Tens of thousands of citizens honor the memory of the government’s victims. Albania in mourning. Flags at half-mast, flowers, car horns and lit candles Fatos Nano deploys snipers over the enraged crowd. The state tries to prevent the grand ceremony in order to wash its bloody hands Photo: Armando Babani

The opposition denounces the commander of the 2 April massacre On the eve of the 11th anniversary of the killing of 4 young people in Shkodër, senior leaders of the Democratic Party yesterday made several extremely serious denunciations against the head of the Guard, Fadil Çani. The Deputy Chairman of the PD, MP Azem Hajdari, stated that Fadil Çani had been the commander of the criminal operation that took place on 2 April 1991 in the city of Shkodër and that he was one of the leaders of the killing of the 4 martyrs of democracy. Azem Hajdari accused Fadil Çani of having, with the help of the Serbian secret service as well, issued orders for the killing of hundreds of Albanians starting from 2 April. Hajdari demanded the removal of Fadil Çani as a man implicated in a series of political crimes in Albania. He stated that evidence for this accusation are Kasëm Pila, the only wounded person from 2 April, as well as the Tirana police officer Besnik Delia. According to Mr. Hajdari, Fadil Çani had close ties with the family of the former communist dictator Enver Hoxha. Delia, a senior colonel of the special public order forces, declared that on the order of Fatos Nano, on the eve of the 11th anniversary of the 2 April massacre in Shkodër, the deployment of snipers is being planned to shoot again into the crowd of the opposition. According to Delia, Fadil Çani yesterday ordered around 15:00 that special marksmen be placed on the rooftops of the buildings around the “Dëshmorët e Kombit” Boulevard to fire on opposition demonstrators. “This is being done to discourage the protesters and keep the public under pressure,” Delia said.

Speech by the Secretary General of the PD, Ridvan Bode, at the funeral ceremony ON PAGE 3

Berisha, Ahmet Çakuli and [the families of] the two martyrs of democracy in Tropoja offer their condolences ON PAGE 3

Speech by the Mayor of Tirana, Albert Brojka ON PAGE 3

The company’s representative does not accept the meeting’s creditors The affirmers, [Alinusca], Ilindizel, want to become master of Tirana’s properties