Honoring the martyrs is honoring Albania MAY 5. Albania and its good people perform the customary rite of honoring the martyrs. Not only because of the headscarves. Not only the honored veterans, white-haired with hearts forever young, but everyone. Because on May 5 the martyrs, the undying stars of freedom, are remembered with honor and gratitude. May 5, the day of Qemal, whose name carries support and weighs majestically upon the new generation. In Albania! The men with ancient gray hair gathered around them. The girls and boys gathered around you like birds... These are two lines that inevitably come to mind when you stand before the “Mother Albania” monument in the National Martyrs’ Cemetery. They were planted there yesterday, too, on May 5, 1992, when we gathered as we do every year on this day. And people will continue to gather in the years to come. When I say this, I do not mean only those who were at the cemetery, but all honest Albanians, wherever they may be, who honor the blood that was shed and do not deny the war that was fought. It was precisely to honor the memory of the martyrs and heroes that Comrade Fatos Nano, chairman of the Steering Committee of the Socialist Party, Dr. Servet Pëllumbi, deputy chairman of the Steering Committee of the Socialist Party, members of the PSSH parliamentary group Prof. Dr. Sabit Brokaj and Dr. Kastriot Islami, Halil Lajçaj, Musa Ulqini, members of the PSSH, and young men and women of the Eurosocialist Youth Forum paid their respects before the “Mother Albania” monument and laid wreaths. After laying the wreaths, those present passed by the martyrs’ graves, remembering and honoring them one by one, just as they are: their names carved into white marble, with the red star of freedom as their symbol. The noble and profoundly humane rite of honoring the fallen does not end there. Visits to martyrs’ families on such days are customary. And how meaningful those visits are, especially in the days we are living through. For people, despite all the many hardships they face, may forget many things, but they will never forget to honor the martyrs, the heroes, the undying stars of freedom. Thousands of homes throughout Albania became thousands of museums yesterday. In each one, you encountered heroism, the most sublime sacrifice, eternity itself. We experienced the same feelings at the home of “People’s Hero” Misto Mame, where Comrade Fatos Nano, Comrade Pirro Dodhiba, Chairman of the National Committee of Veterans and Invalids of the Albanian People’s War, veteran poet Luan Qafzezi, and honored veteran Muha(r)rem Kokomani went to honor his memory. They met and spoke with the hero’s sisters: Agathia, Fero, and Lefteria. They also met with the hero’s other relatives, his nephews and nieces. “The blood of the martyrs and their last wishes are sacred to us,” says Comrade Fatos Nano. “Whatever happens, no force can deny their war.” “They were glorious times,” Comrade Pirro Dodhiba interjects. “That period raised us, so how could we deny it?” “Our Misto,” says one of the hero’s sisters, “did not fight alone. He fought with comrades. But some people want to forget that war. They are destroying graves, destroying monuments...” The mother in a headscarf speaks, and one cannot help but be moved. With the same concern, the wife of the 1942 martyr Beqir Skëndaj, Mother Rabi—92 years old—addressed Comrade Fatos Nano, Comrade Dodhiba, and the other veterans. “Please don’t destroy the memorials to our martyrs, because when we look at those memorials, we see them alive,” says the mother. And at once everyone’s thoughts turn to the acts of vandalism against the martyrs’ symbols. But whose evil hand is this? Who wants the Ballists and war criminals to take the place of the martyrs?... Do not make the mothers suffer, people! Do not wound their souls! Do not touch that wound which still hurts, which still bleeds! Because that is the blood of freedom. At the home of Muharrem Bërkolli, brother of the martyr Shyqyri Bërkolli, who was killed before he had even turned twenty, a photograph catches our attention. In it, several Ballists are pictured with the occupiers, laughing over the lifeless bodies of slain partisans?!... No comment is necessary. Even if someone tries to hide the Ballists, history will not hide them. The conversation then turns to educating young people to feel pride in their homeland. Shyqyri was only 20 when he gave his life. The brothers Dionis and Kleanthi Manastirliu were killed at that age, too. And all their relatives feel proud of them, because they fell for their homeland. Today Albania does not ask us to sacrifice our lives. It asks us to be honest; it asks us not to trample on the blood that was shed. It asks us to preserve that legacy and honor the martyrs. And to defend them, too. To defend them from Ballists, whatever era they belong to. Because they have remained, and will remain, stars. Alive among the living, as the song says. Because the People do not forget. They know whom to honor. LUAN M. RAMA

A Speech in the People’s Assembly — The PSSH parliamentary group insisted on delivering this statement on May 4, but even by 8:00 p.m. on May 5, deputy Sabit Brokaj had not been given the floor Before making the following explanations, I ask that the session not be interrupted on television, whether broadcast live or recorded. At yesterday’s session of the People’s Assembly, I asked to speak to provide the necessary explanations regarding our group’s non-participation in the proceedings. Arbitrarily, and in violation even of the most basic standards of parliamentary conduct set out in the rules of this supreme body, you declared the session closed after only Mr. Spahia had spoken. In these circumstances, I will explain: Albania wants democracy, not open graves and wounds. Albania wants bread and work, not discredited political actions. Albania needs love and wisdom, not hatred and political revanchism. This is the greatest test for all of us—for ordinary people and distinguished intellectuals, for deputies and parties, for the government and the president. Albania’s future depends solely on us, on our hands and minds. Mr. chairman of the session, This is the explanation I wanted to give yesterday. On behalf of the Socialist Party parliamentary group, I protest against the one-sided position, which is wholly unrealistic and entirely without justification... [text cut off] defense. Arbitrarily, and in violation even of the most elementary ethical standards set out in this supreme body’s rules of procedure, spoken. Under these circumstances, let me explain: Entrusted by the parliamentary group of the Socialist Party, I wanted to inform you that the members of our group would not take part in the session because at that moment they were in Pezë, at a ceremony organized by the people of this region to rebury, with all due honors, their own son, the distinguished fanolist democrat, glorious fighter in the Anti-Fascist National Liberation War, founder of Europe’s first anti-fascist band, Hero of the People, Myslym Peza. By honoring Myslym Peza, we honor all those thousands of young men and women of the people who gave their lives and youth for the freedom of their homeland. The struggle against the fascist occupation is one of the most sublime acts due to our group’s nonparticipation in the proceedings. The way in which some of the fighters in our people’s War were exhumed is a flagrant violation of the principles of democracy and human dignity. By means of a special decision, whose author and signatory the people still do not know, the remains were removed from the martyrs’ cemetery at night and in secret. Their relatives were not even allowed to see the remains of the dead. Nor was a doctor—the son of one of those exhumed—allowed to carry out the medical examination guaranteed by recognized international instruments. There were also family members who, because of the haste of the Democratic Party government officials, did not even manage to attend the reburial ceremony for their loved ones. Who was the Democratic Party government afraid of when it undertook such an action? The law or the people? Do such actions serve the psychological well-being of the people, which democracy needs so much? Do such actions serve reconciliation and national unity, which the people need so much? a doctor, the son of one of those exhumed, allowed national unity, which the people need so much?

DURRËS May 5 is a historic day that will be remembered by the people from generation to generation, because it symbolizes the blood of the martyrs, the finest sons and daughters of the homeland, who fought the occupiers for the ideals of freedom, independence, and national sovereignty. No one has the right to deny this date, and no one can do so. On this May 5, too, the people of Durrës paid their respects with deep devotion before the martyrs of their district. The Veterans’ Committee and the district committee of the Socialist Party organized commemorative events. Hundreds of veterans, PS members, members of the steering committee, the presidium and the party apparatus, supporters, as well as Eurosocialists, paid tribute at the cemetery and mausoleum of the martyrs. They laid wreaths beside the martyrs’ graves. Groups of veterans and PS members visited the families of martyrs in the city of Durrës. As always, they opened their doors with open hearts and warm feelings for those who came to honor the immortal memory of their sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers who had fallen in the National Liberation War. ELBASAN On May 5, a ceremony was held at the district’s martyrs’ cemetery. Like the rest of the people of the Elbasan district, members and supporters of the Socialist Party paid their respects and laid wreaths in memory of its sons who gave their lives for better days in Albania. At the obelisk dedicated to the fallen, the wreath on behalf of the district PS Steering Committee was laid by its chairman, Dritan Cerma, and Steering Committee member Kozma Biba. Afterwards, PS members and supporters visited the families of martyrs in the district, including those of Fetas Erkmençiu, Kozma Naska, Sana Fullani, Tomorr Sinani, Bardhyl Popa, and others. Members of the PSSH Presidium and Steering Committee visited martyrs’ families in all districts of the country. GJIROKASTËR May 5, the day of the martyrs of the homeland. (Continued on page 2)

IMPRESSIONS FROM PEZA FATHER, WE WILL CALL YOU SON AFTER SON... Peza of the fighters for freedom and independence, patriotic Peza of true democrats, Peza of the first detachment organized to fight fascism. Peza, burned three times by the occupiers and the country’s traitors; legendary Peza of the Conference, of Father Myslim and his people, who will never forget, under any circumstances, the afternoon of May 4, 1992. It will never be forgotten, for that marked day in the history of Peza and all Albanians—the day of an ordinary ceremony, the reburial of Myslim’s remains—will never be forgotten. Your heart aches, but when you are honorable, no one has the strength to weep. And so, after the general silence in honor of Father Myslim, the good people, lined up beside the fighters’ grave, fell silent as the hour of prayer ended. A simple ceremony was organized, but one full of emotion. The grandeur of that ceremony lay precisely in the nobility of the people gathered there, in their silence, in their generous spirit, which knows how to forgive even deeds of this kind, unprecedented before. “I grew up with Father,” says the honored veteran, the brave former partisan of the Peza detachment, Myrteza Karaj, not without pain. “I cannot remember the dead ever being taken out of their graves. Even when representatives of the Italian state came to retrieve those killed in the Second World War, the exhumation was carried out with Albanian honor, not with the treachery of a nighttime tradition. Father Myslim was indeed not killed in the war and therefore was not declared a martyr, but he was the commander of many martyrs.” Uncle Myrto, 77, is silent for a few moments, then continues: “Father Myslim’s family never laid down its arms when it came to the freedom and independence of the people. Father himself was a fighter: he fought against the Turks, and also against Zog and his servants,” [continued] and all the battles of the National Liberation War. He was a symbol, an expression of the fact that the Communist Party was the only force that could lead the people to victory and freedom.

40 new members admitted in one month Following the March 22 elections, interest in joining the PSSH has been growing in the Sarandë district. During April alone, 40 new party members were admitted, young people, mainly with secondary or higher education. The campaign for new elections within the Party is accompanied by new admissions in all organizations. New members have joined the party organizations in the towns of Sarandë and Konispol, in the villages of Ksamil, and elsewhere. “Zëri i popullit” correspondent

Protecting the rights of Albanians in accordance with the principles of the CSCE is not nationalism Comrade Fatos Nano meets Mr. Micotaqis At the meeting with Mr. Micotaqis, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Greece, Fatos Nano, Chairman of the PSSH, informed him about the difficult social situation

Words of welcome WE HAVE ENTERED A NEW EPOCH Ismail Kadare. For many people in Albania, this name has a double meaning: the distinguished writer and the fighter for freedom and democracy. For many people in Albania, both Ismail Kadare’s departure and his return are not simply the departure and return of a prominent figure, even if he is a distinguished writer, but symbolic departures and returns with a clear meaning and message. Ismail Kadare left Albania at a time when it seemed that he absolutely had to be here. And it was said that Kadare had left—was Kadare’s departure a retreat? He himself knows this better than anyone, but his “retreat” carried the great message of protest and of the spirit on the road to democracy. Ismail Kadare also brought closer the days of December 1990; his freedom brought them closer too, for, as Preç Zogaj also writes: «The youth understood the message of that departure. They understood it and, along with the words “freedom - democracy,” they also shouted the name “Kadare, Kadare.”» Who is Ismail Kadare? The writer of the people’s resistance (Continued on page 3)

After the talks they held, President Berisha and Prime Minister Micotaqis made the following statements to the press. President Berisha spoke first and said: The talks were open, sincere and friendly. During these talks, we agreed with Mr. Micotaqis to expand and strengthen relations of cooperation between Albania and Greece in the economic, political and scientific fields, in areas of mutual interest. I believe the next steps are the implementation of agreements on emigration, consulates and a financial agreement. I find in Mr. Micotaqis and the Greek government a willingness [Continued on page 4]

As readers are aware, the Presidium of the Socialist Party of Albania and the Socialist parliamentary group decided to bring the matter to the attention of several organizations: 1. The Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) 2. The Council of Europe 3. The European Parliament 4. The Council of Ministers of the European Community as well as European and international forums and organizations, and the socialist and social-democratic parties of Europe, regarding the undemocratic decision of the Albanian parliament, which on April 30, 1992, with 63 votes, approved an amendment to Law 7526 of December 3, 1991, “On Employment Relations.” Below we publish the full text of this notice. Esteemed Sirs! parliamentary group of the Socialist Party have decided to inform you of their concern over the Relations,” approved by the Albanian parliament on April 30, 1992. The draft submitted by the government stated: “In view of the special needs associated with improving the functions and structure of the state apparatus for implementing economic and political reform, moving to a free-market economy, and establishing the rule of law, the competent authority shall have the right to transfer an official to a position within his or her profession, or place that person on social assistance.” The parliamentary group of the Socialist Party clearly and unequivocally expressed its view that restructuring the state apparatus and its administration was essential as an important link in implementing the reform. Socialist deputies therefore firmly emphasized the need to remove from these bodies the incompetent and corrupt, the bureaucrats, and those who had benefited from various privileges. They argued for the draft law to be revised, insisting that it be framed on the basis of legal, professional, and humane criteria that would allow civil servants to defend their rights and freedoms through legal and judicial channels against subjective and arbitrary actions. After many debates, only a few changes were made to this draft law, and they did not affect its substance at all. We believe that this amendment, approved by parliament, also paves the way for a campaign against all civil servants and intellectuals whose convictions differ from those of the people in power, without taking any account of professional qualifications, abilities, or individual specialization. It aims to put into practice the propaganda project that has been proclaimed so insistently: leaving political opponents without jobs, thereby effectively launching the infamous class war characteristic of monist regimes. This amendment to the law gravely violates the individual’s right to enjoy freedom of thought, conscience, and belief; freedom of movement; and freedom to choose one’s residence, as proclaimed by the CSCE in the Charter of Paris. The amendment that was approved excludes every form of legal protection for individuals against arbitrary actions, thereby directly violating the principles of the rule of law. It places the individual under constant party pressure, establishing antidemocratic relations between the individual and the state. It gives unlimited scope to the so-called competent authority and does not (Continued on page 2)

— Speech by Comrade Fatos Nano, delivered in Peza at the ceremony for the reburial of the remains of “People’s Hero” Myslym Peza — Dear sisters and brothers, relatives, comrades, friends, and fellow fighters of Myslim Peza; We have gathered here today to once again pay the tribute Babë deserves, to this great figure who gave Peza and Albania their name, and who fought all his life for democracy and the freedom of the homeland. I greatly value this occasion and your spirit, your courage, your class, your fervor for Babë, and your patriotism.

Note to the reader: The material in this issue is dated May 5. THE EDITORIAL OFFICE