Meidani: Majko, go In page 3

What madness! Arian Çani Pandeli Majko proved to us yesterday that he has too much time to waste. We, the people in the media, DO NOT. The Prime Minister must have enjoyed himself and thought he was making fun of us—last night at 18:00—by summoning more than 25 press and media organizations to what was called an “open-door government meeting”; that was all the announcement said, provoking curiosity, and perhaps astonishment, in all of us—people whose profession is to work every day until late in the evening to inform Albanian citizens—about this unprecedented and unheard-of itinerary. And here is what happened: at a meeting, as he himself called it, of the “ordinary government” kind. But before we arrived at the government meeting room, everything had sounded like a pleasant surprise on Pandeli’s part. An official statement from the Council of Ministers had arrived at the central media newsrooms: “At 18:00, Prime Minister Pandeli Majko invites the media to a meeting lasting until late in the evening to inform Albanian citizens”—curiosity, and perhaps astonishment, about the unprecedented and unheard-of initiative. And here is what happened: Majko: This is an ordinary government meeting, and we have invited you (he meant us, the journalists) to observe our everyday, normal work up close. (The ministers looked at one another in surprise, while we still did not understand what was going on.) Majko: Today, on the agenda of this ordinary government meeting, ... Continued on page 2

Arrested on the afternoon of Sunday, September 12, while travelling from Peqin toward Elbasan, Nehat had not imagined that he would remain in prison indefinitely, betrayed by the state. Suddenly, as he was returning from a condolence visit, he and his com- panions ended up in the custody of Kosen, while the sensational news spread through Tirana’s government offices. Unbelievable, but true: the man who travelled every day past the government buildings in an army vehicle... On page 7

DOSSIER RAMADAN SOKOLI THE TORTURED MUSICIAN On pages 12–13