The Forum gets permission: Rally today at 14:00 in “Ali Demi” Square Pages 2–9 Vlora: Three killed, 20 wounded Vlora, yesterday, tens of thousands of people await the president’s re-election like this Photo Reuters Vlora, yesterday, tens of thousands of people await the president’s re-election like this. Photo Reuters

Last night was terrifying. The beloved people of Vlora were bloodied, and human lives were lost. Let us remain silent in eternal tribute to these angels who today fly in the sky. After this, let us stand before the state, however little it may be. Let us plead with the state, this iron machine that swallows human lives in a second: Stay your hand and cool your mind! Everything in this difficult battle depends on the state. The state has the weapon, the state also has the force, the state also has its finger on the trigger. The good person has entrusted all these things to the state so that it may protect their life, not take it. Unfortunately, the Albanian state has been transformed and is killing and torturing its own subjects. This is the greatest misfortune: When the state becomes criminal, people are not even given enough time to speak with God. It is too late to make it all the way up there. Let us abandon the philosophy of holding on to power by force. Let us speak peacefully and come to an understanding. First of all, the state must come to its senses. Come to your senses, O government: they do not want you to govern, so leave the stage of government. Do not cling to that chair, because the people gave it to you and the people will take it away when they demand it. Come to your senses, Mr. President, and give up your obsession with holding on to power by force. Leave your mandate to be judged by the people. Use the mandate you still hold for a few more days to prevent bloodshed, not to take human lives. Do not turn your mandate into a death sentence. Do you hear, O God! Use the hand that thirsts for power and re-election to establish peace, Mr. President. Come to your senses, Commander, and you too, mercenary. The blood you are shedding and the lives you are endangering belong to your brother; they belong to you. Come to your senses, dear citizen: you are facing a savage state, and you yourself must preserve the peace ten times more carefully. Protest, yes, but peace too. Stay away from provoking the secret police. Here we are now. We have paid dearly for the state’s disobedience: just yesterday, three killed and twenty wounded. Stop here. Those angels who left us would also bless us if, from this moment on, we established peace among those of us who are still here. Neither side can emerge victorious from bloodshed. O state, stand on the side of peace, and then it is certain that the bloodshed will stop. F. ÇUPI

Unknown persons pounded on Kastriot Islami’s front door with their fists around midnight last night. According to his wife’s account, Islami did not open the door, telling the strangers that they were not police officers. Mrs. Islami told KJ that the police had been informed about the incident and that, about 30 minutes later, eight police officers and a civilian appeared at the home’s door and asked the Socialist leader to go with them to the police station to file a report. Mrs. Islami said that her husband was taken away by force by the police, who insisted, according to her, that he go with them to report the strangers’ threat. The subsequent fate of Mr. Islami is unknown.

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