Elbasan Hospital closes its doors for one hour ON PAGE 4 Elbasan Hospital closes its doors for one hour Doctors protest yesterday ON PAGE 4

Italian government approves repatriation plan ON PAGE 4 Italian government approves repatriation plan The return of refugees begins ON PAGE 4

In the fifth week of socialist government ON PAGE 4 In the fifth week of socialist government 46 killed, 59 wounded ON PAGE 4

“Interesting” letter from Athens to Paskal Milo. Albania as a federation with Greece. Alimuça punished for his anti-communist convictions. Arbnori’s health is in a very serious condition. A slap for Nano from an American legislator

Yesterday the Minister of the Interior, Neritan Ceka, announced a broad purge in the police force and their replacement with former State Security officers. According to his employees, he himself says that 80 percent of the Albanian police are criminalized, have helped criminals, have themselves taken part in crimes, have leaked the police’s secret plans, etc., etc. Such barbarity toward people in uniform has never been seen before, and such an accusation is doomed to fail from the outset, to the shame of Ceka and his colleagues who have encouraged this kind of attack on their own police officers. Following the announcement, if it were true, the Ministry of the Interior should either withdraw the stated percentage or twenty percent of the force should leave, together with Ceka. This should have been done first, and only then should war have been declared on the uniform and its credibility. The police that Ceka declared to be 80 percent criminalized have long stood up to every figure in the world of crime. They kept the country from becoming a criminal environment in 1992, and after almost a year nearly all serious criminal offences had fallen to the European average. They stood up to drug trafficking and clandestine migration in 1994 and then in 1995. The criminalized police, according to Ceka, captured many criminals, murderers and murder gangs, whom Ceka and Nano’s gangs released from prison during March. The Albanian police was the institution that suffered the greatest human losses during the red rebellion. Nearly 30 police officers were killed and hundreds more wounded. Such a toll for a law-and-order institution in just four months is unprecedented in the history of a police force, and says nothing about its criminalization even in the days of the gangs, but rather about its costly resilience, even compared with the most independent police force in the country. Meanwhile, there have also been examples of police officers being involved in crime, but they have never made up 80 percent of the entire police force; the percentage was not even two percent. Action has always been taken against them, and the police have continually purged themselves, although 99 percent of the force have remained at their posts because of their great dedication. The Albanian police has not been criminalized. Those who are criminalized today are its leaders: the Minister of the Interior has the thugs who bathed Elbasan in blood; the prime minister has gangs and prevents the police from arresting them, has returned Paskal [unclear] caught with gangs, and has gone with them to the “Berlin” restaurants; the President of the Republic has thugs who [unclear]. This is spreading through the police, while they lay claim to positions as council commissioners. The criminalized ones are the gangs that killed 2,000 Albanians and wounded 5,000 others. The criminalized ones are their Albanian leaders, who have seized key positions in the state, and others who have risen to the top of the gangs. Whenever the police manage to catch gangsters, the criminal matter is taken up by the unit under the director appointed by the Minister of the Interior. The murderers of Vlora often told informants: “Pay Nano, because that’s where he’ll go.” Likewise, the criminal conclusion in Tirana was that any police commissioner had already been seized by the chief gangster. The coffee [unclear] was arranged a mile in advance, then Ceka in the police station that Ceka appointed. Which Albanian police force is involved in this to some degree? The one appointed by the Minister of the Interior. Either it no longer has the moral authority to take to the streets to catch criminals or maintain public order, or Ceka no longer has the moral authority to enjoy even the chair of Minister of the Interior. The police have shown what the alleged 80 percent really amounts to. Ceka has done the opposite.

Arbnori on the 11th day of his hunger strike. International support for Arbnori’s sacrifice is growing. Nano insults the sublime act of Europe’s Mandela ON PAGE 2 Arbnori on the 11th day of his hunger strike. International support for Arbnori’s sacrifice is growing. Nano insults the sublime act of Europe’s Mandela Traficant: Arbnori’s demand is legitimate and just ON PAGE 2 Gilman, Chairman of the Committee on International Relations in the U.S. Congress: Arbnori’s objectives advance democracy

6:30 p.m. on Saturday, 30 August 1997, marked the 11th day of the hunger strike by Pjetër Arbnori, an MP for the PDSh, confined to a small room in the premises of the Presidium of the People’s Assembly, in protest against the information blockade that the socialist rulers are imposing on the opposition. According to the doctor, his health is worsening by the hour. At that moment Arbnori was receiving an intravenous drip and had fainted. During yesterday’s visit, “an immediate deterioration in his health was observed; his temperature [text unclear] and showed two upward readings, while there was [text unclear] of his blood pressure and a decrease in the strength of his pulse beat per minute.”

Open letter to Mr. Fatos Nano, Prime Minister of Albania For any further crime that may be committed against me and my family, my brothers, I accuse you directly of murder The PD protests Ceka’s statement that 80 percent of the police are criminalized A grave insult and humiliation for the Albanian police Yesterday, the pro-government newspaper “Koha Jonë,” in large capital letters on its front page, declared that, according to Ceka, the head of the Ministry of the Interior said that 80% of the Albanian police are criminalized. This statement by the head of the Ministry of the Interior, alleging that law-and-order officers and Albanian police officers are criminals, comes just one day after the newspaper “ZP” of the Party had openly used criminal slogans calling: “Remove the criminals from the law-enforcement forces.” Such an irresponsible statement, intended to provoke an attack, condemnation, downfall, hatred, terrorization, and the destruction and abuse of Albanian police officers—who are employees of the state—reveals above all the low moral standards of a group of provocative, smuggling government officials and other provocateurs who have come to power through criminal gangs, [unclear] and traffickers. To declare that 80% of the country’s police are criminalized means declaring the entire Albanian police force criminal. It means denying communism and claiming that today the police are organized criminals, while the country’s leaders are responsible for murders, explosions and smuggling-related crimes. To declare today that 80% of the Albanian police are criminals shows that this government wants to rule by distorting and destabilizing public order; discrediting the police and its officers and disrupting order are the real [unclear] plan of the new government. The PD protests Ceka’s statement that 80 percent of the police are criminalized A grave insult and humiliation for the Albanian police Yesterday, the pro-government newspaper “Koha Jonë,” in large capital letters on its front page, declared that, according to Ceka, 80% of the Albanian police are criminalized. Ceka is preparing files to put thousands of honest police officers out of work and replace them with hundreds of bandits, murderers and looters who brought him to power and now demand more money and positions. The statement by the head of the Ministry of the Interior carries out the political decision of the party-state: after destroying the National Intelligence Service, it is now weakening the law-enforcement forces for its own benefit. Yesterday the people saw that they would face murderers, robbers and rapists who, at police stations, in criminal hideouts and everywhere else, produce evidence of their leniency and links with ministers, the prime minister and the President. The Democratic Party denounces this statement. It calls on law-enforcement personnel not to become instruments of their leader’s anti-Albanian, destabilizing and abnormal statements; to denounce the criminal elements that have recently grown stronger within their ranks; and not to [unclear] the brave and patriotic people who uphold the order and peace that Albania deserves.

Albania heading toward dictatorship. Criminal structures of the State Security Service are being integrated into SHIK. What did the head of SHIK edit out of his interview for ZP? The anti-Americanism of his friends, including ministers, and the fact that for many years he was the son-in-law of a Bulgarian woman, seem to make it natural for Klosi, like his predecessors in Hoxha’s era, to be closer to the Russian service

Dr. Pellumb Çela, member of the CEC, writes to the President of the Republic Given the very serious situation in Zone No. 4, and bearing in mind that it was representatives of the Socialist Party who insisted, with convincing arguments, that elections not be held at this polling station, and that the political and state authorities of the PUL commune oppose holding elections in this zone, how can your haste to hold these elections in record time be explained?

The steadfast members of the PD in Berat hold their assembly ON PAGE 2 The steadfast members of the PD in Berat hold their assembly Structures that exist thanks to the dedication of Democrats ON PAGE 2

Today is the twelfth day of Pjetër Arbnori’s hunger strike. VEFA may sue Nano’s government