President of the Republic Sali Berisha received the Iranian foreign minister, Velajati. The meeting discussed strengthening relations between the two countries, as well as making cooperation concrete in several areas, such as oil, fishing, etc. Regarding the crisis in the region, President Berisha expressed the Albanian side’s position. The head of Iranian diplomacy expressed the same position. (ATSH)

Not to convict N. Hoxha and the others for genocide today means refusing to acknowledge the innocence of those whom the dictatorship sentenced over 50 years. The trial of N. Hoxha began several days ago. There is no need to speak of the interest with which this trial was received, and not only within the country. Before the trial began, much was said and written about it. It was known that the charges brought against the former members of the Bloc concerned economic abuses and abuse of office—charges that many considered laughable. Nevertheless, there was a view that the charge of genocide against the Albanian people would soon be added to these accusations. The trial began. The prosecutor read the indictment, filled with serious facts. Among other things, N. Hoxha was to be convicted over the 3 lekë spent on coffee by those who came to visit. I am sorry to say it, but this seems to me like mockery of all those who died in the prisons of the dictatorship; mockery of those who left their bones at the border, of those whose graves are not even known, of those whom the class struggle shattered across generations; of those whose youth and lives were taken by the infamous laws against agitation and propaganda and hostile activity against “people’s power”; of those whom the phrase “enemy of the Party” deprived of the right to be counted among decent people. And, finally, it is mockery of us, of the entire people who rose up to overthrow the dictatorship. That is why N. Hoxha has the audacity to protest in the name of “human rights” and say that the trial may be manipulated. She even goes so far as to protest that this is a political trial. No, devil’s wife, this is not a political trial—but it ought to become one. Whether it is the case in Shkodër or this one here, the same phenomenon is taking place: people are being called to account for not having obeyed the laws they themselves made. No, we rose up against the dictatorship and must condemn precisely the laws and those who made those laws of the dictatorship. We have caught a murderer and are demanding that he be convicted not for murder, but because the knife he used to commit the crime was stolen. Someone told me that even under the charges brought against them, they could be sentenced to as many as 25 years, or even death, and thought that this would be enough. No, the people are not simply seeking their punishment, or merely long prison terms; the people want justice, not revenge. To convict N. Hoxha merely for economic abuses means continuing to regard those whom the dictatorship sentenced for political reasons over 50 years as guilty, since those who sentenced them are not being held guilty for it. How can we declare former political prisoners and persecuted people innocent without identifying and convicting the real culprits?? This trial is not simply a trial of N. Hoxha, but also of E. Hoxha and all his successors, in this world or the next. Someone said that we do not hold political trials and that the world cannot accept such trials. This is completely wrong. We are not seeking to convict people for their political beliefs, but for crimes and genocide against the people. Former communist leaders have appeared, and are appearing, in trials of this kind (Honecker and the charges concerning supporters of Czechoslovakia). The democratic world has built its institutions on democratic principles, principles that were completely violated by the laws of the dictatorship in Albania. That is why the world calls for justice to be established on these principles. I remember the look on the face of a Dutch journalist on the first day of the trial when I explained what the former members of the Bloc were accused of: “What?” he said. “So Hoxha will not be convicted of genocide, but only of theft?” But let us, for a moment, accept that she will be convicted of theft. Were they the only ones who abused their positions? As for the rest of them (according to a source who will not be identified, after returning from California, where she had gone for treatment, Pranvera Hoxha left the clinic’s accounts office a bill for a fantastic sum of dollars). So either they will be convicted as they should be, for genocide and crimes against Albanians, or everyone must answer for the abuses committed. And why not for both?! EDI PALOKA

The Chairman of the Presidium of the People’s Assembly, Mr Pjetër Arbnori, received the Iranian Foreign Minister, Velajati, and the delegation he headed. During the conversation, Mr Arbnori, having praised the traditions of the Iranian people in the fields of culture and the arts, wished Mr Velajati success during his visit to Albania. “Now that our country has embarked on the road to democracy,” he noted, “we are establishing ties with all the countries of the West and the East. Albania’s geographical position itself makes it a potential bridge for creating friendly and peaceful ties among peoples.” The Iranian Foreign Minister, Velajati, expressed confidence in strengthening the traditional friendship between our two peoples. Mr Arbnori welcomed the invitation extended to him on behalf of the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament to visit Iran, and sent him friendly greetings. (ATSH)

An American military delegation visited our country Defense Minister Safet Zhulali received an American military delegation led by Brigadier General Tomas Lenon. After welcoming him, Mr Zhulali briefed the American guest and the people accompanying him on the process of reforming our army, its current phase of restructuring, and developments in the current situation in the region. For his part, American General Lenon expressed satisfaction with the progress of military-industrial relations and confirmed that an American military liaison team would soon begin work in our country. The team would learn about the problems, share its experience, and set about finding solutions to them. He assured our Minister of Defense that “they will do everything possible, getting to work as soon as possible.” (ATSH)

The Government Commission for managing the consequences of flooding in several districts convened. At this meeting, reports were given by the chairmen of the councils of the flooded districts, as well as representatives of the ministries engaged in stabilizing the situation. The meeting identified measures taken and ways to shorten the time needed to improve conditions, especially now that the weather is cold and many homes have been damaged. To this end, the Ministry of Economy and Finance opened a fund to cover the costs of building houses and bridges. The Ministry of Construction, in cooperation with the district councils, will also coordinate the work. Mr Rexhep Uka, chairman of this commission, said that those who abuse funds allocated from the state budget would be held responsible. So far, 10 million lekë has been spent on replanting, and a further 20 million lekë will be needed to meet the full required planting quota. The Ministry of Health has taken measures to monitor people’s health because, as Mr Uka said, it has been harmed by the difficult conditions in which the flood-affected families are living. The population has so far been vaccinated against typhoid. The government aid sector has prepared 3,600 packages, which are expected to be distributed in the coming days. The commissions established in the districts to eliminate the consequences of the flooding, as well as the working groups in the ministries, will coordinate their efforts so that the second phase of construction can begin as soon as possible. (ATSH)

In terms of area and population, our country is among the smallest in the world, but in terms of the number of crimes and victims of the communist dictatorship, it is undoubtedly among the countries at the top. Until now, because of 47 years of official silence, the deliberate concealment of documents, traces, facts, burial sites or places where property was held, and the silencing of people out of fear of complicity or because of generous payments, it has been impossible to determine an exact or even approximate figure for the victims. The recent case of unidentified corpses in mass graves on the strategic Enverian mountain of genocide or mass pogroms was an extensively used practice—killings without trial or documentation, and the burial or interment of several people in an unidentified pit. All the victims were innocent people, mothers’ sons and daughters, many of them in the prime of youth, thousands of people who had worked for Enver Hoxha and other “faithful” followers of his to the very end; they were condemned mercilessly and left without a grave. Thousands of others who managed to emerge alive from the hell of Enverian prisons or internment camps had their children and family lives taken from them, along with many dreams, desires and human hopes; they were left with wounds that would never heal, wounds they would carry to their graves. It is easy to understand who were the martyrs, the strategists or, at the very least, the perpetrators of this political mass genocide. Enver Hoxha and Mehmet Shehu are dead, but their loyal collaborators continue to create confusion and hide in the shadows, as if they had come from another planet, as if they had been blind, deaf and mute. According to this plan: The same applies to his wife and lifelong companion, closest collaborator, consultant or auditor of Enver Hoxha, Nexhmija, who is acting with inborn skill and cunning. She is almost denying her marriage and long life together with him. Apparently, he did everything himself, without her knowledge and without her presence. By this logic, it would seem that Enver had no faith in Nexhmi at all. Yet in writings, books, photographs and films they were presented as a loving couple, as though they were of one mind, heart and voice. On the other hand, we should bear in mind that after the 4th Plenum, in the mid-1970s, it emerged from the highly enigmatic and hermetic fortress of the Block that Zoi­si was ill, a mummy being kept alive with difficulty, or a robot controlled remotely by Nexhmija. Even over these roughly 15 years, she has tried, like an innocent angel, to conceal or deny the true role of Lady Macbeth. Written facts and those recorded in the memory of a people show that during this period the Enverian inquisitors, under his signature and in his shadow, but according to the script of Ramiz, Nexhmija, Sulo..., built up the mountain of crimes and abuses with great speed, even bringing about the downfall of their own people. During this period, according at least to intelligence reports, the operation to take gold from the state treasury and hide it in foreign banks or in concealed locations in Tirana, Skrapar and elsewhere was also intensified; only a few people with a direct interest in the matter must know about it. Even with regard to this national matter, Nexhmile Hoxha tries to present herself in her office as if she had neither done, seen nor heard anything. Naturally, she is clever and careful enough not to leave traces. What escaped her notice was wrapped up or hidden by careful specialists, among the thousands of files removed in recent years by Gramoz Ruci. To avoid direct culpability, even though she wreaked havoc on the poor state budget, she avoided signing the documents. This enables her in court to appear as innocent as a baby, indifferent, cynical and aggressive. Strangely, there are also people who believe her and feel sorry for her. One should not “torture” an old woman like this, a fortress-corpse, and even come to her defense. She, too, is a victim of Enver Hoxha... But does this creature with a human face deserve pity or mercy? Is she really a victim of Enver Hoxha? Why should we not think that Zeus was her victim? Her complete control over him gives us reason to think so, too. But could it be that she is simply laying all the sins and guilt on the shoulders of the dead Enver?

At the Ministry of Defense, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Albania and the Headquarters of the U.S. European Command, concerning the activities of the American military contacts team. The purpose of this agreement is to advance the agreements between the two parties. It opens the way for further development of contacts between our army and the American army. On behalf of the Albanian government, the memorandum of understanding was signed by Minister of Defense Safet Zhulali. (ATSH)

- Ramiz Alia, chairman of the red junta, and junta members Manush Myftiu, Hekuran Isai and Qirjako Mihali appeared as witnesses in the trial of Nexhmije Hoxha. At 10:00 in the morning, the presiding judge, Mr. Muharrem Kushi, calls Ramiz Alia’s name to testify. In his testimony, Mr. Alia stated: “I stand by what I have said about the treatment of the Hoxha family after Enver’s death. I have said that they should be treated as they had always been treated, because Enver was the number-one figure who led the National Liberation War as commander-in-chief and led the party and the state for 50 years. The family of Enver Hoxha was also entitled to the treatment Enver received when he died; he left his family neither a house, nor land, nor any other property.” He spoke in favor of the unshaken Nexhmije, to show her that he would not move from the barricades. So that when she appears as a witness in his trial, she will not say that they had drawn up the scripts for the crimes together over 50 years in a row. In this testimony, Ramiz once again showed that he is dishonest and implicated in the crimes he committed without his hand or even an eyelid trembling. After Ramiz, the presiding judge called the name of Hekuran Isai, former minister of the Ministry of the Interior, the ministry of skulls and death. Hekuran entered the courtroom full of energy. But when asked about the treatment of the Hoxha family, he burst out with his own accusations: “They arrested me to take revenge.” Hekuran said: “On 20 February 1991, when I was given the order to fire ... At the irritated people who had toppled the monument to Enver Hoxha, I did not carry out the order. The Government of Stability, through the chief investigator of the General Investigation Department, threatened my wife, saying that if she spoke about our Party leadership, which had given the order on 20 February for a massacre, they would arrest her and pin all the killings at the border on her. And they arrested me.” Although the presiding judge interrupted him several times and warned him that he was straying from the questions being asked, he persisted. Hekuran revealed a small tip of the filthy iceberg of crimes committed over 50 years by the red junta. He will be the key to the genocides, but he must be protected, because the red mafia may do its work to cover every trace. Manush Myftiu was brought into the courtroom from Krahnar. He had become a living corpse. He was no longer the Manush who terrorized the entire Albanian people with mass internments and expulsions and sent them to the extermination camps. He was no longer that Manush, puffed up with importance, who gauged Enver’s tides and ebbs. Then General of the red junta Qirjako Mihali appeared in the courtroom to testify. Qirjako came out together with his cane. He would sit at the villa drinking, while the red gang of sycophants and hardened informers went fishing and hunted boars, then packed them up and sent them as gifts to the junta’s top leadership on behalf of General Qirjako. They say that once, when Qirjako fired his gun, he killed one of his own gang. As if Qirjako alone had killed a person instead of a boar. Former criminal Prime Minister Mehmet Shehu had done the same when he killed a soldier instead of a boar. Their deeds are beyond counting. BEDRI MYFTARI

On Saturday, 23. 1. 1993, at 10:00, the next meeting of the National Council of the PD will be held in the hall of the National History Museum. (ATSH)