INTERVIEW / General Ylli Dimraj speaks: Recollections of the tragic events of March Head of Air Defense: “How we avoided the tragedy” “We had orders to blow up the Mifol Bridge, but none of us agreed” TIRANA—“Zhulali threatened to have me and the other pilots from Rinas shot. We could not carry out the former minister’s order to strike the Mifol Bridge with the aircraft. That would have meant killing thousands of innocent people.” This is the chilling account of General Ylli Dimraj, Deputy Commander of Air Defense, who has revisited the tragic days of March. Just a few hours before the State of Emergency was declared, Dimraj recounts the dramatic “adventure” of his unit. The general says that the diary of that night, the heated telephone calls with Safet Zhulali, and the former minister of defense’s orders to bomb the Mifol Bridge in Vlora have been written down and sent abroad, to a country where, according to the general, they are ready to be published at any moment. “That day, when they gave me the order, besides being astonished, I honestly felt distressed and could not believe my ears that a minister—whoever he may be—appointed to protect and serve the people would issue orders to kill them. And he thought he could do it through the pilots, something that could never have happened.” On page 4

CEKA “Police, talk to the press” Ceka TIRANA - The police are entering into a new, more open relationship with the media and mass media. A document signed yesterday by Interior Minister Neritan Ceka has ordered police station chiefs across the country to cooperate more with journalists. “You must maintain ongoing contact with journalists and other public information media,” the document addressed to his subordinates states. He advised them, ultimately, to address not only newspapers’ concerns with crime reporting, but also broader matters which, in the past, ... made strenuous efforts, perhaps even over the smallest news item. Above all, however, Ceka is setting a precedent as the first to establish a new, planned form of cooperation between the mass media and state institutions. Previously, the right to provide information belonged only to the country’s ministries. But times have changed, apparently for the better. From now on, all police station chiefs will have the right to provide information. Nevertheless, the Albanian minister responsible for public order says that “truth must be the basic element of a news story and must not be compromised or reveal state secrets.” Given that information is presented alongside news reports, the ministry he heads deals directly with the “troubled” element of society. Ceka reminds his subordinates that “under no circumstances should the citizen’s justice be ...” This is where the minister’s letter ends, opening a new chapter in the relationship between crime reporters and the police. There have been numerous cases in which journalists, in their attempts to get a story, have clashed with parts of the police force. Or worse. One incident was recorded a month ago, when journalists, because of the hacking of information, clashed openly with family members or criminal elements. with journalists. “You must maintain constant contact with journalists and with the life of public information,” Ceka says in the letter addressed to his subordinates. It seems that this has put an end to the calls of corrupt journalists, and beyond them, who in the past made strenuous efforts, even for the smallest news item. Above all, however, Ceka is the first to set a precedent for a new plan ministries. But times have changed, and seemingly for the better. Now all police-station Albanian Minister of Public Order says that “truthfulness must be the basic element of the news, and it must not be compromised or reveal state secrets.” Considering that information is presented alongside news, should the citizen’s justice be [undermined?].” There have been many cases in which journalists, in their efforts ago, when journalists, because of the hacking of information, came into open conflict with family members or criminal elements.

PARLIAMENT Prosecutor’s Office: Rakipi takes the helm TIRANA - The General Prosecutor’s Office has a “new head.” Yesterday, the Albanian parliament appointed legal expert Arben Rakipi as the Republic’s chief prosecutor. With 80 votes in favor, none against and no abstentions, the deputies approved the sole candidacy proposed by President Rexhep Meidani. Starting today, Rakipi will take the reins of one of the state’s most important institutions. It is an institution whose workload has reached its peak, and the legal expert’s hand is expected to bring change, certainly first and foremost to its work. Arben Rakipi is 37 years old and is a legal expert by profession. In the first years after graduating, he worked mainly in the country’s northern districts, after which he was appointed to the Ministry of Justice. He worked for several years as a specialist in the Codification Directorate. A year ago, Rakipi left his job at the Ministry to become a lawyer. He was one of the candidates for head of SHIK, a position he did not want, but which was not approved by former President Berisha. The 37-year-old legal expert will take the place of Ujsh Dragoshi, the chief prosecutor who submitted his irrevocable resignation a few ...

Kolonjë, they were heading to Greece KOLONJE - Gangs attack migrants. A battle lasting more than an hour took place in a village near the border, after which three bodies remained in the hospital morgue. Twenty refugees from Kruja had set out for Greece, but were ambushed by a local gang. The fierce battle—and the refugees were armed—continued for a long time. At the end, three people had been killed and several others wounded. The police arrived at the scene far too late. On page 5

VLORA On page 5 Zani Çausi

DURRËS DURRES - Major local police operation. Two highly wanted individuals have fallen into police hands. The incident took place at midday on Tuesday. The two wanted men were arrested for a series of crimes. One of them had previously been sentenced on a murder charge, while the second was accused of rape. The police had been tracking them for days and only yesterday managed to carry out the operation they had planned. Neither of them resisted the police forces. Both men who were apprehended are being held at the police station, and investigations against them will begin. On page 5

Smuggling, the protagonist speaks INTERVIEW / How the golden routes work TIRANA - A resident of Velipojë recounts: “This is how tobacco smuggling is carried out.” Ships came from Greece with documentation for other goods, while the real cargo was tobacco. Large wooden crates were transported, 10 meters off the coast of Velipojë. The ships carrying these quantities of tobacco had been bought by Albanians, but had Greek licenses. The ship’s crew consisted only of Greek sailors. Dozens of cars and an Italian frigate strictly guarded the security of the area. The profits from tobacco were considerable. The police did not react. On page 7

The clatter of hooves challenges the might of cars IN TIRANA ON SUNDAY TIRANA - The horse-drawn carriage is back on the road. On Sunday, a couple marked their wedding ceremony with a ride around Skanderbeg Square in Tirana. At first, from a distance, it looked to us like one of those ordinary carts that routinely pass through Tirana. And after all, why would a horse and carriage crossing Tirana’s main square on this hot August Sunday attract so much attention? But only a few seconds passed before someone calmer and more professional than us turned their head. A mechanical turn of the head, and each of us had the good fortune to see a horse-drawn carriage. It was one of those carriages which, considering the time when they first appeared, we must call masterful; it crossed Tirana’s main square on this hot August Sunday. we must call masterful, but which remain forever relevant in the modern world. It brought life in Tirana’s central square to a halt for a few seconds. The cars stopped and people waved. Their appearance also aroused the curiosity of passersby, who stopped to greet this return to tradition. For a few minutes the carriage made the “required” roundabout, while many children tried to run after it. The elderly called out nostalgically, while the others had no choice but to applaud the newlyweds. A once widespread ritual seems to have returned to Albanian tradition. We have often seen people joining their lives beneath the deafening horns of cars, the usual ritual taking place amid the dust of our roads, but we were astonished by the Sunday couple’s original choice. We do not know where they come from, nor do we know their names, and we have not seen their faces, but at least the ceremony they chose makes you think of aristocratic origins. Perhaps you are mistaken; perhaps it was simply a ceremony they saw somewhere outside Albania and imitated perfectly. Perhaps—but at least they experienced a novelty that brought an aristocratic, horse-carriage-era Albania into the modern age. At the very least, let us hope this will not be the last occasion for this sacred ceremony.

FSHF: 2–0 for the Whites and Blues On page 6

INTERVIEW / How the golden routes operate

TIRANA - We wish to inform all readers of Gazeta Shqiptare that, owing to a serious technical error in the article entitled “The Death Penalty? Here Is Why It Should Remain,” by Gjergj Peci, a misunderstanding occurred. The sentence: “If we express ourselves against the death penalty, ...” should read: “If we express ourselves in favor of the death penalty, ...”. We apologize to the author and to our readers. The Editorial Office