The Ministry of Justice falsifies the inspection evidence ON PAGE 4 The Ministry of Justice falsifies the inspection evidence Tirana judges threaten to go on strike ON PAGE 4

CISS provides crime statistics for Italy ON PAGE 4 CISS provides crime statistics for Italy Albanians are at the bottom of the crime list ON PAGE 4

Political forces call for calm to be maintained ON PAGE 4 Political forces call for calm to be maintained Riots in Shkodër enter their third day ON PAGE 4

Malaj: Creditors, forget Nano’s promise. The right-wingers: The collapse of VEFA rekindles the war. “The Right Center” abandons the parliament of Kalashnikovs Today in Tirana: “We want our money.” Call from the creditors’ association: “Everyone to Skënderbej Square at 5:00 p.m.” Tirana against the government of crime. Today, protests for the return of the money will resume in Tirana. The National Association of People Whose Money Was Left in Usury Schemes has announced a protest in “Skënderbej” Square, with the participation of citizens who have deposits in rentier companies. In a call distributed yesterday throughout the capital, the Association is asking citizens to gather at 17:00 in the main square and join the appeal “we want our money,” addressed to the current government. The Association’s call for the return of the Money Left in Usury Schemes states that the law-enforcement authorities have also been notified about the protest. “We want our money,” “Nano, keep the promise you made,” and “Fraudsters before the court” are some of the slogans for which permission has been requested from the police. In its appeal to the citizens of the capital, the Association is calling for broad participation by those who have lost money in fraudulent pyramid schemes, as well as compliance with democratic standards for a peaceful protest. Some of the association’s leaders said yesterday that their protest had been provoked by the government’s dismissive attitude toward the serious plight of thousands of Albanians who have lost money in pyramid schemes. Citizens have nothing more to expect from a government that is not only doing nothing to address their problem, but is instead declaring today that the money cannot be returned, contrary to Nano’s promise on June 9. The Association’s appeal calls for all citizens to be made aware of the issue, stressing that only massive participation in protests will help ensure the swiftest possible return of the money left with firms and companies. This means that the association’s group, like many citizens, still believes that the money promised by Nano in Flag Square might one day be returned. In any case, both those who no longer believe in Nano and the Socialist Party, and those who still have a glimmer of hope, have decided to take to the square to speed up the government’s actions, if the latter intends to return the promised money, or to force it to account for itself if it has “forgotten” its bombastic promise. A.GJ. Thousands of citizens of the Capital filled “Skënderbej” Square again yesterday, at their protest against political crime Photo A.Fusha

Violence against local government leaders is another element that places today’s rulers among the criminal section of Albanian society. In this daily escalation of terror against legitimate local leaders, every segment of today’s state is involved, from their gangs, which still operate in various parts of the country, to the bodyguards of the Albanian prime minister. Plans for violence against the authorities that resisted the armed rebellion were drawn up by the most extreme factions of the left-wing parties, directed by Gjinushi, Nano, Dokle, Ceka and others. During the days of the communist rebellion alone, several municipal buildings were burned; those responsible for the arson were the socialist pyramid-scheme operators who are now also members of the People’s Assembly, such as Eduart Alushi and Luiza Hoxha. Armed men entered local government buildings during those days, threatening officials with weapons and demanding that they leave their posts; the former prefects of Vlora and Gjirokastra were also attacked. The political violence employed by the socialists during the rebellion continued after the June 29 elections. It was institutionalized as one of the methods used to bring all branches of power under the socialists’ umbrella. The mayor of Sarandë was beaten, dynamite was thrown at the home of the head of the Lushnjë district, and weapons were used to threaten and fire volleys at the homes of several other local leaders representing the Democratic Party. In some cases, they were prevented from carrying out their duties even after the June 29 elections, while their names were included on the blacklists of Socialist Party gangs or leading figures in today’s government. Many of them have been openly pressured to resign, with threats against their lives or those of their family members. Whenever parliament passed a law favoring the installation of socialist parties at the head of institutions in Tirana, the punishment of one or more local leaders was carried out that very same day. The most unprecedented case in the history of an Albanian state official was the beating of the mayor of Fushë-Arrëz, in the presence of Prime Minister Fatos Nano himself, simply because he had asked to speak. The prime minister’s guards were ordered to forcibly remove the mayor of Fushë-Arrëz and several other local representatives from the meeting, even though Luan Hajdaraga, an official of the Socialist Party, intervened to stop the violence against them. Fatos Nano’s fans erupted into applause and hysterical shouts at this act, while showing no concern for similar scenes involving the legitimate leaders of several districts across the country. Such violence is the final sign of a dictatorship before it is fully established. While violence against local government is now on the agenda of the Albanian communists, the socialists’ two satellite parties, PSD and PAD, have called for new local elections. No one, either inside or outside the country, has contested the elections of October 20 last year. They were fair and free, and today’s local leaders are fully legitimate in their positions. It is today’s rulers who are illegitimate: through violence and crime, they are trying to install their own state—a state that is nothing but an instrument of gangs and bandits, smuggling, fraud and political violence.

Tirana against the government of crime.

Village elder Hysni Kuka, 9 days in Ceka’s cells as a member of the PD ON PAGE 2 of the capital, the Association called for a peaceful protest. Some of the association’s leaders also said attitude. were in the square to express their serious has “forgotten” its bombastic promise. A.GJ.

Memaliaj. An indefinite protest began yesterday: “Pay the wages and get the mine producing” The city’s workers have announced that they will escalate their protests, while also demanding the return of money lost in pyramid schemes The workers at the Memaliaj mine began an announced indefinite strike on Monday. The workers are demanding payment of their benefits and the reopening of the mine, which has been closed for a year while undergoing restructuring. The workers have warned that they will escalate the strike if the government does not meet their demands. The coal mine in Memaliaj is the largest in Albania and was selected as an enterprise for restructuring by the Enterprise Restructuring Agency. ON PAGE 5

A parliamentary commission made up of Socialists to investigate the communist rebellion

The leader of the PD, Sali Berisha, received the Danish ambassador The leader of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, received yesterday morning, at the latter’s request, the Danish ambassador accredited to Albania, Mr. Peter Schmeichel. At the meeting, Mr. Schmeichel expressed his appreciation for the efforts of the Democratic Party and Mr. Berisha to remain a loyal, constructive opposition in defense of democratic values. He said that he appreciated the role Mr. Berisha plays in managing the crisis in accordance with democratic values and standards, as well as his current contribution to Albanian political life. He also said that he regretted observing that the climate in the country was confrontational. The leader of the Democratic Party, Berisha, expressed his pleasure to the ambassador at the meeting and stressed that, in his opinion, the climate in Albania was extremely confrontational. This was because, after June 29, the process of national reconciliation, which should have been a long-term process, was entirely replaced by the unrestrained revenge of the new holders of power. This revenge has been carried out through violence and the physical liquidation of political opponents. A line of this kind, dominant during the Hoxha dictatorship, existed during the period of pluralism only from February to June 1991, when Nano, the communist creature, was created; it began again last March with his release from prison and continues with his appointment as head of government. The attack in parliament against MP Hajdari was a high point in a series of attacks against local government officials in Lushnjë and Sarandë. Just 10 days after the attack on MP Hajdari, at a meeting with the Albanian prime minister, the opposition leaders who had been invited by him were beaten and mistreated by his escorts. We believe that international public opinion must understand that we are dealing with a political line pursued by the current prime minister, who, as our friends abroad have told us, never stops using the words “reconciliation and cooperation with the opposition” in meetings, while in the country the opposition is subjected to his most vulgar insults. The main laws governing the market, the media, the judiciary, and state institutions are being subjected to communist revenge. Let me remind you here that only a few days ago the President of the Republic and Nano’s former lawyer dismissed the judge who found Nano guilty of corruption. The restrained revenge against the administration is accompanied by the mass public purging of thousands of public administration employees, the army, the diplomatic service, and even schools and their principals, despite the legal protections they have. Today’s government officials are not talking about forming a government, but a system. The Danish ambassador stressed that we are concerned about the purges taking place and observed that many of them are politically motivated. He condemned the serious attack, for which, he said, there could be no justification, as well as the mistreatment of the mayors. He also said that the practice followed by parliament in passing the fiscal package was extremely serious and unacceptable. The Danish ambassador also expressed his pleasure at the invitations Berisha had extended to roundtable discussions and at the Democratic Party’s willingness to engage in dialogue on the constitution and the country’s major problems.

Thousands of citizens of the Capital filled “Skënderbej” Square again yesterday, at their protest against political crime. Photo A.Fusha