Of 13 factories, 9 are largely without work ON PAGE 5

The League Against Dictatorship invites Tirana to protest The League Against Dictatorship invites all citizens of Tirana to a powerful protest on Thursday, 5 November 1998, at 16:30 in “Skënderbej” Square. This protest rally is against the government that protects the organizers and executors of the murder of Azem Hajdari; it calls for the release of political prisoners, and is against the information terror directed at the opposition, corruption, smuggling, the failure to establish law and order and security, rising prices, and growing poverty. Everyone to “Skënderbej” Square on Thursday, 5 November 1998, at 16:30.

Majko’s police arrest the victims of clandestine-migrant trafficking The detention of a few unfortunate Kurds or Chinese is the weapon the government officials have chosen to create the impression that they are striking at the mafiosi who sow death in Otranto ON PAGE 3

Students react after propaganda about the constitution at universities “Before going to persuade students to campaign for the political constitution, Ruka and the Rectors should find out where these students live, how they make a living, whether they have books or not, whether they have slept or not in damp rooms, whether they are satisfied and content with their daily bowl of soup.” ON PAGE 3

. The Tirana International Conference was of decisive importance for political developments in Albania, not only because of the harsh conditions it imposed on the left-wing coalition government, but above all because of its conclusion that Majko’s government was a failed experiment. At the conference’s close, the left-wing camp watched in despair as its hope of making a long journey under Pandeli Majko’s leadership quickly came to an end; governing figure Nano had been completely discredited at home and abroad. The conclusions of the Tirana International Conference can, without the slightest hesitation, be regarded as ironclad conditions for the government in Tirana, which even foreigners see as one of continuity, as Prime Minister Majko himself declared on the first day of his ... government. But what makes their weight on the shoulders of the governing coalition even heavier is what was said behind the conference’s official façade, where diplomatic language was set aside and the truth was spoken plainly. Socialist Party officials are deeply upset by the label “government of the political mafia,” which potential donors have applied to the left-wing coalition that has governed Albania since the elections of 29 June. Mourning has descended on the coalition government’s highest circles because of the devastating conclusion the West has reached after Nano’s failures and Majko’s bad start. The Socialists and their allies, who had placed great hopes in the illusion that youth and frequent changes of new government officials could create, now feel abandoned by their dreams. Almost all the senior Western officials who spoke at the Tirana International Conference underlined that Majko’s government had made no progress, making clear that they are just as dissatisfied with him as they were with Nano. But this warning of the current government’s imminent fall was etched into the conference’s conclusions, which speak of corruption, smuggling, trafficking in clandestine migrants, and lack of law and order—all the ills of Nano-Majko governance, which the opposition has rightly been accusing it of for a long time. Above all, however, Nano’s, Gjinushi’s, and Çeka’s people turned pale when they heard, in a foreign language, the unambiguous demand to find and capture the killers of the December Leader, Azem Hajdari, who is a symbol not only of the Democratic Party but of all Albanians who have fought and continue to fight communism and dictatorships. The shrunken politicians who still remember the terrible events of 14 September have read their own rapid demise in the conclusions of the Tirana International Conference. They have sensed what bad governance has brought about, regardless of the dictatorial impotence sometimes displayed by the prime minister’s face, or the criminal farce demonstrated by the interior ministers of the new government. In more than a month of the new cabinet, there has not been a single step toward better governing the country, even though the initial enthusiasm has also bowed its head. Azem Hajdari’s killer[s] roam free; indeed, they have been rewarded by the government, while all of Albania has been brought to its knees before brutal crime and its forms. Koçi i zi’s police have their hands tied because, instead of arresting criminals, they deal with opposition figures, who are arrested or declared wanted as “armed criminals.” The scandal, the publication of the newspaper, criminal assistance ... across their territory, because nobody tells them off, as long as Tirana’s government officials continue to be preoccupied with ... Meanwhile, corruption and smuggling continue at the same pace, just as under the customs officials of Mllaj and Nano as under those of Angjeli, and so on. The Tirana International Conference is of extraordinary importance for Albania’s future because it swept aside the façade that presented the ageing government of the Socialists and their allies as a new bride.

The Secretary General of the Pan-European Union, Dr. éalburga Douglas, meets with the leaders of the DP. “We can have no allies other than the Democrats. The SP is unacceptable.” The political situation here is very worri...

The Court of Cassation evades the delivery of justice. The lawyers’ request for the release of political prisoners Shamata, Zhulali, Mulosmani, Rama is not examined The court’s decision is made in secret, without the presence of OSCE representatives, which has undertaken to monitor the process ON PAGE 2

ON PAGE 2 The government enlists the police and SHIK in the propaganda for the constitution Laprakë village head beaten Village head Hysen Avdyja was brutally beaten while conducting the population registration for the referendum vote on the constitution ON PAGE 3

Opposition representatives on the CEC demand compliance with the Referendum Law The left-wing members’ proposal to give space on state radio and television to NGOs and various individuals to promote their positions and opinions on the constitution is opposed ON PAGE 2

They have remained in the former owners’ homes even though they received loans that have been devalued as a result of inflation With loans of 11 million lek, the homeless have bought only the land ON PAGE 5

Today, 52 days since the murder of the December Leader Every day that passes since the murder of Azem Hajdari, the symbol of democracy and pluralism, proves the involvement of Fatos Nano’s government and his predecessor in the crime that shocked the entire Albanian world. The government of the former communists, which lets the criminals who took the life of the December Leader go free and untroubled, shows Albanians that they have been and are on the side of the killers, who have names and surnames but are untouched by those in power. Democrats and all Albanians who loved and honored Azem Hajdari can never tolerate this fact. 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.

Following the sentencing of journalist Antoneta Malja by the Court of First Instance in Tirana The Court of First Instance in Tirana ordered journalist Antoneta Malja to be sentenced to arrest. This is one of the strongest blows dealt to Albanian journalists and, essentially, to independent and opposition journalism. The Albanian government, and specifically its Prime Minister, Pandeli Majko, are the main actors behind this unacceptable arrest. Two days after his appointment, Prime Minister Majko declared that those politicians and journalists who cross the prison threshold would find themselves there partly because of the Prime Minister’s cooperation... ON PAGE 3

[Photograph of the boy]

The political situation here is very dangerous. This is because the SP is seeking to monopolize power. This is by no means a good path. In a democratic country, all people must have their rightful place within this democracy, and it is absolutely unacceptable for anyone to monopolize it. This kind of democracy creates a free zone for the exercise of corruption. Because whoever has power and money can also engage in corruption. And I fear that this is happening with this government. ON PAGE 2 Valburga Dagllas, Secretary of the Pan-European Union