Political power seeks to intimidate the free press Frangaj declares: «I would consider it an honor to be sentenced by such a state» Lawyer Ngjela declares before the investigator: «Your accusation, although absurd, falls apart» Does the Albanian state know that a journalist is a journalist? How many European journalists would the Albanian state have imprisoned during the years of the Cold War? Read on page 2: THE CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS AGAINST THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF THE NEWSPAPER «KOHA JONË» CONTINUE

As is known, the director and editor-in-chief of the newspaper «Koha Jonë», namely Nikollë Lesi and Aleksandër Frangaj, are both facing criminal proceedings and have been prohibited from moving freely. It is clear that this personal attack is pressure being exerted by the political powers against the newspaper «Koha Jonë» in order to intimidate the free press in Albania. Starting from the fact that a free press is the only guarantee for genuinely protecting human rights, the newspaper's board and editorial staff, in order to protect the newspaper, freedom of the press and democracy in Albania, decided to amend its statutes so as to withstand all the pressures of this moment. Conscious that by protecting the newspaper one also does people an honor and provides the best service to democracy, it presents the following staff until further notice: SPARTAK NGJELA: Director of the newspaper FROOK ÇUPI: Editor-in-chief Journalists: NIKOLLË LESI, ALEKSANDËR FRANGAJ, ARMAND SHKULLAKU, PLATOR NESTURI, DRITAN KABA, MARTIN LEKA, DAUT GUMENI. PUBLISHING BOARD: AZEM HAJDARI: Chair Members: FATOS LUBONJA, EDI RAMA, ANDI KLOSI, JORGO BLLACI, BLENDI GONXHE.

The unrelenting attack by the present-day Albanian state, with all its mechanisms, against the newspaper «Koha Jonë» expresses the fact that the political powers are neither prepared nor ready for genuine democracy. Even the accusation against the journalists is an expression of pressure and of the state's display of force against the free press and information. The latest incident at the newspaper «Koha Jonë»—the state-ordered arrest of its editor-in-chief—severely undermines freedom of the press, freedom of speech and the free press. The state should calmly and rationally reconsider its position in relation to the free press. Regarding these issues, the Publishing Board and journalists of the newspaper «Koha Jonë» are organizing a press conference tomorrow, 1 April 1993. The conference will be held in the hall of the Academy of Arts at 17:30.

After the many successive, vicious attacks by today's Albanian political powers against the newspaper «Koha Jonë», in recent days the state, as has become known, carried out one of its most spectacular assaults on the newspaper, accusing and placing the newspaper's editor-in-chief, Aleksandër Frangaj, under house arrest. The state's attack is carried out without any basis and in violation of all the principles of a free and democratic press. For this reason, the editorial staff of the newspaper «Koha Jonë» sent its protest to international organizations that defend human rights, such as the International Helsinki Committee for Human Rights and the Human Rights Section of the European Parliament; it also protested to international organizations that defend the rights and freedom of the press, to many well-known newspapers in Europe, etc. «Koha Jonë» sent its protest against the Albanian political authorities' attack on the free press to all diplomatic missions accredited in Tirana, the Albanian Helsinki Committee, etc.