After the Ballsh incident, prosecutors prepare the case file for the court The victims’ status calls for the maximum sentence Investigations concluded. Prosecutors: The criminals deliberately fired at the blue uniforms “The charge of ‘murder on account of the victim’s special qualities’ has been proven, and there is sufficient evidence. Trial ready TIRANA - The killers of the Ballsh police officers face the death penalty. This is the severe sentence provided for by the charge brought by the local Prosecutor’s Office after the investigation was completed. “Murder on account of the victim’s special qualities” is the provision on which the prosecution will base its case. “We have sufficient evidence to prove this,” sources from the investigative team said yesterday. According to them, “the perpetrators lay in wait, fully aware that they were firing at police forces and that they were killing them.” A great deal of evidence has been collected to be presented at trial in support of the charge. Ballistic examinations of the weapons have established that they were used to fire at the police officers. Only a few days ago, the testimony was taken from the wounded police officer who was being treated at the military hospital. He is said to have recounted, minute by minute, the entire sequence of the crime.

FIER - PS deputies and local leaders have called for the reconciliation of the two families who became the protagonists of the incident that took place three days ago in Patos. On page 5 Ylli Bufi

A silent funeral for the murdered democrat. Berisha does not speak

TIRANA - Pashk Tusha will seek to leave the police force entirely and will work as a currency exchanger. “I will leave, because I can no longer work in this country, even if Çeka does not decide to dismiss me after my request,” says the man who is a symbol of the capital’s police force. In an interview, Tusha explains: “It is strange that I learned about my transfer from the newspapers.” According to him, it would have been entirely possible for the ministry’s leaders to call him in and speak with him. On page 3

LUSHNJE Masked robbers steal 50 million in

REPORTAGE Kukës-Tirana, a frightening journey

Special forces secure the funeral procession TIRANA - PD is shrouded in mourning and bids farewell to the Democrat Abdyl Matoshi. The funeral ceremony was held yesterday in Tirana’s central square, amid silence and grief. Berisha did not wish to make speeches or offer his condolences. Meanwhile, a crowd of more than 4,000 people stood in silence, accompanying the funeral procession as far as Barrikadave Street. After that came a simple burial, far from the roar of gunfire and politicians’ rhetorical outbursts. On page 2 At yesterday’s burial of Abdyl Matoshi (Photo: Plator Illo)

There will be no imprisonment TIRANA - PS reassures Berisha. We will not imprison you. The latest message came yesterday from the secretary for public relations, Musa Ulqini: “We will no longer deal with him,” he assured, suggesting that although Berisha has committed a criminal act with a low motive and is calling for his punishment, PS will not turn to revenge against him or other PD politicians. Nevertheless, Ulqini did not fail to remind him that he must restrain his unconstitutional actions, since everything has its limits. Yesterday, Ulqini also spoke at length about the measures expected to be taken to fight terrorism and organized crime vigorously. He assured that a package of laws is ready and will greatly assist the law-enforcement forces in their battle against crime. On page 2

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COLOMBIA AND INDIA HOLD THE RECORD 1997 was “milder” toward members of the press 26 journalists killed worldwide On page 6

From the poisons ELBASAN - Working in factories that use chemical solutions means being constantly exposed to death. Their penetration into the lungs and blood causes poisoning of the body, and when antibiotics and antidotes are not administered, life becomes extremely difficult to protect. There are three enterprises in Elbasan where one can contract such illnesses: the Ferrochrome Plant, the Steel Plant and the Electrical Repair Plant. According to Dr. Fatbardha Xhaferri, an occupational-disease physician, patients with blood intoxication have come from all three enterprises. Lead, carbon monoxide and phenol are among the harmful substances found in the blood of the sick. According to some unofficial information, a year ago tests on workers at the Ferrochrome Plant showed that they were affected by the same disease, which was related to the blood. On page 5

THE LITTLE GIRL FROM SHKODRA WILL BE TREATED IN ITALY TIRANA - The tragic story of Mirsada, the seven-year-old little girl from Shkodra who was repatriated from Italy together with her parents despite suffering from several illnesses, has turned into a fairy tale with a happy ending. The girl arrived in Italy on Wednesday evening with her father Halit, her mother Vjollca and her three-year-old sister Jasemina. The family from Shkodra will stay in Italy on a three-month permit. Yesterday, doctors examined her for the first time and said that the little girl has excellent prospects of recovery. One of Mirsada’s legs is five centimeters shorter than the other; she has poor eyesight and impaired hearing, and consequently has difficulty speaking. Here, she had not even had the opportunity to attend school. But according to the doctors, with a suitable pair of shoes, a hearing aid, glasses and some rehabilitation exercises, the girl can enter a normal life. “It is also thanks to her strong-willed character and the support and hope her parents give her,” says Patrizia Ceccarani, director of the diagnostic center of “Filo d’oro”—the things that have helped her make rapid strides toward recovery. In fact, Mirsada, a blonde with sky-blue eyes, does not appear ill at first glance; only if you look closely can you notice her disabilities. Mirsada was saved by journalists. During the turbulent days of the Prodi directive, all the news outlets had broadcast images of Mirsada’s father calling out on the repatriation ship, “My daughter is ill.” Shortly before leaving the camp in Cassano Delle Murge, Halit had tried to leave his daughter in Italy, hiding her under a blanket and leaving a journalist the addresses of specialists who could treat her. Mirsada was found and forced to return to Albania, but her case was taken up by many journalists and by the television program “Moby Dick,” hosted by Michele Santoro. Since then, calls and expressions of interest from well-known figures in politics and entertainment, eager to help Mirsada, have not stopped. She is now in Italy. Mirsada together with her father at the Port of Durrës

Tusha: I will no longer be a police officer, but a currency exchanger The former chief of police Çenaj: Here is how Çeka dismissed me FIER - “I did not accept the resignation, and afterward they threw me out of my job.” Mithat Çenaj, former director of the Fier police, tells Gazeta about the final moments of his tenure in the senior post and then his immediate ouster, which, according to him, resulted from the serious events in Patos and Cakran. He is now at home and is certain that a unit? will come from the Ministry of the Interior to call him back to work. “They summoned me to Tirana immediately after the events, and the Minister asked me to resign. I refused, asking that what had happened be analyzed first, but Çeka demanded it urgently, justifying it with the serious events. On page 5