You must judge the proceedings of the first sessions of this term! In Sunday’s newspaper, in the article entitled “Why are the Christian democrats trying to sabotage parliament?”, the editorial staff of “Zëri i popullit” tried to present the opposition deputies as irresponsible people who do not care if Albanians are left without bread. It found a convenient occasion to do this: because of the boycott of some meetings of the People’s Assembly by opposition deputies, parliament failed for several days in a row to reach the quorum necessary to vote on several important economic laws for overcoming the country’s present economic difficulties. Together with the newspaper “Zëri i popullit”, Albanian radio and television, with an incomprehensible zeal, have found many reasons to deal with this parliamentary boycott, but on one point they offer no kind of argument and carefully avoid it: what was the real cause of this boycott? In other words, can it be said that the opposition deputies boycotted the assembly only because they were irresponsible, as “Zëri i popullit” tries to claim, and not because the entire work of parliament, from the very beginning, was losing its meaning? Does a parliamentary session make sense when its chairman, who is at the same time the president of the country, not only violates the most basic rules of how it is run, but does not even allow the opposition deputies to speak? By what logic can opposition deputies be asked to serve as decoration in a parliament where even their right to speak is not respected? Were they supposed to sit there like sheep, remain silent, raise their cards on command, and then be called responsible? The opposition deputies know very well that Albanians need economic laws. But they know just as well that parliament cannot function on the open humiliation of one part of it. The boycott was a signal, not against the people, but against the deformation of parliamentary work. It was a way of saying that the opposition entered the assembly not to make a show, but to represent those who voted for it. If the majority wants a compliant opposition that only stamps approval, then this is not pluralism. The opposition in parliament is not a blind "no". It is a check, another voice, an effort to turn parliament into a place where debates are held properly and decisions are made responsibly. Instead of looking for the blame in the opposition, it would be more honest to ask why the first sessions of the term began with so much tension, why no normal climate for debate was ensured, and why the old habits of command continue. These are the questions that must be asked if we truly want to understand what is happening in the new Albanian parliament. (Continued on page 5)

Statement of the Forum for the Protection of Human Rights. We, the members of the Forum for the Protection of Human Rights, address the People’s Assembly with deep concern regarding the way its work is being conducted in this important period for the country. The disregard for the basic rules of debate, the restriction of the right to speak, and political pressure on opposition deputies are clear signs of a practice that runs counter to the spirit of democracy. The Assembly must be the place where representatives of the people speak freely and decide according to their conscience. Any attempt to turn parliament into a mere formal stage seriously damages citizens’ trust in the new institutions. We call for the parliamentary rights of all deputies to be respected, for political hate speech to be abandoned, and for normal conditions to be created for a civilized parliamentary life. (Continued on page 2)

(Continued on page 2) The report says that the American administration has expressed deep concern about the events that took place in Shkodër and has called for full, independent investigations into the killings. According to the first reports, the American reaction considers it essential that responsibilities be fully clarified and that the perpetrators be punished.

OUR INTERVIEW – Sllapjera verdi syn, ka nevojë për të gjithë ditët dhe bijat e saj. Sa[?] Sot ka shumë za Vuçodrës. – Interview with the Albanian artist and choreographer. Interview in the newspaper “Rilindja Demokratike”, Piro Zoga.

Interview with the writer Ismail Kadare given to the radio "Voice of America" on 21.4.1991. - Interview with the writer Ismail Kadare given to the radio "Voice of America" on 21.4.1991.