“It is not too late yet to put on the white shirt, nor to return to a politics of human dimensions” A vote against the draft Constitution is a protest vote against Sali Berisha’s Party, against Sali Berisha’s Television, against Sali Berisha’s Government, against Sali Berisha’s Coffeehouse Courts, against Sali Berisha’s Security Service, against Sali Berisha’s recruited intellectuals, against Sali Berisha’s Kosovar president, against the senile old men of scientific communism and the musicians of Sali Berisha’s Writers’ League, against Sali Berisha’s Kanun and rifles, against Sali Berisha’s Enverist democratic campaign to bring even little children out into the squares and valleys for rallies. Indeed, Mr. President, I would not be exaggerating at all if I told You that the vote against the draft Constitution was also a protest vote against Sali Berisha’s own hoarse voice. Edi Rama addresses Sali Berisha pages 5–6

Tirana

Tirana 7 years in prison for the child kidnapper He had kidnapped a 13-year-old girl to sell her in Macedonia The judges did not spare a child kidnapper any prison time. They deprived him of 7 years of freedom, thereby making him pay dearly for the crime committed against a 13-year-old girl from the capital, who was kidnapped to be sold in Macedonia. This is the decision reached by the Tirana Court against Novruz Gjeles­hi after a series of lengthy court hearings, at which, among others, the other protagonist of this episode also testified: Neida Shkreli, who was its victim and had miraculously escaped thanks solely to police intervention. N. Gjeleshi was arrested in February of this year in his native village, Maqellarë in Peshkopi, just a few hours from the border with Macedonia, where he was to hand over the “goods” he had been commissioned to deliver to a “friend.” The lack of a false passport had prolonged the girl’s stay on Albanian soil, giving the capital’s police the opportunity, following her parents’ dramatic report, to thwart the kidnapper’s plan five days later. Meanwhile, the Tirana Prosecutor’s Office immediately began an investigation on the charge of “kidnapping a child for the purpose of sale,” while Neida returned to her books at the “4 Dëshmorët” eight-year school. The prosecutor, Mimoza Arbën, sought a four-year prison sentence for the kidnapper, but the judges deemed it appropriate to raise the penalty to seven years. Z. Dule

… Referendum again page 3

S. Pëllumbi: “Repeating the adventure would have extremely dangerous consequences for Albania” N. Dokle: “Berisha is free to violate the Constitution whenever he wants. But Berisha is not only for today” P. 3

Berat SCANDAL Victims of police violence speak out They were beaten because they refused to alter the results in favor of the PD page 2