Fighting in Mifol: the notorious gang returns, terrorizes the village and wounds two people The Vlora strongman failed to break through the cordon Fighting in Mifol: the notorious gang returns, terrorizes the village and wounds two people Zani fights alone, ends up in prison The Vlora strongman failed to break through the cordon page 10

Over the course of two days, those in power in Albania received two consecutive blows from the US ambassador to the UN, Riçard Hollbruk. And the first was through the last-minute exclusion

Over the course of two days, those in power in Albania received two consecutive blows from the US ambassador to the UN, Riçard Hollbruk. The first came with Tirana’s last-minute exclusion from the itinerary of his Balkan tour, and the second by placing Albania in the category of those Balkan countries where mafiosi serve in the police and security forces. the UN, Riçard Hollbruk. The first came with Tirana’s last-minute exclusion from the itinerary of his Balkan tour, and the second by placing Albania in the category of those Balkan countries where mafiosi serve in the police and security forces. Naturally, the assessments of the distinguished American diplomat cannot be purely personal, much less the product of his imagination. Without the slightest doubt, they are a synthesis of detailed information gathered in Albania and an expression of the American administration’s position. On the other hand, Albanians who have long been experiencing the consequences of the lack of public order and corruption within the police and other institutions have felt as if Ambassador Hollbruk were speaking on their behalf. Normally, Hollbruk’s statements should have triggered a real alarm in the government and other state bodies, setting them in motion, first to assess the extent of this reality and then to take appropriate measures. But the way the various institutions of the Albanian state have reacted—expressing surprise, even acting as if they knew nothing, and responding with a certain resentment toward those who dared to make Mr. Hollbruk’s views about the institutions that should guarantee citizens’ safety known to the wider public—shows that our officials were stung by what Hollbruk said in Sarajevo. Their reaction, without taking the trouble to refute the “man of the Balkans,” indicates that in fact they do not dispute what he said about the presence of mafiosi in law-enforcement structures. But the main point is that the efforts and care taken to conceal such a disturbing reality show that Albanian officials feel powerless, or themselves do not want to rid the police of mafiosi, or do not want to change anything in this regard. And in the face of such unwillingness, suspicion arises that various segments of the government may have contributed to the influx of ordinary criminals into the police, SHIK, customs and courts, perhaps to reward them for some service they may have rendered in the past. And when the government secures its own survival through cooperation with people from the criminal underworld, there is no doubt that the mafia is running the country.

Page 25 Schumacher: A leg more expensive than a Ferrari

Following the embassy’s request for verification by the Prosecutor’s Office “Albania is a dictatorial country with politically persecuted people.” This is the passport of r[?] that some refugees have used to stay in the USA. But it seems the game is up. Having accepted this argument for a long time, since after 1991, America has decided to check the statements of Albanians who have applied for political asylum. And the answer has been to the refugees’ detriment. They were not politically persecuted, but entirely ordinary people who do not belong to any party. After this, they will be forced to return to Albania, no longer having the right to return to the “promised land.” page 7

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