Speech by the Chairman of the Presidium of the People's Assembly It is not revenge, it is the answer before the law Speech by the Chairman of the Presidium of the People's Assembly Honorable deputies Today's discussion and decision on communist genocide, among other things, will come to make the great distinction between dictatorship and democracy, between humanity and inhumanity, between the closing of perspectives and the freedoms and human rights. The time is the most suitable. Some may say we were late. Yes, gentlemen. But three and a half years of democracy do not mean inactivity. It built the foundations, and very solid foundations at that. An institutional, legal and economic reform has been implemented and continues to be put in place. In the early years, half of every workday, perhaps even all day, the government spent thinking about the people's bread. It was the time when there was not even bread for the next day. But we never lied, we did not spread panic. We took a truckload of wheat from Vlorë and sent it to Skrapar, we took it from Shkodër and sent it to Mirditë, we took it from Durrës and sent it to Fier or Kuçovë. Today we no longer think about bread. Every day we thought about half a million unemployed people; today half of them are employed and we hope and work for the other half. We delayed this law for another reason too: every person needs to reflect for a certain time in order to make it act in the present and the future and to draw the proper conclusions. Unbelievable crimes and twisted but documented facts have come to light from the communist past, according to the definition of Sejfulla Malëshova, himself a communist from the old days, the Communist Party was a party of bandits, of criminals who would stab from behind, themselves and their comrades. Reflect, esteemed deputies, of which party. There has never been a worse side of communist leaders than the way they killed esteemed patriots, especially the clergy, from the beginning of the triple genocide, as in the prisons of the dictatorship there were, alongside nationalists, so many communists, army generals and ministers that one could get confused as to whether Burrel or Tirana was the capital of Albania. The cells of Burrel were the resting hotel of the entire general staff of the partisan army; they were the commanders of the brigades from the first to the XXIX, excluding a few numbers whose turn to be sentenced had not yet come. People across Albania should know these shocking facts. But what happened in these three and a half years of democracy? No political trial was held, but the criminals understood this tolerance as a weakness of democracy, rose up against it and began to threaten the order. This could have been their tragedy, but also the tragedy of democracy. So that we do not surrender to extrajudicial shootings, illegal arrests, terrible discrimination, perhaps a kind of police terror, countless inspections, provocations, interrogations with torture, staged trials, false witnesses, violent confiscation, camps and internment for extermination, the destruction of religious cultural monuments such as churches, mosques and tekkes, so that the desecration of artistic libraries and punishment for them do not happen again, so that they do not rise again in parliament with towers where no deputy is remembered to have ever risen against genocide and culture, against anti-laws approved with closed eyes, so that unconstitutional presidential councils do not arise again, so that it does not happen that entry into the UN and trampling with both feet on the principles of the UN, so that the killings after 20 February and the 2 April massacre are not repeated, the approval of this law is necessary. We must keep in mind above all that anyone will answer only for the law of that time, while the legislation in force, especially the current Criminal Procedure Code and the form of the democratic system, will be defended. This is certainly not revenge, it is the answer before the law of which we have always spoken. I would ask deputies of all parties to focus only on the main perpetrators of crimes against humanity and their collaborators and not to expand the circle to the blind executors. I call on you to discuss it with maturity and decide.

Yesterday the People's Assembly decided: The ideologues and executors of communist genocide are outside Albanian politics NDREKE GJINI The People's Assembly concluded the work of yesterday's plenary session after many debates and heated discussions, and by a large majority of votes approved the law "On genocide and crimes against humanity committed in Albania by the communist rule for political, ideological and religious motives". So the deputies who voted in favor of this law carried out yesterday an act of high service to the consolidation of a clean democracy in Albania, a democracy without the ideologues and executors of that unprecedented genocide that was inflicted on thousands of innocent Albanians for nearly 50 years in a row. They voted, and with their vote they removed from the brain of Albanian democracy that foreign flesh which had planted and nurtured the sources and presence of the stones of the communist dictatorship's criminality. Thus, the new century will find Albania with a clean democracy, without the ideologues and executors of the 50-year communist genocide of the Albanians. In yesterday's plenary session, when the law was being discussed in the chamber, Socialist deputies, once again united in a fist under the command of Pëllumbi, Dokle and Ruçi, tried to stand in defense of genocide. Their speeches filled the blockers with typical Bolshevik slogans and were terrorist and full of hatred against that Enverist communist caste that planned and carried out all those imprisonments, shootings, internments and the suffering of thousands of innocent people. Their miserable attempts to present this law as some kind of new genocide failed, and this is for the simple reason that this law does no more than provide the politics of the time with a legal response to a tyranny, imprisoning and deporting such a large mass of Albanians that the figures are truly shocking. This law is not about exposing the macabre crimes in these crimes of the dictatorship; these are not found by chance at the head of their party. Socialist deputies once again showed that their noise about supposed unity at the center is simply a mask behind which hide the furrowed faces of conservative communists who, through their teeth, are trying to build a new dictatorship. But that mask fell yesterday as if by magic when the criminals against humanity who are protected by the communist regime were exposed. But for the good fortune of Albania, of Albanians, and of the future of democracy in Albania, they are in the minority and their vote has value only in the offices of the PS Politburo, where Marx's portrait is still kept. At the end of the discussion of this law, they also, in despair, left the Parliament chamber again... but thanks to the majority vote in favor of this law, it was approved.

From prison, Pjetër Arbnori was writing to the President of the Supreme Court MR. SHAIP PANARITI PRESIDENT OF THE SUPREME COURT TIRANA Challenge of the Albanian Mandela to the dictatorship From prison, Pjetër Arbnori was writing to the President of the Supreme Court MR. SHAIP PANARITI PRESIDENT OF THE SUPREME COURT TIRANA As I stated in court, most of my trials were openly falsified by Major Llambi Titani. Moreover, the signatures were obtained through the use of physical and psychological violence and threats. Also, after my death sentence, the illegal pressure continued. Almost all the people who accompanied me during my time on this side were instructed to pressure and threaten me so that I would lie. I was always told that they would take revenge on my family if I refused such a thing. Even after my sentencing and arrival in prison, the torture increased instead of decreasing. Iron torture, cigarette burns, pricking with needles, denial of food and correspondence for months on end, the introduction of prisoners who beat me — these are some of the methods used against me. For all this I was accused, but instead of an answer, the intensification of suffering came to me. Therefore, taking all this into consideration, as well as what may come later, I clearly and openly declare that any testimony taken from me by force and threats has no value and is false, and any accusation made in my name by anyone is false. I have never found myself through lies, nor have I ever defended them. I have proved this to the relevant organs, when they brought me as a witness against Frano Shiroka, who is a false witness and I refused to lie. I am not writing this letter to accuse or persecute you, or anyone else, except to make it known that, under any circumstances, I will never defend falsehood, nor will I be on its side. The prisoner Pjetër Arbnori 23.12.1964

President of the Republic Sali Berisha received yesterday the Malaysian businessmen delegation President of the Republic Sali Berisha received yesterday the delegation of Malaysian businessmen led by Mr. Anada Krishnan, who is visiting our country. Expressing his satisfaction with this visit, the President pointed to the great potential Albania has and the broad opportunities it offers to foreign investors in fields such as tourism, construction, infrastructure and the creation of private banks. In particular, our legislation, which has been greatly improved recently, has created favorable conditions for these investments to be carried out quickly and to be secure in our country. For their part, the members of the Malaysian delegation informed the President about the investment projects they envisage carrying out soon in our country. Press and Information Office at the President's Office

Meeting at the headquarters of the Democratic Party At the invitation of the PD, Mr. Gerd Langguth, Chairman of the Board of the "Konrad Adenauer" Foundation, arrived in Albania at the head of a delegation for a visit. At the PD headquarters he was received by Mr. Tritan Shehu, Secretary General of the PDSH. The meeting was attended by the deputy chairmen Mr. Dosti and Mr. Hysenbegasi, as well as the heads of PD departments, Messrs. Pepa, Kopliku and Mati. Mr. Shehu, after greeting him, discussed the political situation in Albania and the drafting of a new civil law that would function during the next elections in 1996. Mr. Langguth stated that we are here to provide support with technical assistance by bringing specialists and working with the Democratic Party so that its work can be as effective as possible and in line with European standards. He also put forward the idea that in the German Bundestag there should be a parliament that would deal specifically with Albania, with the sole aim that the democratic forces represented by the PD should also be at the forefront of Albanian politics tomorrow for the betterment of democracy in Albania. During this visit, the liaison office of the "Konrad Adenauer" Foundation, the largest German foundation with 40 years of activity operating in 120 countries of the world as a symbol of the struggle against communism, will be used. The PD has felt its support up close since the beginning of the democratic movement. At the end, Mr. Kopliku briefly explained the economic and Albanian situation to the German friends. PDSH Press and Information Department

Prime Minister Meksi visits areas damaged by rainfall in the district of Shkodër Yesterday, Prime Minister Aleksandër Meksi, accompanied by Interior Minister Agron Musaraj, went to the areas damaged by the heavy rains of 20-21 September in the village of Postribe, where the damage is greatest. A meeting was organized with officials of this commune, in which the prefect of Shkodër, Iliaz Vrioni, was also present. The chairman of the district council, Ali Kazazi, informed Prime Minister Meksi about the damage caused by the rains, especially in the communes of Mesi, Oblikë and Dajç. Mr. Meksi saw up close the serious damage to the Rozafa bridge that connects Dukagjin with the city of Shkodër, and for its repair he emphasized that engineering units of the army would be sent. He asked the local authorities to send the government the fullest possible information on the damage caused in this district, on the basis of which the government team that will arrive here as early as tomorrow will determine the measures to address the situation. For this, the Prime Minister stressed, funds will be allocated from the government reserves.

Enver Hoxha committed the great national betrayal against Kosovo Inside Scandalous press conference of the PS The great national betrayal against Kosovo was committed by Enver Hoxha PAGE 3

Genscher’s memories of Albania PAGE 8

Today in Tirana - PDSH seminar with the participation of the Chairman of the Board of the "Konrad Adenauer" Foundation, Mr. Gerd Longguth Today the PDSH seminar will be held, where Mr. Longguth and Mr. Hysenbegasi will greet the participants. During the seminar the themes "The Structure of the PD" and the efforts with other analogous Western European parties; "Organization and management of the Party", "On the political situation in Albania and in the Democratic Party" will be addressed, respectively by the presenters Murisi Madhi, Broçk and Bashkim Kopliku. The seminar will continue during Sunday as well.

Today at 10:30 a.m. at the International Press Center, Messrs. Tritan Shehu, Secretary General of the PDSH, Engjëll Hysenbegasi, Deputy Chairman of the PDSH, and Gerd Langguth, Chairman of the Board of the "Konrad Adenauer" Foundation, will hold a press conference. The accredited diplomatic corps in Tirana is also invited.