Merchants refuse to pay the high taxes ON PAGE 4 Merchants refuse to pay the high taxes Government accused of smuggling ON PAGE 4

TNT explosion in Ura Vajgurore. Anti-tank weapons in Berat. ON PAGE 4 TNT explosion in Ura Vajgurore. Anti-tank weapons in Berat. Violence returns to gang-controlled areas ON PAGE 4

Court orders indefinite detention for two of Zani’s thugs ON PAGE 4 Court orders indefinite detention for two of Zani’s thugs Çeka is hiding evidence of the crime in Vlora ON PAGE 4

Great international interest in the hunger strike of Albania’s Mandela. Arbnori’s health is deteriorating. The Ministry of Health is not sending doctors to the hunger strike. The lock of power against the Opposition

Inextricably linked to the gangs and with no inclination whatsoever to restore order: that was the essence of Çeka’s answers during the question session in Parliament. The Minister of the Interior and his department, as the PD group also sees it through its deputy chairman, Ferdinand Xhaferri, have no platform whatsoever for eliminating organized and ordinary criminal gangs, restoring calm and public safety, restructuring the Albanian police, or addressing the greatest problem: disarming the civilian population and collecting weapons. Yesterday once again, the Minister of the Interior confirmed that the department he heads is nothing more than an appendage of the clique’s power apparatus, whose purpose is to threaten opponents, penalize and, if possible, eliminate the political opposition. In response to the Socialist MPs’ desire to implicate the leaders of the Democratic Party and its Government, Çeka replied that he too had wanted the same thing, but that it was impossible. This wretched servant of violent power confirmed that he has been placed at the head of the most important institution of the Albanian state, not to serve citizens and fulfil the duty assigned to him by the Interior Ministry, but to rummage through documents and papers like a madman, hoping to find some letter that he can brandish before Albanians and tell them: “Look what the PD Government and its leaders have done.” Conceived in this primitive and political way, the work of the Ministry of the Interior has left many people—including many of its former leaders, especially after the overthrow—with a bitter taste and disappointment. No citizen of the Republic of Albania, apart from the gang of ministers and their thugs, cares, when faced with threats to their life, property and family, what the documents Neritan Çeka waves around on state television contain. Everyone knows that there are other investigative and judicial bodies in this country, called the prosecutor’s office and the courts. Once again, the Minister of the Interior put forward the argument for restoring order by collecting 4,000 weapons that have been identified because the people who possess them are known and signed for them when they received them under the law. But, in a desperate attempt to penalize these four thousand people who hold licensed weapons, Çeka has not cited a single case among all those killed and wounded showing how many were injured or lost their lives because of these 4,000 weapons, which are registered under the law and whose elements constitute firearms. By invoking these cards, the installed minister demonstrated that he and the Government of which he is a member not only do not want order and calm, but seek to heighten tension and deepen chaos. The minister provided absolutely no figures on the number of gangs, organized crime, ordinary crime, or measures to stop them. His empty rhetoric and the derision his answers provoke in society are shocking evidence of the state the country is passing through—a country brought down by those who led the way. Those responsible are the ones who nurtured the climate of violence, encouraged by the Government installed through crime and organized gangs. The Minister of the Interior said that no criminal army had been organized, and then spoke of this terror and of 400,000 weapons in the hands of the civilian population, as well as 16,000 people imprisoned for misdemeanours. Everyone should be clear and understand that the legal measures agreed upon by all political forces and approved in Parliament to disarm the population are a necessity. The Minister of the Interior is better off not threatening 16 judges over an accident that the courts have referred to the lawyer. The reasoned [text unclear: dëshshtiba?]

According to Çeka, it is not the thugs who should be disarmed, but those who have weapons to protect themselves from thugs ON PAGE 3 The Minister of the Interior is conciliatory toward criminals

Tobacco smuggling denounced Interview with the chairman of SHKSH, Blerim Çela. From cigarettes alone, during the first six months of 1996 the state collected 1 billion 270 million lekë, whereas in the same period in 1997 it collected 380 million lekë—or 900 million lekë less, which has gone into the pockets of profiteers and smugglers protected by today’s authorities. Customs duties were likewise collected at only 61%, a shortfall of 1 billion 500 million lekë. In these two items alone, the deficit amounts to 2 billion 500 million lekë. Where did this money go? Who stole it? People have eyes to see, ears to hear, and minds to judge. ON PAGE 2

Gjinushi’s first order yesterday detained the assistant of Mr. Pjetër Arbnori, who was beside him. The Parliament’s guard officers stopped the assistant Blerar Islami, chosen by Mr. Arbnori, who had been issued documents authorizing entry to Parliament by the Parliament’s Presidium and had performed this duty for three days in a row. This incident gives a complete picture of Arbnori’s communication with the outside world from the hunger-strike area. Now, on the order of the jailer Gjinushi, Arbnori’s journalists, wife and children, relatives and friends have also been detained.

Message from the Democratic Leader, Prof. Dr. Sali Berisha, to Mother Teresa on the occasion of her 87th birthday In a message, PD Leader Sali Berisha wishes Mother Teresa a happy 87th birthday and offers her his heartfelt wish: “Happy birthday.” I wish you good health in your mission of charity, living Saint of Christianity, symbol of our national pride and of the great Albanian spirit, and many more years to continue your mission, both earthly and divine, which you carry out for the good of humanity.

Meetings of PDSH Deputy Chairman Mr. Ali Spahia. Arbnori’s hunger strike is becoming internationalized. Great interest from diplomatic circles in Tirana Yesterday’s schedule for PD Deputy Chairman Ali Spahia was filled with numerous meetings with foreign dignitaries accredited in our country. He met with Mario Cristofoli – First Secretary of the Italian Embassy; Chrislioph Meron – Austrian Attaché; Delof von Berg – Member of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe; as well as Robert Cecula – Chargé d’Affaires at the American Embassy in Tirana, and Ambassador Sivier-an Thomas Feller. Mr. Spahia explained the reasons that had compelled Democratic MP Arbnori to take the extreme step of going on hunger strike, which he has now been on for one week. MP Arbnori began a hunger strike in protest against the information blockade imposed by the neocommunist incumbent authorities that emerged from the 29 June elections, against all political positions, alternatives and activities of the Democratic Party, both in Parliament and outside it. At the meeting, Deputy Chairman Spahia cited instances of censorship and distortion of statements made by the PDSH Leader in Parliament. He particularly emphasized the disregard of Article 140 of the Parliamentary Rules of Procedure during the parliamentary session concerning amendments to the Anti-Genocide Law and the Vetting of Public Figures. Although the Presidium had reached a consensus decision that the debate should be broadcast in full on TVSH, the Speaker of Parliament halted its transmission on TVSH and ordered the camera operators out precisely while the bill was being debated. Deputy Chairman Spahia explained the motives that led Mr. Arbnori to begin the hunger strike. The sole motive was not opposition to the amendments and the suppression of his speech on TV. The real motive was the defence of the fundamental principles of democracy enshrined in our constitutional laws, specifically Article 2 of the constitutional chapter on fundamental human rights and freedoms, Article 10 of the European Convention and Article 19 of the Universal Declaration. Mr. Arbnori demanded legal guarantees that opposition parties would be allocated a set amount of time in the news and political programmes of RTV; that there would be no blackout, censorship or distortion of opposition activities; and he proposed an amendment to Article 5 of the law “On the Status of RTSH”, according to which “in the news and political programmes of RTV, one third of the time shall be allocated to the government, one third to the parliamentary majority and one third to the opposition.” Those taking part in the discussions expressed deep concern about the issues raised and Mr. Arbnori’s health, as he is known throughout the world as an unwavering fighter for freedom and freedom of thought. They all agreed on the great importance of fair access for all political forces to television broadcasts for improving the political climate and developing democracy, and expressed their concern about the current state of the elections and the issue. They undertook to bring this matter to the attention of their governments.

7TH YEAR OF PUBLICATION No. 195 (1720) WEDNESDAY 27 August 1997 Price: 20 lekë 1,000 Italian lire 200 drachmas

Today is the eighth day of Arbnori’s hunger strike. Gjinushi meets with Shyti and Malaj in his office

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