The salaries of law-enforcement officers have been cut in half ON PAGE 4

Ceka calls for the opening of the Hani i Hotit border crossing ON PAGE 4

Gramsh, with 90,000 weapons, 54 killed and 344 wounded ON PAGE 4

The government freezes VEFA’s money. The company’s offices are finally sealed Concern is growing among the defrauded citizens: “Now we have nothing more to do with Alimuca(j)n, but with the government that looted our money from the banks”

Albanians are rising up to shorten the days of the fraudulent government Berisha at a press conference: “The Albanian opposition is the most persecuted in Europe” The DP at the head of the protest storm If we do not protest, Albanians will return to the governments

The nineteenth day of popular protests in “Skënderbej” Square As usual, protests by residents of the capital continued again last night against violence, political crime and the scandals of poverty caused by the communist officials. Speakers at the rally called for the resignation of Nano and the parliamentary leadership, whom they blamed for the crime against MP Azem Hajdari. Ylli Vejsiu, PD’s organizational secretary, told the protesters that “Skënderbej” Square had witnessed many victories by the democrats, beginning with the toppling of dictator Hoxha’s monument. Therefore, he said, we must gather here every night until we rid ourselves of this government, which came to power through violence and deception. The chief trade unionist, Guzim Kalaja, addressing the protesters on behalf of Albania’s miners, said that the protests would continue until the Nano government surrendered once and for all. “Our protest,” Kalaja said, “is legitimate because it is against crime, deception, poverty and tax increases.” Representatives of the association for the return of money invested in pyramid schemes said that the police had not allowed them to protest at “Nënë Tereza” Square, so they called on all the companies’ creditors to gather in this square every night to demonstrate their economic demands. They also said that requests had been made in most districts of the country to put Nano on trial for the great fraud of June 9. Guri Durollari, chairman of the Legality Movement Party, spoke about the systematic violence by the communist officials against democratic forces. “In this square,” he said, “Leka i Parë called for peace, reconciliation and brotherhood, but the communists provoked him in the most shameful way until he left.” Amid chants of “Mandela, Mandela...” MP Arbnori said he had just met several former political prisoners, with whom he had discussed the current communist revanche. They had told him that the director of Burrel prison had been appointed police station chief in one of the southern districts. “Likewise,” Arbnori said, “when we were in prison in Burrel, we were informed that all food brought from outside would be stopped. We then went on a hunger strike for 19 days, but today I learn that the son of the man who put us on that strike is a deputy interior minister.” PD leader Berisha said that those who thought the protest would die down had been disappointed. The fact that protesters gather here in this square every night shows that people are truly understanding how necessary protest is to save the country from terror and deception. “This protest,” he said, “must grow to powerful proportions so that [they] leave Albania.” Amid protests against the deceitful government, without the Bulgarian syndrome recurring yet. Berisha condemned the arbitrary actions of the police, who are assaulting democrats’ homes under the pretext of disarming them. Azem Hajdari quoted to the protesters Nano’s statement made in Vlora on June 9 about returning the money, and urged them to come to the square every day to express their protest against this fraudster who has installed himself at the head of the government. “Look,” he said, “at who Nano is and who Berisha is. Nano lives at the Rogner Hotel and spends more than 500 dollars every night, while Berisha lives in a modest apartment like all citizens! So who is the fraudster?” After the rally ended, Hajdari invited the protesters to demonstrate on Dëshmorët e Kombit Boulevard. Zef LLESHI

No one can do worse than a government whose days are numbered and which expects to leave at any moment. Such is the violent government of Fatos Nano. It came to power as a result of the communist rebellion, weapons and killings, through elections that are innumerable for the time being. Prime Minister Nano is prime minister for the time being, President Meidani is president for the time being, and the Nano 3 government is so for the time being. Regardless of the fact that each of today’s branches of power senses the harm in such a designation, the harm they cause is enough to sabotage Albania’s still-fragile democracy. The government of the moment has begun its reprisals against the opposition. Around 500 Democrats have passed through the filter of Ceka’s political police, while 120 police officers have been held in police-station cells for no reason other than that they are Democrats. Meanwhile, Democratic Party MPs were driven out of parliament with bullets, while explosives have been thrown at local officials, who have also been threatened and assaulted. The prime minister himself is not outside this direct physical violence. A few days ago, his guards beat a mayor brutally during a meeting the interim prime minister held at the Palace of Congresses. Likewise, the interim prime minister and his interim minister, Malaj, organized the theft of VEFA’s money, which had been deposited in the Commercial Bank. It is precisely because of these and many other wrongs committed by the interim government officials that the Albanian opposition has been protesting for days in the capital and in other Albanian cities. There is no other way to deal with people who regard power as their own and not the country’s, and who suffer just as much from the complex of being temporary. In no instance have they been able to show the loyalty required of a government in a democratic country; instead, they have shown only impatience to seize every node of the state, from the guards to the highest institutions. They are trying to build a fence around the country’s democratic values by isolating the opposition as much as possible. Freedom for the opposition is not only the freedom to protest. An opposition is free when it is given space in the media, when its protesters are not prevented from working, when they are not turned back by the police as soon as a rally ends, when opposition MPs are not shot at, and when its representatives in local government are not persecuted. Freedom for the opposition also means that it is not discriminated against and is allowed to communicate freely with its electorate throughout Albania, and that it is not silenced on important matters of state policy and the country’s future. The opposition in Albania is not free. Since the day the temporary rulers came to power, bullets have been fired at it several times, it has faced police violence several times, it has been monitored at every step by elements of SHIK, and it has been systematically abused by the temporary rulers. For precisely this reason, it would be best for these temporary officeholders to stay for as short a time as possible. Their time in office should be reduced to a minimum. No one expects anything good from the temporary rulers, especially when they are former communists, people connected with gangs, and sometimes gangsters themselves.

Albanians are rising up to shorten the days of the deceitful government If we do not protest, Albanians will return to the gavatet Nano is taking the wrong path to reduce the budget deficit Berisha: PD has its own alternative to the fiscal package, but it was excluded from parliamentary discussion with bullets Local government terrorized by the socialists. The Assembly of local officials warns the government Yesterday’s meeting of the Mayors called on the government to sign the Council of Europe’s Charter of Local Self-Government. The mayors invited Nano, for the last time, to make a statement and take action against his guards, who assaulted the mayor of Fushë-Arrës deceitful government PD at the forefront of the protest hurricane gavatet Nano is taking the wrong path to reduce the budget deficit High taxes impoverish Albanians Berisha: PD has its own alternative to the fiscal package, but it was excluded from parliamentary discussion with bullets Local government terrorized by the socialists. The Assembly of local officials warns the government Mayors: Stop the violence! Otherwise, strikes and protests will begin Yesterday’s meeting of the Mayors called on the government to sign the Council of Europe’s Charter of Local Self-Government. The mayors invited Nano, for the last time, to make a statement and take action against his guards, who assaulted the mayor of Fushë-Arrës ON PAGE 3

The sons of criminals release criminals ON PAGE 2