Tied hand and foot for 60 hours, but not mistreated Erion Nushi tells the horror of three days: “They would only let me open my mouth when I ate bread” Erion Nushi tells the horror of three days “They would only let me open my mouth when I ate bread” -Erion, a lot has been said about your kidnapping on Tuesday morning. But in fact, how did it happen? -Two men grabbed me, dragged me until they forced me into a car where another one was. And there they threw a blanket over my head, tied my hands with rope and took me to a private one-storey house, about 5 minutes from my school. -And in that house you stayed for those three days? -Yes. When they took me to the house they untied my hands, then tied them again with rope. In fact, not only my hands, but also my feet. -So you didn’t make any attempt to escape. Didn’t you shout at all? -I did, but I couldn’t because they were bigger. Then I couldn’t shout because they had tied up my mouth and eyes, sometimes with a pillowcase, sometimes with a sheet. My mouth was free only during those minutes when they gave me something to eat. -And during these days you didn’t hear anything about what was happening in your family? -No. How could I have known? I was isolated. -If you saw your kidnappers, would you recognize them? -No. -Did they mistreat you? -No, not at all. They had only tied my hands, feet, mouth and eyes. -How were you abandoned? -They took me from the house where they were holding me locked up, covered my head with a sheet and left me in a little street near Hotel “Arbana”. -After what happened, what would you most like to do? -To go back to school as before.

Last night Erion brought joy back to his mother, father and little brother photo A. BABANI The kidnappers had locked him in a house near the abduction site TIRANA - Erion Nushi’s kidnappers are finally giving in. After 60 hours of desperate attempts to get their hands on 200 thousand dollars in exchange for the life of the 11-year-old, yesterday evening they abandoned their little hostage on the street and have now focused all their efforts on one thing only: saving their own skin, which without the hostage seems not to be worth much. A great whistle of joy erupted yesterday evening, at 8:00 p.m., in Erion’s house, when the 11-year-old hostage knocked on the door of his apartment. And if during these three days the door of his apartment had been opened with anxiety and hope together, yesterday evening it was as if a miracle had fallen from the sky. It was Erion, who after walking several kilometers from Hotel Arbana, near which the kidnappers had thrown him onto the asphalt, filled the dark house, which had been in mourning since Tuesday morning when the little boy was violently kidnapped very close to his school “Dora D’Istra”. And what Erion tells, in whose voice and face the traces of terror are still visible, is truly a shocking story. He spent 60 hours always under the “uncompromising” supervision of the freed men and the pillowcase, with which the bandits had tied, besides his hands and feet, also his mouth and eyes. But he was unable to make out in detail the kidnappers’ features, because when they forced him into the car they covered his eyes and entire head with a blanket. “What happened to my son, I would not wish even on the kidnappers’ children,” said his mother, Vilma, a few hours after the little hostage returned home. And yet the bandits did not lay a finger on Erion. On the contrary, they fed him well. They had even provided him with a “comfortable bed” in a lonely room in a private house inside the capital where they kept him locked up for three days in a row. Apparently they had decided to hand the child back to his parents in perfect condition, but only after having taken (continued on page 2) ZAMIR DULE Last night Erion brought joy back to his mother, father and little brother photo A. BABANI

One year after the failed referendum - The Constitution is still being played with If they really want to make a Constitution, let them respect the package of laws we already have, let them respect the chapter on human freedoms and rights. As long as a law remains in force that infringes the right to elections, which is the foundation of a state and, in terms of importance, equivalent to the Constitution, then there is no reason for us to cooperate with an anti-constitutional party, with an anti-constitutional President, with a Pjetër Arbnor who is presiding over a session where the Constitution is being violated. If they want democracy and a patched-up Albania, then under article 3 of the genocide law, let them accept consensus on the electoral law and consensus on the Constitution. Either there is real consensus and cooperation, or it is political play. If there is consensus, let us achieve what we are saying. If it is political play, then everyone should play their own game. Speak: deputies of PD, PS, PSD, AD page 3,7

Yesterday in Parliament The President’s decree on compensation for former owners is approved Yesterday afternoon in parliament, the decree of President Berisha “On compensation for former owners of agricultural land, forest land and occupied plots, with plots in tourist areas and populated centers” was approved. According to the government, this decree makes technical adjustments to earlier laws and substantially changes the “Law on compensation in value for former owners of agricultural land.” Following this decree, which entered into force immediately, compensation for former owners will not be made only with land but also with hotels, with plots in tourist areas and in populated centers. The decree also makes an amendment to the law “On pastures and meadows.” If pastures and meadows are located within boundary lines of interest for tourism development, former owners or their heirs will be compensated in money, or in other inhabited areas. The President’s decree was approved by the Socialist Party without any objection, although most of the group and its leader Dokle had not yet seen it. Meanwhile, the parliamentary group of the PD proposed and approved several amendments, authored by Mr. Kopliku. The PD group removed from the decree the formula of cash compensation, for special cases. The decree provides that compensation in kind be made with the same value as that stipulated in cash. This point of the Law “On compensation of former owners...”, was the point most opposed by the former owners themselves. Their association did not agree with the value proposed by parliament. This change may trigger more objections. E.A

After the SHIK officer’s denunciation, Ylber Meraja Criminal case opened against the director of “KJ” The SHIK officer, Ylber Meraja, has filed a criminal complaint against the director of the newspaper “Koha Jonë” for defamation made publicly. The complaint concerns an article published in the newspaper “Koha Jonë” on 8 July of last year, authored by the well-known journalist Arian Çani. During all this time, the SHIK officer did not even think to deny it or file a complaint, but the political moment arrived and the Tirana prosecutor’s office immediately took the complaint into consideration and opened a criminal case over this matter. The case will go before the Tirana Court.