EXCLUSIVE for the Newspaper The most important witness to Hajdari’s murder recounts September 14, the failed pact in the cell, his relations with the Haklajs and Jaho Salihi. He receives us at his apartment in Tirana 24 hours after his release from prison On pages 2–3

CORFU — Breaking news CORFU Breaking news He was trying to save the Kurd; he is abandoned in the middle of the sea Arian Çani They jump into the sea to save the life of the mischievous 15-year-old Kurd and are suddenly betrayed by the speedboat’s operator. The dreadful and deeply moving incident reached us only late last night from Corfu. The Albanian operator of an illegal speedboat from Saranda abandons three people in the middle of the sea. The outcome: 2 missing and a third survivor, who tells the Greek police about perhaps the most frightening “adventure” of his life. Corfu police confirm that the Albanian is called Sotiraq Leka, 30, from Tepelena. Official Greek sources on the island say Sotiraq and another Albanian friend were on the speedboat with 17 Kurds, which had set off from Saranda for Italy. Everything would have gone as usual if, during the journey on Friday night, the 15-year-old Kurd had not suddenly fallen into the sea. The speedboat stops. To save the mischievous Kurd, the two Albanians jump into the sea without hesitation. But they are betrayed. The speedboat sets off without waiting for them, abandoning all three in a temperature that, according to Corfu police, was no higher than 2 degrees. The 15-year-old Kurd and the other, unidentified Albanian disappear, while Sotiraq Leka holds out for more than 10 hours in the middle of the sea until, fortunately for him, a small Greek boat passes nearby and saves his life. Sotiraq had paid the speedboat’s captain 150,000 drachmas to take him to Italy. The 30-year-old undocumented migrant and hero is currently in one of the hospitals on the Greek island.

Returns from Malta, nobody is there to meet him The national team wins the Malta tournament, and the moments following this event could be varied. One could say they played against weak teams (absurd); one could say we have a fantastic team... On page 23

DOSSIER THE PAINTER WHO WAS CRUCIFIED —BY MEHMET SHEHU On pages 12–13