These squads have the right to shoot at masked individuals without warning. Page 2 These squads have the right to shoot at masked individuals without warning Page 2

. When nobody expected it, on International Human Rights Day and the 50th anniversary of the Charter of Pa-ri, in a televised statement, Prime Minister Majko openly expressed support for implementing the death penalty. Apart from the context of the statement’s comments, what stands out is the marked change in Majko’s own position. It is well known that, as a member of the Albanian delegation to the Council of Europe and as a senior leader of the PS, the current Prime Minister was one of the most active politicians opposing the death penalty. He also maintained this position during the drafting of the draft constitution, insisting that the penalty not be included in the state’s basic law. So why has Majko changed his position, and will this new position be reflected in the implementation of the frozen sentences? After 75 days at the head of government, the new PS leader must have understood that the era of leniency toward crime is over. The ideas of the Council of Europe, according to which criminals should be educated and not punished, cannot be put into practice—or, rather, they seem ridiculous in a place like ours. According to police figures, 108 people have been killed in Tirana alone this year, and the same tally records more than 6,000 attempted murders, death threats and robberies. These grim figures and the mentality that human life no longer has any value can be curbed only by rigorously applying this ultimate punishment. It is true that Albania made a commitment to the Council of Europe in June 1995 not to implement the death penalty, and that since then all sentences handed down have been suspended, but that means nothing. If the Council of Europe declares every day that Albania lacks stability and public order, it must also accept that in a country where 600,000 weapons are in circulation and are easily used to settle ordinary scores, the death penalty is justified. Its application as early as 1992, when the brothers who had killed a family were hanged in the middle of Fier, quickly brought down crime rates. Majko has changed his position, and in this case he must be even more resolute. The future of all Albania depends on security in the country, and the death penalty is an essential element of that security.

“The difficulties began when the police were not allowed to see the crime scene” Minister of Public Order questioned in parliament Page 3 The Democratic Party is deliberately obstructing the efforts to find Hajdari’s killers. The statement was made yesterday in parliament by Minister of Public Order Peto Koçi, during an interpellation requested by independent MP Nikollë Lesi. The minister spoke about the work carried out by police forces in cooperation with the Prosecutor’s Office and other agencies to find the killers, but said that they had faced many obstacles from PD leaders. He confirmed that some information had been gathered, but said it would be made public at the appropriate time and place.

An appeal by four MPs addressed to Albanian public opinion At a time when Albanians are experiencing tragedy, heartbreak, murders, kidnappings and unprecedented crime; just as our nation is suffering an unprecedented human hemorrhage through people leaving the country, also for the reasons mentioned above, a young mother from Peqin has given our nation five children. It seems to us that God, through this rare birth, wants us to believe that our Albanian gene cannot be extinguished, but will survive and flourish despite the great difficulties we are going through... But knowing how difficult it is to raise, educate and, ultimately, feed five children at this time, we, as citizens of this country, appeal to the Albanian government to issue a special decision for this mother’s family. At the same time, we ask MPs from all parties, businesspeople, associations and the many foundations in Albania to contribute not out of charity, but out of humanism, so that the lives of the five children, their mother and the whole family may be secured in peace, with a home and, above all, financial security. Albanians need examples of this kind of humanism, deeds that have never been lacking, even in more difficult times, such as when many fell [rënnda?]; therefore, we believe this appeal of ours will not fall on deaf ears. KICO BLELUSHI, GRANJO RUC[I?] NIKOLLË LESI, RAMADAN HASANI

The new currency of the continent, the euro, presented yesterday in Berlin

The divided Student City Cold days in the two opposing parts of the rebellious city Page 32