From the “Hazbiu” file, we will publish materials from the V Plenum of the Central Committee of the Party of Labour of Albania, held on 13 and 14 October 1982 These materials will include: 1. Kadri Hazbiu’s self-criticism before the Plenum meeting 2. Enver Hoxha’s speech, and the discussions and debates of Xhelil Gjoni, Hekuran Isai, Rexhep Kolli, Themie Thomai, Enver Halli, Shefqet Peçi, Ramiz Alia, Veli Llakaj, Nazar Berberi, Harrilla Papajorgji. TODAY: KADRI HAZBIU’S SELF-CRITICISM. Svetozar Koçiçi was sent by Tito to establish special contacts here in Tirana. He had been an army security adviser—where Kadri Hazbiu was chief” PAGE 5

NEW COMPLAINT TO THE TIRANA GENERAL PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE Families of the 14 people executed by firing squad in Mirditë call for justice to take action PAGES 2 & 3

Will they be convicted of genocide? R. Alia was head of state not long ago, but remained so until the spring of 1992. Commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Ramiz Alia was perhaps the finest model of intrigue, treachery and murder by stabbing people in the back. He was the man who sent young men into the adventure of illegally crossing the border, promising them in a government decree that if they were caught they would no longer be sentenced for “high treason” to death or life imprisonment, but would be punished only for a criminal offense. But this decree was a shameful façade, behind which the crime was concealed. The Albanian border witnessed chilling killings. The boys who “patched their way through” were shot without warning. Arbitrary executions were carried out, without trials. Those who were still alive were thrown down ravines to cover up the traces... They were shot in the back; the dead and the living were dragged along, paraded through the streets of towns and villages, and imprisoned. All this for the sole “crime” of wanting to live better. In Kolonjë, if the murderers have not made them disappear... Ah, if only Mount Gramoz could speak! It would tell of the brothers Engjell and Muhamet Sejati, who were killed one winter night in December 1990 at the border. Their frozen bodies were left there, on the snow. May 1991 would come before the victims’ bodies were found, when spring was arriving and the snow had begun to melt. Vogël, in Ersekë, perhaps the only hotel, where refugees used to stay, but they soon changed their minds. Why not escape at night? Daytime would be dangerous. And they set off, not thinking that someone else was awake and keeping watch at the hotel on that August midnight. It was the hotel manager who, as soon as she noticed that the five travelers had left the hotel, immediately informed the local Department of Internal Affairs. They caught them and, while they were wounded, executed them by firing squad... That was the order. The only one of the five boys who survived was Avni Rumi, who today recounts the story with tears in his eyes. That tragic night, he lost his companions in the mountain scrub. For two days he stayed in an abandoned shepherds’ hut without eating anything, in anguish because the border had been sealed off by the forces of PETRIT HAJDARI ARTUR KERCELLI

Speech by Prime Minister Aleksander Meksi at the Tripartite Conference Ladies and gentlemen, First of all, I would like to thank you for your participation and your discussions at this conference, which I believe is very important for the future of wage policies and the wage system in Albania. Ladies and gentlemen, First of all, I would like to thank you for your participation and your discussions at this conference, which I believe is very important for the future of wage policies and the wage system in Albania. Although I have not had the opportunity to follow this conference in person during the three days it has been under way, I have tried to obtain detailed information about the issues raised and the ideas proposed by participants from many countries, including foreign participants. Wage reform has been and remains among the priorities of the Albanian Government. It is entirely understandable and necessary, as time goes by, for the wage system to clearly reflect qualifications and years of service, educational level, the difficulty of the job, and the responsibility required in carrying out duties. A system that does not take these considerations and principles into account cannot be useful. The fundamental and comprehensive transformation, the economic and administrative reform that we are At the same time, wages have been systematically increased. Today, with very few possible exceptions, the minimum level is 4,000 lekë per month, while the average monthly wage is over 8,300 lekë; these are expected to change next spring. requires qualified personnel with new ideas who will lead Albania into the future, and with your help this can become a reality. I am (Continued on page 2)

If only the mountain of Gramoz could speak! Arbitrary executions, without trials. The wounded were thrown from precipices to erase the traces... They were shot in the back, dragged away, stabbed, dead and alive; they were left in the streets of towns and promenades, to live better. All this in 1990–92, when Ramiz Alia was president, Fatos Nano was prime minister, and Gramoz Ruçi was interior minister. It would tell you about the rascal Ylli Keti, who, with two friends of his, brothers, tried to cross the border in March 1990. The border patrol caught them and tortured them. Ylli can tell only his brother about it. One of the brothers resisted the torture, and they shot him on the spot... Oh, if only the mountain of Gramoz had a voice! It would tell you about Fatmir Ormani, the rascal they caught, dragged all the way to the border post, searched thoroughly, and shot with a submachine gun. They photographed him dead, and with these photographs the killers prepared mobile exhibitions, taking them from village to village to terrorize the residents. Even today these “exhibitions” must be in the archives of the former Department of Internal Affairs of Someone for a dog, Gramoz!

There were five of them: Avni Ruminga Gostivishti i Kolonjes, Petrit Hajdari and Artur Kercilli from Korça, Nikolla Joti from Rehova e Erseka, and Safet Rapo from Erseka. Gramoz! It would tell you about the brothers Engjell and Muhamet Sejati, who were killed on a arriving and the snow had begun to melt. Oh, if only Gramoz could speak! It would tell you about Riza Starja, who was shot at the border together with his two brothers... It would tell you about those who disappeared without a trace, about those who were hanged without graves... Oh, if only the mountain could speak... What would become of Ramiz Alia? How would the “initiator” of the democratic processes, the “first president of democracy,” as “ZP” called him, feel? Numerous facts place this initiator before the law. There were five of them: Avni Rumi from Gostivisht i Kolonjes, Petrit Hajdari and Artur Kercilli from Korça, Nikolla Joti from Rehova e Erseka, and Safet Rapo from Erseka. The great, cold mountain of Gramoz enticed the young men with the promise of a great achievement. They were young men, suffering and poor, with “stains” on their records. They could take no more. It was the period between the storming of the embassies and the unforgettable exodus. So they joined together. They decided to spend the night in a hotel so that they could

off, not thinking that someone else was staying awake and keeping watch at the hotel soon as he notified the Department of Internal Affairs. The police forces, led by the head of the Department of Internal Affairs, Kadri Ibaj, immediately set out to catch the border violators... Meanwhile, the five young men were climbing Mount Gramoz. It was a bad night, with rain and thunder, and although it was summer, the night was cold in the mountains. The boys were each wearing a summer shirt. Scratched by the bushes, hungry and tired, they were nearing the border’s soft strip. Midnight had passed. The sky shook, and in the flashes of lightning the five unfortunate young men became targets for bursts of submachine-gun fire. They were shot without warning. The two men from Korça, Petrit Hajdari and Artur Kercilli, fell lifeless side by side, their lives ended forever. Rain fell on their faces, and streams of blood were still flowing. Safet Rapo, dazed by the sound of the machine guns and the sight of his dead friends, took another mountain path, not knowing where he was going, and fell into a ravine. At least, that was the version presented by the indictment at the trial. But was this version true? Nikolla Joti was then wounded and lay there, unable to

The only one of the five young men who survived was Avni Rumi, who today recounts the events with tears in his eyes. That night, tragic for the fate of his peers, he got lost among the mountain bushes. without putting anything in his mouth, the border-post forces. But the border patrol led by Luan Guma would put an end to Avni’s temporary freedom. They discovered the hut and tied Avni with wire, beating him as if he were an animal. Bound like that and drenched in blood, they took him to Rehove, cursing him with the words “Enemy, traitor to the homeland.” His hands had turned black from the wire, and the drops of blood ran down his face. His fingers were paralyzed. On the evening of August 23, he found himself facing Kadri Ibaj, the sadistic head of the Erseka Department of Internal Affairs. The investigation began. The search for the four dead men was still underway. Who had initiated the “betrayal” of the homeland? It was demanded that the trial be held in Avni’s village, Gostivisht, in the style of the “centuries-old trials” organized by the communist dictatorship to inflict psychological terror on the people. And so it was done. Avni Rumi was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for illegally crossing the border. He served one year in Spaç. Would the genocide be punished? YES. YES, says Mount Gramoz; YES, say the republic’s borders, soaked with the blood of young men.

Yesterday afternoon, the Secretary-General of the PDSH, Mr. Tritan Shehu, received the Chairman of the Collegium of Chairmen of the LDK of the Albanian diaspora, Mr. Hafiz Gagica, and his delegation, composed of leaders of LDK branches outside Kosovo. Furthermore, Mr. Tritan Shehu explained that Albania’s isolation, imposed by the Bolshevik dictatorship, had been twofold: it had cut Albania off from half of its population, which lives in its own territories beyond the state borders, and from the rest of the world. Thus, despot Hoxha concealed the Kosovo issue and the Albanian issue in general in order to preserve his power, while keeping alive the hopes of the Albanian nation for a common future; he persecuted and killed all those who dared to cross the “wall” in search of the “earthly paradise” trumpeted by the red nomenklatura, installing genocide in every cell of social, economic, and political activity. This caused tragedy after tragedy, among which the darkest and saddest remains the Massacre of Tivar, which, in terms of wickedness and communist crime, has few equals in world history. Under such circumstances, when the communist regime sustained itself through national treason and bloodshed, there could be no question of protecting the rights and freedoms of half of our nation’s territories. However, Mr. Tritan Shehu stressed, only with the PD’s coming to power, compelled by the power of the PD, in confrontations and in the face of growing international attention, did despot Hoxha acknowledge darkest and saddest remains the Massacre of Tivar, which has few equals in world history. He then spoke about reviewing the objectives concerning the consolidation of democracy, strengthening the rule of law, creating an open market economy, increasing prosperity by encouraging free enterprise, integrating the country into all European and Euro-Atlantic structures, and achieving a just resolution of the Albanian issue. remains the Massacre of Tivar.

Yesterday, Israel’s new ambassador in Tirana, Jahuda Milo, presented his credentials to the President of the Republic and conveyed President Weizman’s invitation to visit Israel at the end of January 1995. President Berisha gladly accepted the invitation. Press and Information Office of the President

Yesterday afternoon, Israel’s ambassador in Tirana, Mr. Jahuda Milo, held a brief meeting with several journalists from the Albanian media and press. At the meeting, Mr. Jahuda Milo spoke about the priorities of Albanian-Israeli cooperation. In response to a question from “RD” about his opinion of developments in political and economic reforms in Albania after the victory of democracy, he stated: “In my opinion, in these few years of democracy Albania has achieved impressive progressive development, both in the political and economic fields. When we speak of such major developments, we must also bear in mind that they are taking place during a transitional phase which, as is well known, cannot pass without its share of pain, but is a necessary process whose success in the future is assured. In these years Albania has weathered a transition that passed through a difficult situation because of total destruction and absolute poverty, but the successes achieved are an unshakable guarantee of even greater and more successful progress along the path already begun.” N.GJINI

In two days, contradictory accusations about law and order The zeal for opposing the encyclopedia has made the journalists of “ZP” more confused than ever: one day they accuse the authorities over a simple problem, and the next they complain about “the worst counterattack ever” and law and order. The same “ZP,” while helping with the abduction of Edvin Nishani, with the abduction of Edvin Nishani, with the abduction of Edvin Nishani. A real “Gegocide.” Meanwhile, as for whether the police had permission to work, after E. Nushi was returned home, “ZP” put this news at the bottom of its page, at a time when, on the one hand, it was criticizing the authorities as mentioned above, and had an editorial. But that is not all: at the top of “ZP,” in large letters, it said “Korça with its hands up” and “Stop, police,” just one day after it had accused the state of being unable to maintain order. “ZP” then claimed it could maintain order; “ZP” then published an article accusing the state of… Maintaining order in a dictatorial manner; it even criticized law and order in Korça because police officers had been placed near schools. So, the previous day, the arrest of E. Nushi in front of the school “revolted” the journalists of “ZP” so much that they accused the authorities of allowing “genocide,” while the next day they accused the authorities for keeping police near schools. “ZP” has its own famous tale about the donkey being given cold and hot water by God. EDl PALO KA

“Don’t listen to Bush. He’s just a pensioner.” These are the words of “president” Neritan Ceka about former U.S. President George Bush. It is now well known that some people, who dabble a little in politics, have an obsession with attacking Berisha, to the point that it seems their sole purpose in life is to attack Berisha. Until now, however, they had been content with that, while lately paranoia seems to be driving them mad. Frrok Çupi was the first to make people doubt his mental balance, when he furiously attacked the President of the World Bank (and the institution itself) simply because he had expressed his friendship for the Albanian President. Meanwhile, the madness becomes scandalous when PAD “President” Ceka “ironizes” the former U.S. President by calling him a pensioner, merely because Bush welcomed President Berisha into his home, describing the Albanian as a friend and a companion, and saying that we should not deviate from our present course. What role could Bush himself have played—or, for that matter, what could he have done? Not to mention the stature of a politician like George Bush, Ceka would crawl all the way to the U.S. just for Bush to glance at him, but that is how things have turned out: some are figures in politics, while others dream of dabbling in politics. It is nobody’s fault that Ceka is only a minor player, or that they are trying to dabble a little in politics. Mr. Ceka, you belong to the same mould as Namik Hoti. E. PALOKA

At the same time, wages have been systematically increased. Today, with very few possible exceptions, the minimum level is 4,000 lekë per month, while the average monthly wage is over 8,300 lekë; these are expected to change next spring.

the flag system to clearly reflect qualifications and length of service, the radical and comprehensive transformation, the economic and administrative reform that is taking place. common future, persecuting and killing of the “earthly paradise” trumpeted by the red nomenklatura. (Continued on page 2)