On Wednesday, everyone to “Skënderbej” Square On Wednesday, 7 October 1998, at 17:00, the League Against Dictatorship is organizing a large peaceful rally in “Skënderbej” Square to protest against dictatorship, political killings and imprisonment. The League Against Dictatorship invites all its members, supporters, and all the citizens of Tirana to come together on Wednesday in “Skënderbej” Square to defend freedom, democracy, the opposition, our rights, and the freedoms of all against neocommunist dictatorship. All together, to win together!

Former Chairman of the State Audit, from his cell to house arrest ON PAGE 4 Former Chairman of the State Audit, from his cell to house arrest Court changes Blerim Çela’s prison sentence ON PAGE 4

the prime minister’s armored cars Majko, mired in the “Apostoli” scandal The new prime minister has two choices: either denounce the million-dollar theft carried out under Gaqo’s signature, or admit that he took his share along with Meidani and Gjinushi. The President congratulates the dismissed government officials involved in smuggling. Fino, Malaj and Islami were yesterday in Meidani’s office Meidani has been involved in the massive looting of public tenders. Nano keeps the Block villa, the government office, and the prime minister’s armored cars

By Sami NEZA The Apostoli scandal is the clearest chart of the corruption of the government that has just resigned. But it is also the very essence of the corrupt and criminal nature of the state leadership structures run by the left-wing class of Albanian politics. The Apostoli scandal is a case of legal corruption that involves Apostolli, the Chairman of the Presidium of the People’s Assembly, Skënder Gjinushi, the President of the Republic, Rexhep Meidani, and the new Prime Minister, Pandeli Majko. The Apostoli scandal involves Gjinushi, through his insistence, for more than two days, on keeping Gaqo Apostoli in the post of Minister of Public Works and Transport. At first, many people did not understand his insistence, or understood it only as an act connected with party honor or a desire to retain the lucrative areas within the government. But his insistence not only on the ministry but also on the minister’s identity, even as he was conceded the right to keep the Ministry of Public Works for his party, shows that the corruption was tied precisely to the name of Gaqo Apostoli, and that any change could have exposed the plans that also involved the signing of three agreements two days after Apostoli was no longer a minister. Such insistence shows that Gjinushi himself was the guarantor of the agreements signed by Apostoli. He must convincingly explain why he insisted so strongly, or disclose the amount of money he received from this scandal. Skënder Gjinushi managed to involve the new prime minister, Pandeli Majko, in his scheme for signing these agreements. Majko delayed the formation of the new government by two days. He also involved the President of the Republic, Rexhep Medani, who accepted a resignation that had already been accepted as such a few days earlier. Albania’s Prime Minister, Pandeli Majko, must explain the political bargain struck between him and Gjinushi; and, to distance himself from this responsibility, he must declare the agreements void, or otherwise state how much money he received from this deal. Majko had been appointed prime minister by presidential decree, while Apostoli had no right to make agreements worth around 35 million ECU, given that he had resigned days before the agreement was signed. A detail of importance is also revealed in Apostoli’s explanation of the signature. Apostoli decided to sign them only on 29 September, that is, one day after Nano had resigned, a resignation accepted both by the leadership of the Socialist Party and by President Medani. In such a situation, Apostoli had no reason to act with extreme haste, thereby creating further political complications amid Gjinushi’s insistence that the new government be delayed until Apostoli had signed the lucrative tenders. Thus, Majko created the necessary opportunity for this action, either by provoking a dispute with Gjinushi or by creating this opportunity without knowing Gjinushi and Apostoli’s intentions. But now these intentions will become known, and Majko is implicated, having been appointed prime minister by the President of the Republic. Besides being chilling as a scheme involving 35 million ECU, the Apostoli scandal also takes on the appearance of a legal scandal because of Medani’s involvement. The President must also consider a situation in which a resignation is anticipated, and explain the reason that prompted Apostoli, only hours after signing the three agreements, to resign, when the new government had already been decreed, including the new Minister of Public Works. In this case there is no reason or legal basis. When a prime minister resigns and that resignation is accepted, the entire government resigns automatically, including Apostoli as one of its members. No paragraph of Albanian constitutional law says that the roads minister is exempt from this resignation or that the President may exempt any member of the government when the prime minister resigns. Medani’s acceptance of Apostoli’s resignation took place in September, as stated in a letter of this kind, constituting a consistent violation of the law. Otherwise, one should read the figures for the money that he himself received from this agreement. For these and other matters that may become known later, the Apostoli scandal, carried out during the transition between governments, also remains a scandal involving the collaboration of the three branches of power, which are dominated by left-wing clans. Now there is hope that something other than corruption or smuggling may emerge from the Socialist Party or the other left-wing parties.

Greek media predict new unrest in Albania A Greek television channel reported yesterday that an assassination attempt against Albanian opposition leader Sali Berisha was being prepared. According to the Greek media, there is a detailed plan to target the leader of the Democratic Party, similar to the one for the murder of December Movement leader Azem Hajdari. The private Greek channel said that further unrest was expected in Albania after this, stronger than that of September this year, which brought Nano to power and the anti-Albanian gangs behind the murder of Azem Hajdari. Twenty-three days have passed since the crime that shook Albania, yet the killers of the December Movement’s leader are still on duty in state uniforms, and the government has no intention whatsoever of disturbing their peace. The news published by the Greek media may also be a collaborative game between the Athens press and the Albanian secret service, where not only the Sigurimi men have returned with [?], but also the means of the-

Today, 24 days since the murder of the December Movement Leader Every day that passes since the murder of Azem Hajdari, symbol of democracy and pluralism, proves the involvement of Fatos Nano’s government and its successor in the crime that shook the entire Albanian world. The government of the former communists, who are free and unrestrained, and the criminals who took the December Movement Leader’s life, show Albanians that they have been and remain on the side of the killers, who have names and identities but are not touched by those in power. Democrats and all Albanians who loved and honored Azem Hajdari cannot tolerate this under any circumstances. The government must either capture the criminals and bring them to justice, or publicly declare that it itself carried out the murder of Azem Hajdari.

Everts: The killers must stand trial A Greek television channel yesterday published news of preparations for an assassination attempt against the leader of the Albanian opposition, Sali Berisha. to attack the chairman of the Democratic Party, similar to the one behind the killing of the December leader, Azem Hajdari. The Greek private channel said that, following this, new unrest had been planned in Albania, more severe than that of the middle of September this year. The Athens media did not name its sources for the information about the prepared assassination attempt against Berisha, while the involvement of the Nano government and anti-Albanian circles in the killing of Azem Hajdari is known. yet the killers of the December leader remain in office and in state uniform, peace. The urgent news from the Greek media may also be the result of some cooperation not only the former Sigurimi agents have returned, but also the tools and methods of the State Security, the weapon of “truth” that eliminates the political opponents of the communist regime. The OSCE Ambassador in Tirana, Mr. Daan Everts, visited the family of the hero of democracy, MP Azem Hajdari, yesterday to offer the Hajdari family his condolences on behalf of the OSCE. Everts expressed his and the OSCE’s profound sympathy over the gruesome killing of MP Azem Hajdari together with his bodyguards, calling for the killers to be brought to trial as soon as possible. He highly praised the role of the hero of democracy, MP Azem Hajdari, in the Student Movement and December ’90, and in the development of pluralism and democracy in Albania.

Minister Koçi starts work. Lazime Çera, sister of the bodyguard killed together with Hajdari, is taken away by police using force Police vans from Police Station No. 3, filled with police officers and masked special-forces personnel, arrested Mrs. Lazime Çera (Daci) at around 8:40 p.m. yesterday at her home near the Dinamo factory. Lazime Çera is the sister of democracy martyr Besim Çera, who was killed together with the hero of Albanian democracy, MP Azem Hajdari, on the night of September 12, by the hand of Fatos Nano’s criminal chief. The police forces, led by Albert Dedaj, head of the Criminal Investigation Unit at Police Station No. 3, forcibly took Mrs. Çera away and brutally assaulted her, frightening her two young children and the residents near her home, whom the police threatened, telling them not to come closer to see the massacre they were carrying out. Mrs. Çera’s husband was not at home, and she was washing clothes in the yard of her house when she was arrested and mistreated by the police in front of her children. The police had no arrest warrant and no reason to mistreat and imprison an innocent woman. The police’s only reason was that some time earlier they had searched her home and found two Democratic Party membership cards. Besim Çera’s sister has been locked in the isolation room, and the police have not allowed any of her family members to contact her. Besim Çera, killed

Berisha appeals to NATO I welcome the report of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, which, from the highest international forum, condemns the barbarities committed by Millosheviç during this year in Kosovo and confirms that Belgrade has not complied with the demands of the UN Security Council resolution. I call on the North Atlantic Alliance to intervene without hesitation against Millosheviçi, both as the butcher of the Balkans and as the person most responsible for all the atrocities of his Serbian nationalism in the Balkans. To date, Millosheviçi has taken advantage of the international community’s hesitation to implement without wavering his criminal platform of ethnic cleansing and the extermination of the Albanian nation in Kosovo. I also denounce the apathy of the authorities in Tirana toward this crisis and demand that Albania offer all its ports and airports to the North Atlantic Alliance so it can carry out military operations and achieve its objectives in Kosovo.

State pressure and terror against education strikers throughout the country In the capital, this strike took place only partially because of pressure exerted by the police and SHIK, while in the district of Shkodra the strike was observed 100%, with the full participation of all the schools... ON PAGE 5

Former minister Arben Malaj, leaving the Presidency yesterday, congratulated by Medani Photo: Albes FUSHA Former minister Arben Malaj, leaving the Presidency yesterday, congratulated by Medani. Photo: Albes FUSHA