The fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of the Cold War, and the democratic processes in the countries of the East, especially in the USSR, established new dimensions in relations between states and people. In their repentance and their partly schooled confessions, the former countries of communist dictatorship are trying to be as sincere as possible, confident that the true disclosure of crimes will ease their political and economic purification. In the Eastern press of recent times, alongside denunciations of false accusations, the institutions of dictatorship, and the punishment of those responsible for it, there have also been reports about the criminal activities of Eastern secret services in the West. Apparently, these services even existed in organized sections tasked with tracking and undermining the activities of dissidents and political emigrants in the West. This often went as far as their physical liquidation. Almost no information about the State Security Service’s activities abroad has appeared in what has been written here about it. There are agents who follow and report on the political organization of emigrants. Alongside this familiar aspect, the question is always present: were their duties limited to information sent to the Ministry in Tirana, or did they also include arranging the disappearance of the most active emigrants? The experience of other Eastern countries has shown that both have always gone hand in hand. Nevertheless, for Albanians, the lack of prominent dissidents and information about what was happening in the diaspora has created a fog. Here and there, in books published by the diaspora or unknown in Albania until now, alongside information about the deaths of emigrants there are also reports of murders or mysterious disappearances. In the special edition of SHEJZAT dedicated to Ernest Koliqi, the final notices state: 1. At a cruel hand, on July 21, 1976, in New York, our friend and supporter Gjok Dragusha tragically disappeared. 2. On September 20, 1976, the freedom fighter Gjon Gjinaj disappeared from Belle hesh without a trace. These are only partial notices from 1976, but, nevertheless, if one also adds the testimony of Sadik Shosha about the attempts on his life made several times during his exile in Paris, or the unconfirmed rumors about the unnatural deaths of Ahmet Zogu and Mithat Frashëri, the supposition takes fuller shape. The three emigrants mentioned above were prominent people. It is understood that, by the simplest inference, their murders were connected with their political activity in the diaspora and were carried out by the State Security Service or people paid by it. More complete information about the mysterious disappearances of Albanian emigrants can be found in other publications of the diaspora. Nevertheless, the fullest and clearest information is in the files of the State Security Service. Like every other Eastern country, Albania must publish the information about the State Security Service’s criminal activities abroad and hand the matter over to the investigative authorities. It is in this country’s honor to cleanse its conscience, stained by the issue of POLITICAL EMIGRATION. BLENDI FEVZIU …discussed about it. It is known that tracking the political organization of the emigrant community was one of the State Security Service’s main priorities. Moreover, enormous funds were spent for this purpose. Normally, one, two, or even three State Security officers were present in every Albanian embassy. The closing notice reads: New York, our friend and supporter Gjek Dragua [?] tragically disappeared. 2. On September 20, 1976, Sabri Dçmi [?], an indefatigable activist of the political diaspora, disappeared without a trace in Belle River (Canada). 3. A vile and cruel hand, a treacherous and sold-out [?] hand, a cursed and filthy hand, caused [him] to disap-

On Monday, at 15:00, a protest by the newspaper «Koha jonë» was handed to Mr. TEODOR KEKO, chairman of the Parliamentary Commission for the Press, TV and Information, asking him to intervene with the state authorities, which have launched an attack against the political stance adopted by «KOHA JONË» before and after the elections. It was requested that a parliamentary group be sent. We hope that next week Mr. Keko will reply to us in the pages of this newspaper. The newspaper «KOHA JONË» has also sent a letter of protest to the President of the Republic, Mr. Sali Berisha, pointing out that all the inspectors arrive saying, «Why have you criticized Sali Berisha?» and leave muttering, «You’ll pay for it at the hands of the president.» Citing the words of the German Ambassador in Tirana, who in an interview described the independent newspaper «Koha jonë» as the first truly independent Albanian newspaper, protest telegrams have also been sent—to certain members of the Albanian government who want to suppress freedom of the press—to the Secretary of the Council of Europe, Katerinë La Lymier; the President of the Commission of the European Community, Zhak Delor; the President of the European Parliament, Egon Klepsh; and the U.S. Information Agency.

FOUR QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION ON THE FORM OF ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE AUDIT COMMISSION 1 — IS THE DRAFT SUBMITTED BY BLERIM ÇELA OR THE ONE SUBMITTED BY GENC RULI MORE CORRECT? 2 — HOW DO YOU ENVISAGE THE STATE AUDIT? 3 — WHO SHOULD THE SPECIALISTS IN THIS COURT OF ACCOUNTS BE? 4 — SHOULD THE PRESIDENT OF THE COURT OF ACCOUNTS BE A FINANCIER OR A LAWYER? ANSWERS: MR. KRISTAQ TRAJA, DEPUTY MINISTER OF JUSTICE, WHO IS KNOWN AS ONE OF ALBANIA’S MOST DISTINGUISHED JURISTS. — 1 — I have become familiar with the two preliminary drafts on this issue. One was submitted by the Ministry of Finance and the other by the State Audit Commission. I have studied both, but I think the main issue is how this audit is conceived. There has been a particular tradition of State Audit in Eastern Europe, whereas the West has had a different model. Concentrating on another model, with less of a public-finance audit mechanism, is simply the fashion [?], that is, state efficiency [?]. If, in our efforts, we are creating a structure for the state, I think the State Audit should also have a new, strictly distinct structure. As a well-known French jurist puts it: every power requires a treasury, every treasury requires an account, and every account requires a financial judge. In this way, supreme financial audit (as I conceive the State Audit) is an institutional concept, and therefore a constitutional solution should be expected. In this solution, these two models could now be put forward: the State Audit, as conceived in the basic law on the State Audit, accompanied by the relevant proposals for amending the Provisional Constitution currently in force, presents several drawbacks. Although it tries to break away from the old Eastern tradition, it nevertheless remains within it. This draft law envisages that the State Committee be separated from the Government’s authority and placed under Parliament. I think this alone is a solution that is somewhat mechanical, although fundamentally necessary; as regards its substance, however, it remains mechanical, since it is merely a change in subordination meant to legitimize something different. The Government, in all the processes involving financial expenditure, carries out the budget audit. If you look at both drafts, that of the State Audit and that of the Ministry of Finance itself, you will see that they are not effective. They are merely proposals for financial auditing and revision, as well as for the State Audit. If they find financial violations, they merely recommend that the relevant body impose disciplinary or criminal measures; thus, other bodies impose the measures. In a sense, this is a kind of recommendation, and in administration generally, recommendations are not effective. — 2 — In the world, there is what is known as a Court of Accounts, a body that has three functions at the same time: an advisory function (before budget acts are drawn up), and a jurisdictional function; that is, a judicial function with the right, upon discovering … Continued on page 4

administration generally, recommendations are not effective. — 2 — function with the right, upon discovering … Continued on page 4

TO INVESTIGATE THIS MATTER, A SPECIAL INSPECTION TEAM FROM THE MINISTRY OF DEFENSE ARRIVED IN LEZHË THESE DAYS. After the multitude of Inspection teams that began coming to «KOHA JONË» after March 22 of this year, another very peculiar team arrived, made up of majors and a colonel from the Ministry of Defense. This inspection team was the 14th to come noisily knocking at the newspaper’s editorial office, at the instruction of the State Audit Commission. Of course, we did not welcome them as colonels are usually welcomed, because we thought they might have got the address of some tank regiment wrong and, strangely enough, now, on the eve of the transfer, they are finding their way, so we can excuse them. But their swagger and their epaulettes, swaying in all their pomp, before they had even managed to orient themselves in the editorial office, made us think that perhaps they had come to do military training with us. That did not happen either. We thought that perhaps one of the editors had a pistol or an unlicensed weapon. That did not happen either. …We had disrupted the army’s radar waves used to track enemy ships in the Adriatic! They issued an ultimatum: «The television repeater for RADU [?], installed in one of the military bunkers on Mount Skënderbeu and serving the city of Lezhë, must be removed immediately. Otherwise, we will take legal action. We have a direct order from…» And so this 14th inspection team at «KOHA JONË» left as well. Now the inspection team from the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Health… is expected to arrive! The colonels left, their epaulettes swaying, thinking that one day they too would become GENERALS. The «generals» left, leaving to report; before the generals and ministers, they have to climb up and then fall from fear, and «KOHA JONË» will remember them for years as the first censors of the truly independent press. This time, God willing, they left never to return! ARTAN MIREI

— I AM A WRITER; I WOULD ACCEPT NO OTHER POSITION. With the distinguished writer Mr. ISMAIL KADARE. — A deeply moving anniversary for the newspaper. by ALEKSANDËR FRANGAJ — THE RAVENS By LAZËR STANI IN THE NEXT ISSUE: — Bashkim Spahia: Blerim Çela’s Eunuch. — Who will go to Germany? Interview with the consul of the German Embassy, Mr. HERRN SHMID. — You will also read articles by PREÇ ZOGAJ, FRROK ÇUPI, AGIM ISAKU, TEODOR KEKO, LAZËR STANI and BLENDI FEVZIU.