Politicians and jurists answer the question: Can life be taken in the name of Justice? Is the death penalty coming back? The right supports capital punishment, the left hesitates Abdiu of the SP: “Crime is out on the streets; Europe’s recommendation must be reconsidered.” Kalakulla: “They must be killed.” TIRANA - The law on the death penalty is returning to the political scene. Yesterday, politicians’ offices delivered their positions on the fate of a law that has been much debated for a long time. “Time itself will abolish the death penalty.” This is the position of the Socialists, expressed by Fehmi Abdiu himself. PDD leader Kalakulla takes a tougher position. Not retaining it would be a tragedy, he says, convinced that the law must remain in force, and even be made harsher. Meanwhile, the official position comes from the Palace of Justice. Minister Kondi has chosen not to speak directly, but through his spokesperson has issued the formula: “We are moving toward abolishing the penalty; give us time to do it gradually.” The two brothers hanged in Fier Ministry of Justice: “Now everything is more difficult. The decision may be postponed.” Melo of PBDNJ: “The penalty must be abolished, but everything in its own time.” TIRANA - gradually.” Such a position does not seem easy for the Justice Department. Caught between two fires—Europe, which demands the law’s abolition, and the domestic reality, where crime has taken to the streets—Minister Kondi is trying to remain cautious to the end.

AFTER THE LATEST SPLIT IN THE DP GENC RULI This is not a reform movement, as should normally happen in a party that has suffered a profound political defeat. Since the DP was taking shape as Berisha’s post-presidential wing, there will only be a stable-cleaning operation in it, not a reform. Berisha himself has never shown any evidence of a reformist mentality. In the case of Shehu and Meksi, it is clear that bitter individualism over the defeat would be a prerequisite for reform in the DP, to determine their direction, since the absurdity that Berisha is never wrong and only others are wrong must be kept alive. Second, the people who remain in the DP offices are now known to be loyal only to Berisha and his aggressiveness. Indeed, it could be said that Berisha and they hold one another hostage with a fatal force. Third, Shehu and Meksi are easy targets, not only because of the responsibilities they bear, but because they are politicians without a protective spirit and, moreover, without any oppositional strength. Brojka has expressed a degree of dissent and disagreement with the DP leaders regarding their mentality and the distance he has established from the offices of ... Genc Ruli could finally play a positive and dignified role if he were to speak out courageously and directly about the games Berisha is playing today at their and the DP’s expense, and about the responsibility he bears for this entire situation. In conclusion, no new wind is blowing through the DP. The DP’s social base today consists mainly of people who were flesh of Berisha’s flesh and bone of his bone, including, among others, people from the administration, SHIK employees, judges, prosecutors, as well as a wretched category of servants. The wild current coming from the entire DP leadership is not a distinctive politics, but stems from naïve faith and political inertia. These categories of people, it is right to say, and their leader Berisha neither ... …it is sad that the Berishas hold [text cut off] one another together with great force. They are easy to attack, not only because of the responsibility spirit and, moreover, without the strength to oppose. Berisha has always kept some distance and avoided speaking with PD leaders because of the mentality and distance he has established from PD offices. In any case, these people [text cut off]…

The two brothers hanged in Fier

TESTIMONY OF A PROTAGONIST From the protests in the city of Vlora VLORA—From Durrës, the M 222 naval vessel set out to sea in the first days of March, heading for Vlora. On board were 50 special police troops from Tirana. A naval assault against the angry uprising? In fact, the crew did not disembark on the Vlora coast, but well-informed sources attest to the purpose of that voyage. The minesweeper was to bring those who would later coordinate an attack by land and air on the city, which at that time was at the height of the revolt.

INTERVIEW / Albert Brojka speaks Albert Brojka “rebels.” The former head of the Tirana DP, just a few hours after being excluded from the group that submitted the request for the DP strike, begins his account. “The entire leadership must face a confidence vote at the Congress,” Brojka insists, according to whom there are two kinds of people in his party: those who are idealists, and those who benefit greatly, especially the little people. Brojka believes that “If the DP is not renewed, it will have no future whatsoever.” This is the first time the Democrat Brojka has spoken so harshly about the others. He says that a possible departure would not be a problem for him. “I will not join any other party; either I will remain in the DP, or I will leave politics.” Brojka’s opposition: “The Party leadership should face the Congress’s vote of confidence”

Hello, at PD TIRANA — PD is setting up an office that will defend everyone dismissed from the administration. The Department of Arbitrary Dismissals will have a telephone number where all the “victims” can register their complaints. A white paper is expected to be opened at this office and then sent on to Europe. “Look how our people have been violated.” It seems PD has begun a fierce battle that it is unlikely to abandon halfway. Years ago, it brought out Law 24/1 from its files, as a result of which many people ended up on the street. On page 3

Creditors of the pyramid schemes TIRANA — All the cases concerning lawsuits filed against the companies “VEFA”, “SILVA” and “MLLEKA” have been won by the creditors. Over the past two months, a court has been set up in Tirana, consisting of a group of five judges, who until now have not had much media coverage to judge. “The court, on the basis of the evidence, the contracts, [unclear text] the actions of the companies toward the creditors.” One of the members of this group, Judge Luan Daci, speaks to the Albanian newspaper about the progress of the proceedings against the borrowing companies. On page 5 Sudja

TIRANA — Fatos Lubonja will not be the new head of RTSH. The new government officials will have to rack their brains again until they find another figure capable of leading the country’s only public television broadcaster toward reform. Lubonja himself confirmed his decision to them after the high-level debates in the country. The decision on who would head RTSH was supposed to be made today at the first meeting of the RTSH Board of Directors. Talk of Lubonja as the new director-general of RTSH had become very persistent in recent times, as the time for choosing the new RTSH Board of Directors drew nearer. The Albanian mass media—which had been particularly outspoken about this issue—had devoted considerable space to possible candidates, with Fatos Lubonja’s candidacy seeming the most acceptable to everyone. It seems Lubonja had strong reasons for refusing the high office offered to him. The intellectual, well known at home and abroad, author of a successful book and editor of the renowned magazine “Përpjekja”, has chosen instead of being enticed by the post to remain in his main profession: writing. It seems, however, that professional reasons were not the only ones that led the well-known intellectual to refuse the invitation that had come from the senior leaders of PD and the new government. Lubonja has often said that he supports a different political option from the one applied in recent times. Ever since he became actively involved in politics, in the turbulent March of this year, Lubonja has repeatedly expressed support for a different stance, “one that will restore people’s hope.”

Police lie in wait; gunfire for 30 minutes FIER — The police are on alert: “Gaxhai is coming.” The name of one of the Vlora insurgents has put the entire Fier police station on its feet. Its chief led the operation, in which sixty police officers and four armored vehicles took part, but the chief bandit, accompanied by his escort, turned back as soon as he saw the first signs of the police. The police fired a machine gun into the air, ordering him to stop, and the pursuit continued as far as the Mifol bridge. On page 8

A discovery by workers at the US Embassy TIRANA — This is the story of a very unusual letter. When it was written by a group of young people, none of them imagined that it would be opened by a pair of muddy hands a full 68 years later. The “adventure” of this unusual letter came to an end last Friday in the courtyard of one of the oldest buildings in the entire Albanian capital, the American Embassy. While some repair work was being carried out in the courtyard of the US Embassy, workers uncovered, at a shallow depth, a strange sealed bottle. At first, the workers thought they had found something valuable. In fact, the bottle contained just one rare item: a letter written by a group of young people 68 years earlier. Here is the text of the letter found in the bottle: “You, reader of this letter, try to note on what date you found this letter. We, the undersigned, have made the cover of ... We were students at the American Technical School in Tirana.” The letter is written in two languages, Albanian and English. Four signatures close it: Hy sen Bilali, Muharrem Pirdemi, Hasan File, Zerim Gjakja. Life is sometimes truly strange: it brings people back to life precisely when very few remember them. A simple repair job, a group of workers and a bottle covered in mud can suddenly bring back many memories. The familiar surnames signed on the letter in the bottle may awaken who knows what memories in the minds of their descendants today. We still do not know what became of the signatories, though we can easily imagine, since they were all students at the American Technical School, that they left a request: “Tell us on what date you found the letter.” We are answering on behalf of those who actually found it: on 1 August 1997. Or, more simply, nearly 68 years later. (a.bax.) The old letter found in the courtyard of the American Embassy

On page 2 Hello, in the DP They removed you Creditors of the pyramid schemes The judges: “Do ...” Police lie in ambush, gunfire for 30 minutes Fier on alert: They’re coming

The football championship is still open. Apollonia gifts Flamurtari three points Senior officials want security On page 7