Six speedboats carrying clandestine migrants turned back from the Bay of Vlora ON PAGE 4

Heading toward a social abyss. Data on poverty in Albania are alarming ON PAGE 5

The economic crisis forces children to leave school ON PAGE 5

The traffickers’ government officials have the protection of the country’s number one ON PAGE 4

Killed in Lushnje, former Director of the ShIK Directorate A year ago, the so-called “public salvation committees” had sentenced Bashkim Shkurti to death. Tirana refused to send a helicopter to save his life. PD leaders attend Shkurti’s funeral Bashkim Shkurti, a mathematics graduate, worked for a long time as a teacher of the subject. He later joined the structures of the National Intelligence Service and became director of this institution’s directorate for the city of Lushnje. Later, he served in the same hierarchy in the city of Durrës, before returning in November ’96 to his hometown of Lushnje in the same post, Director of the Intelligence Service Directorate. When the current rulers came to power, Bashkim was removed from his post. ON PAGE 2

Bashkim Shkurti’s funeral ceremony yesterday in the city of Lushnje

The leftists ignore the recommendations of the Council of Europe and the OSCE on the electoral law Manipulation and the language of force appear set to prevail once again over the will of Albanian voters ON PAGE 4

The Foreign Policy Commission does not want NATO in Albania Godo: Anyone who has called for NATO to be stationed in Albania has taken an anti-national position ON PAGE 3

The state kills its own officials The murder in Lushnje is another grave signal in this now blatant physical elimination of opposition figures, but also of those people who have served in the state’s confidential structures. The head of personnel at the Municipality of Lushnje was one of the leaders of SHIK in this city and in the city of Durrës. In other words, he was an important Albanian state official who knew and understood well the rebellion in the city where he was killed, just as he was well aware of the motives and the people who led the rebellion and the destruction of several city institutions. The Lushnje native Bashkim Shkurti certainly fought such a rebellion and defended the state. But it is precisely such a man who falls victim to his profession, while those who carried out the rebellion, killed, slaughtered and massacred, and today govern Albania, have received millions of lekë in rewards; many of them have also secured important posts in the state administration. Meanwhile, a former senior SHIK official is killed by masked men clothed with power, while people like Xhevat Koçia, who smashed other people’s teeth with bayonets, filled their pockets with people’s money, and are free men. The state is reversing its relations with its former people. It is trampling on precisely those qualities that could ensure the state’s survival, and after trampling on them, it kills them. So far, there have been cases of this kind in which former SHIK personnel have died in mysterious circumstances that cannot remain mysterious. Someone has an interest in eliminating witnesses to crimes and people who can speak more clearly than anyone about these crimes. The rebellion in Albania was led by people who are now in government, people to whom even the killing of former officials of this kind is attributed. The Lushnje murder resembles all the murders of the past. It is like the killing of Xhevat Koçia in Vorë, like Leonard’s, or another case involving people who were in control, as well as former officials who have been protected up to now, just as the entire state was unable to protect the people targeted by the rebellion and many other deputies who were killed and wounded during a year of communist rule. Between this protection, which is always absent for the right people, and the state there is a conflict. It is connected precisely with last year’s events and their propagandists, who today associate with people suspected of crimes. At the very least, it is a betrayal. It is an open struggle for elimination.

Statement by the PD branch in Vlorë Following the reports on TV Amantia and the interviews concerning the incident involving the journalist from the newspaper “Koha Jonë,” Ms. Zenep Laka, the Democratic Party of Vlorë declares that: The Democratic Party distances itself from every terrorist act and from those responsible for this violence against the journalist. It calls on the competent authorities to establish the facts and bring those responsible to justice, whoever they may be. However, we believe that the minor tensions that arose at the meeting with Vlorë’s Democrats were the product of certain segments of Albanian politics, in cooperation with some local officials, and of the media campaign that had been underway throughout the week. We believe that the law-enforcement authorities handled the meeting successfully, but with a little more effort, the few negative incidents—the stone-throwing observed by some people—could have been avoided. We hope that such incidents will be avoided in the future.

Democratic women convene the National Council The leadership has elected Silvana Vincannin as LDG Vice-Chair and Donika Sina as Secretary General ON PAGE 2

Police violence against journalists again ON PAGE 4

He distributes visas to socialists in his electoral area. The PS chairman and the Socialist secretary of the Municipality draw up the lists

A citizen gives chilling testimony about Xhevat Koçia’s crimes Residents of Maliq accuse the Secretary General of the Socialist Party ON PAGE 3

The press, between state violence and street crime The difficulty of the journalistic profession is increasing considerably, while cases of violence against journalists and pressure against freedom of speech are on the rise. At best, there is no response to the street crime that is gaining ground every day against people in the press ON PAGE 3

Funds for maintaining the sewers are halved Nearly 100 employees of the wastewater sewerage service are being laid off ON PAGE 5

Year VIII of publication No. 1007 (1928) WEDNESDAY 13 May 1998 Price: 20 lekë 1,000 lire 250 drachmas

NOT FREE

The inquiry commission, its mysteries and the witnesses in a political show ON PAGE 8

The members of the National Council of the PDSH, the vice-chairmen and the branch secretaries are hereby notified that a meeting of the National Council will be held in Tirana on Sunday, 17 May 1998, at 11:00, with the following agenda: 1. The organizational functioning of the PDSH structures and the immediate programme for improving and invigorating their political activity (Report by the Organizational Secretary, Mr. Fatmir Beja, on behalf of the Presidium’s control group, followed by discussion) 2. Discussion and approval of the draft resolution on the situation created in the country following the unconstitutional decisions concerning the Constitutional Court. 3. Discussion and approval of the draft regulations governing the operation of the Party’s central commissions. (Note: Copies of the materials to be discussed are available from the Organizational Secretary.)