, Myftiu, Isai, Stefani and Marko. A history of abuses and killings. Dictatorship, the final act Alia’s empire ends up in court EDMOND LAÇI TIRANA — The cycle of investigations into the bloc men and the highest state officials of the party that had governed during the years of the communist dictatorship in Albania is now definitively closed. This time, only 10 people are facing charges from the Albanian judiciary, among them former President Ramiz Alia. Although most of the investigations are being carried out in absentia, after the departure from Albania, the names involved are among the best known of the former regime. Former president Alia as he enters the Court Thus, after hypotheses, press accusations and many contradictory statements, the official names — former Chairman of the Presidium of the People’s Assembly and First Secretary of the Central Committee of the PPSH, former President of the Republic at the end of his term, Ramiz Alia; former Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Adil Çarçani; former deputy prime minister and Minister of the Interior, Hekuran Isai; former deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Defence, Simon Stefani; former Prosecutor General of the Republic, Rrapi Mino; former deputy Minister of the Interior, Zylyftar Ramizi; former deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Veiz Hado; former secretary of the Central Committee for the Organs of Dictatorship, Pali Miska; former secretary of the Central Committee for Ideology, Foto Çami; and former Politburo member and Minister of Industry, Rita Marko[?], will answer before the court. In addition to the previous accusations of abuse of office and misuse of state funds, the latest investigations have added charges of murder, internment, persecution and human rights violations. According to the investigation file, a large part of the acts are linked to well-known events from the last years of the dictatorship, including border killings, political punishments and the use of state violence against opponents. Sarandë district. Although they have been charged with the same crime — “abuse of office, in cooperation” — with the consequences it caused, the Prosecutor’s Office has singled out: Zylyftar Ramizi for “the unlawful violation of citizens’ fundamental freedoms and rights to the detriment of persons”, while Veiz Hado is charged for “arbitrary acts on his part as a state official” and for “capturing or killing at the border”. According to the Prosecutor’s Office, which had prepared the indictment — now completed at the Tirana Court — Alia and the others had acted “deliberately, in complete contradiction with constitutional legal norms, with the laws and other subordinate acts, which had been in force at the time”. The Prosecutor’s final document mentions cases of the execution of 22 innocent people in 1952, the internment and expulsion of people in violation of the then Constitution, cases of violence, torture and intimidation by the state police, and arrests without a court order. Sarandë district. Although they have been charged with the same crime [?]. In the Kakavijë and Sarandë area, border control has caused numerous victims and repressive measures against residents and people who tried to cross the border. Within this framework, the regime’s top leaders are accused of direct or indirect responsibility in the command chain of the state and party apparatus.

Tirana: “Another border violation from Greece”

A military vessel enters the waters of Sarandë. Near Kakavijë, the Greeks observe movements in Albanian territory TIRANA — The situation on the Albanian-Greek border continues to be tense. Sources from the Albanian Ministry of Defence have reported a series of border incidents caused — according to these sources — by the Greek armed forces. Among other things, they mention intense border movements “in search and provocation” beyond and opposite the border line in the Sarandë sector. The Albanian Ministry of Defence has denounced a violation regarded as “a serious incident” that took place in the waters of Sarandë, where a Greek naval vessel entered Albanian waters and remained for some time near the coast. After that, a discussion took place between the two ships — Greek and Albanian — via radio link, after which the Greek vessel left. The ministry’s Albanian sources stressed that it was a military ship sailing without warning in Albanian waters. After this episode, two other incidents are also reported near Kakavijë, where Greek soldiers used cameras to observe movements in Albanian territory. According to the same sources, they repeatedly approached the border line and monitored Albanian posts. The Albanians are asking the relevant Greek border authorities to prevent and not allow such military actions, which fuel and increase tension on the state border. The Republic of Albania and Greece are further worsening interstate relations that could lead to serious consequences. On Friday, the Albanian response also arrived to a Greek proposal to set up a joint committee of experts to investigate the 11 April incident. In a statement, the Albanian government did not accept the Greek proposal. “The assessment of the incident should be carried out by an impartial committee set up by the European Union and the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe,” said the Albanian government statement. Ferry to Greece at the port of Sarandë

From ITJ: “We are leaving, but only for a while”

TIRANA — “The closure of the Italian trade office of ITJ (Institute of Foreign Trade) will not be definitive and will make it possible for it to last as little as possible,” Giorgio Ruta, head of the Italian Institute of Foreign Trade, who had up to yesterday been in charge of suspending activities in Tirana, explained to Gazzetta Shqiptare that the problem “is the activation of contributions for Italian technical experts, an issue that must be solved on an ongoing basis.” For all this — he explained — “study and implementation must be carried out.”

The mystery of 2 April returns

Wanted former policeman arrested Shkodër, investigations into the 1991 massacre continue SHKODËR — The case of the tragedy of 2 April 1991 in Shkodër, where 4 martyrs of democracy were killed, is once again back on the scene. The Public Order Police Commissioner has managed to arrest Nik Pjoka, one of the policemen present at the operation, who had been wanted for some time. According to the police, the suspicions are linked to the use of firearms during the events and to the subsequent concealment. The charge against him is “failure to report a crime” and “acts that hinder the discovery of the truth”. Another unresolved file from the early years of pluralism thus reappears. The first trial over the incident had been considered incomplete, while the victims’ families and public opinion had long demanded a full clarification of the roles of the police and other state structures. p.r.

Lezhë, 800 hectares of land flooded

First reports on the bad weather LEZHE — The effects of the torrential rains that fell on Saturday afternoon in the Lezhë district were clearly felt. The main damage was caused by the flooding of a considerable area of land planted with wheat. According to the preliminary assessment verified when the weather cleared, around eight hundred hectares of land in the district’s plains are under water. The flooding also caused difficulties in the villages of the area, where drainage canals and bridges were partially damaged. For several hours, movement on secondary roads became difficult, while residents were forced to intervene to save livestock and food reserves. No human casualties are reported from the preliminary data, but the material damage is considered significant. Local authorities have begun a full assessment of the consequences.

ABROAD

Serbs hit a French plane Bosnia, tensions with the UN escalate ON PAGE 2 The monthly funding amount ranges from 700 to 150 lekë Here is how heating is compensated ON PAGE 3

YESTERDAY IN ALBANIA

IN SARANDË 6 YEARS’ DEPRIVATION OF LIBERTY FOR THE AUTHOR OF THE BURNING OF OLIVE TREES — Six years’ imprisonment was the penalty imposed by the District Court of Sarandë on Kristofor Munglln. The charge for which Mungll — 34 years old — was tried was the burning of part of an olive plantation in Vollodë, where he set a fire. As it emerged during the trial, the damage caused by the fire amounted to 3 million lekë. THE SEMINAR ON THE “LAW OF NOTARIES” ENDS IN TIRANA — The seminar on the “New Notary Law” has ended in Tirana. This seminar was organized by the Ministry of Justice in cooperation with several specialized foreign institutions, and carried out its work for 4 consecutive days. It mainly focused on procurement and notarial procedures and the new application in the conditions of a market economy. SUCCESSFUL CONCERT IN KORÇË BY PIANIST KOSTA VRAME — The Korçë pianist Kosta Vrame, laureate in many competitions, gave a recital with selected pieces by well-known classical authors, Liszt, Debussy and Verdi. The concert was also attended by the city’s society and many art lovers. THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY AGREEMENTS ARE SET FOR ALBANIAN SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSMEN — The European Community has allocated 4.5 million ECU within the Phare program framework for medium-sized business. This sum will go to a part of Albanian businesses. European experts are working on the finalization of this initiative.