12 December, eight years since the founding of the Democratic Party Today, on 12.12.1998, at 12:00, a grand rally will be held in “Skënderbej” Square to commemorate the anniversary of the founding of the Democratic Party, today, 12 December 1990, and to protest against the government, which continues to sweep away the murderers of Azem Hajdari, the hero of democracy and tribune of Albanian nationalism. Today, 12 December 1998, marks three months since the day the ruling clique murdered the hero of December ’90, the hero of Albanian pluralism, Azem Hajdari. Nothing has been done to find his killers; on the contrary, the government of continuity has intensified acts of violence against the Democratic Party, including killings, imprisonment, ill-treatment, threats and violations of democracy. Everyone to the square to defend pluralism, everyone to the square to restore democracy to Albania, everyone to the square against the government that protects Azem’s killers, against the government of misery. Brothers and sisters, today, 12.12.1998, at 12:00, let us all come together in “Skënderbej” Square.

Students on the second day of their hunger strike. The strikers are determined to stay until their demands are met Fatri Islamaj, Jetmir Bilali and Shkëlzen Berisha are arrested and brutally beaten by the secret police and the regular police inside the law faculty building in Tirana ON PAGE 3 Student Jetmir Bilali, brutalized by the police

Hunger causes the first health complications among the hunger strikers A female student from Shkodra is also in poor condition; she refused the doctors’ advice to end the strike. Many of the students have suffered vomiting, headaches and low blood pressure ON PAGE 2

By Edi PALOKA Majko has once again proved what his position was in December ’90. The man who today holds the post of prime minister, presenting his young age and participation in the December movement as his only credentials, two days ago drove dozens of students from all over Albania to go on hunger strike and then sent SHIK to beat them. Two days ago Majko also burned the forged credentials he had been waving in his hand. If until yesterday Majko had not been attacked as much as Fatos Nano, it was not because his government was doing him credit, since it has deepened its grip even further. bringing him honor, since it has deepened the crisis even further, but precisely because, for some people, he held in his hand the “credentials” we mentioned. But two days ago Majko, the “young man” and “December activist,” became the chief cause of the hunger strike by those whose representative he claimed to be in government. And, also on Majko’s orders, the students were brutally beaten in their own home. The students asked Majko only for a meeting to talk, to present their demands and receive his answers, but Majko chose another path. With the students, Majko chose to take the road his predecessors had chosen in ’90. The “young” prime minister refused to go and hear the students’ demands, instead sending them Koci’s police officers and SHIK spies. Certainly, nothing else could have been expected from a Socialist prime minister, even though he boasts about his young age and falsely claims that he was among the December students. In February ’91 the students went on strike again, this time to remove a dictator from the University of Tirana. Back then Majko was on the other side. Then, following Ramiz Alia’s advice, Majko had begun efforts to present the old whore as an innocent virgin. At that time the current prime minister, who still dares to mention December, had once again stepped into his role, into his game. Today Majko has nothing left. His government is not only in despair, but has driven the serious crisis from Nano’s time to the point of no return. Ultimately, Majko has not only failed as a government leader, but has completely degenerated. Majko could justify the lack of public order, rising poverty, the continuation of smuggling and illegal trafficking, increasing corruption and all the negative aspects of his government, but he cannot justify his treatment of the students, the violence inflicted on them. With these acts Majko brought his short-lived government to an end, but at the same time also ended the open debate about the participation in the December movement of those who are now in the SP. Recent events are showing that if there were any in December who later returned to the SP, they were only the youth secretaries planted by Alia to sabotage the movement. The students’ hunger strike in February ’91 showed this, and today’s events are showing it even more clearly, as precisely these people have risen up and are using violence against the students. Now Majko has nothing left to do but resign. The students did indeed go on strike for their economic demands, but given the way events are unfolding, it is very difficult for this issue not to become politicized. Students were subjected to violence in Shkodra simply because they sought through their strike to have some of their problems resolved. The violence was repeated yesterday in Tirana, again against students who were on strike over their economic demands. But at this point events move beyond a simple relationship between the students and the government. If Majko had sat down with them, talked with them and resolved their problems, then politics would necessarily have stayed out of it; indeed, if anyone had been politically at fault, it would have been Majko. But the Socialist prime minister did not act this way. The students’ demands were not only ignored, but violence was also used against them. At this point politics can no longer stay out of it. Ultimately, Majko must resign not only because of his failure in government, but also because of the recent events involving the students. He has no other solution, and the more he seeks other artificial solutions, the more this will only heighten tensions in the country and lead it toward unpredictable and extremely dangerous situations.

75% of lecturers take part in the one-hour protest The lack of dialogue with the government prompts a negative response from lecturers to this “silence” ON PAGE 5

The government should engage in dialogue with the hunger-striking students The establishment of dialogue by the Albanian government with the students, and not only with the students but with all Albanian citizens,... ON PAGE 3

Politicians support the hunger strike We call on the government to pay attention to the younger generation. We are optimistic that the students will win... ON PAGE 2

Berisha comments on eight years of the DP and Albanian pluralism To develop the country and lift it out of the all-encompassing crisis in which the corrupt clique has trapped it, and to restore hope and democracy to Albanian society ON PAGE 2

Today, 90 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 successor in the crime that shook the entire Albanian world. The government belongs to the former communists, who, by leaving the criminals who took the December Leader’s life free and undisturbed, show Albanians that they have been and remain on the side of the killers, who have specific names but are not mentioned by those in power. Democrats and all Albanians who loved and honored Azem Hajdari can in no way tolerate this fact. The government must either capture the criminals or publicly declare that it itself carried out the murder of Azem Hajdari.

The Secret Service blocks the phones of “RD” The National Intelligence Service, in cooperation with the Director of Telekom, Dhimitër Rafi, interrupted the telephone lines of the newspaper “Rilindja Demokratike” yesterday morning. The interruption of the phones at the newspaper “RD” is not unexpected in our day-to-day work since the former communists came to power. But yesterday none of the telephone sets was answering. But yesterday none of the telephone sets was answering. But yesterday none of the telephone sets was answering. This blocked us… [part of the text is unclear] A Telekom employee said that Rafi’s cooperation with the Secret Service had not appeared for the first time in connection with the interruption of the phones at “Rilindja Demokratike”. Our newspaper calls on Majko to leash the SHIK watchdogs who answer and disconnect the phones according to their mood, and to connect the “RD” telephone lines with the prime minister’s minister so that he will release the phones blocked by his people, assuring him that we need them only for work and not for corruption or smuggling—which he has been “fighting” so much lately. “RD”

SPA: We stand with the students! Teachers’ warning strike on Monday ON PAGE 2