To the President of the Republic of Albania, Mr. SALI BERISHA To the Chairman of the Presidium of the People’s Assembly, Mr. PJETER ARBNORI To the Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania, Mr. ALEKSANDËR MEKSI TIRANA Honorable gentlemen, We, the people of the village of Mali i Rencit in the district of Lezhë, love democracy very much, since by democracy we understand justice, equality, honesty and everything else that is in the people’s interest and that fights forcefully against every evil that runs counter to their interests. Understanding democracy in this way, and having faith that you will put it into practice, the entire village of Mali i Rencit gave you its vote and placed its trust in you. Before March 22, 1992, Parliament, the Democratic Party, the Trade Unions and the other parties rightly demanded that the previous Government uncover and punish, without any conditions, the murderers of the four young men of Shkodër, who are also our sons. But after March 23, 1992, Parliament, the political parties and the trade unions have given little, if any, thought to the murderers of the four martyrs of democracy. To justify themselves before the people and the martyrs’ families, they have been satisfied with the previous government’s arrest of the head of the DPB, the deputy head of the DPB and the chief of police of the DPB in Shkodër. Gjykat Celaj, who is a son of our village. We are convinced that Gjeka is not the murderer of the four martyrs—not with his own hand, nor on someone else’s orders. We know our son’s democratic convictions and humane spirit well. The people of Shkodër, where he served, know this too. So do the people of Puka, where he also served for several years. We who are writing to you are highlanders who came from Malësia e Madhe, north of Shkodër, and settled in the village of Mali i Rencit, on the Adriatic coast, in Lezhë. This has taught us to know well how a rifle is used. Therefore, we simply cannot believe that, amid that huge, tightly packed crowd, four martyrs could have been singled out and shot from a distance, no matter what the sights or the sniper, with the victims supposedly hitting one another. We believe that April 2 was a prearranged scenario with a specific purpose: the treacherous killing, followed by the black deceit of one who kills you at night and mourns you by day. Therefore, it is in the honor of Parliament, the President and the Government to uncover the true murderers of the four martyrs of Shkodër and take the harshest measures against them. We seek justice and justice only, and on that basis our innocent son Gjeka Celaj must be released. Our request above was signed by the entire village. From the district of Lezhë. Shkodër. Gjjek Çelaj, who is the son of our village. We are firmly convinced that our Gjeka is not the killer of these martyrs, neither by his own hand nor on the orders of others. Our whole village knows him.

Within a few days, about 35 young men and women from the town and the villages around Rrogozhinë joined the ranks of the PS with complete conviction and willingness. The fact that, after FRESH was established in our town, a party organization made up solely of young members was formed demonstrates the PS’s wider reach and better organization in Rrogozhinë. Among the young people who stand out are N. Baliu, E. Damarku, A. Koçi, M. Sina, etc. This good experience is spreading further.

Under these circumstances, the report delivered at the conference on behalf of the district PS Steering Committee by its chairman, Elmaz Sala, emphasized that the Party’s main task in the district is to bring the Party’s considerable potential fully into operation so as to successfully cope with the difficult situations. Further on, the report and the discussions examined critically and self-critically the work done so far by the Party and its leading bodies in the district. Particular emphasis was placed on the need to strengthen the Party’s work in the countryside and in the workers’ trade unions, where the Party’s work has not yet made sufficient inroads. The vice-chairman of the Socialist Party of Albania, Dr. Servet Pëllumbi, also spoke at the conference. “The Socialist Party,” he said, among other things, “will know how to carry out its tasks in the difficult situations that lie ahead. Several factors favor the Party’s work in the future. In the district of Dibër, the PS has a large potential of members and supporters, a potential with progressive leanings. “The village here constitutes one of the largest social groupings. Therefore, it will also determine the country’s political choices in the future. Our weak work with the countryside was reflected on March 22. When there is willingness, ways can also be found to work in this direction. For a long time yet, the countryside will remain a poor social stratum; therefore, it is and will be the social base of our Party. In today’s hardships, we must stand by the villagers. You cannot say that you have worked with the countryside if you do not know the way to get there. Historically, at many critical moments, the peasantry has determined the fate of the nation. Therefore (Continued on page 2)

(From the first conference of the PS of Tropojë) The first conference of the PS of the Tropojë district, held on 8.6.1992 in an optimistic atmosphere and with a sense of responsibility, reviewed the work carried out, its achievements, and also the weaknesses in its own work during the one-year period since the Founding Congress of the PSSH. Priority was given, both in the report and in the speeches of those taking part in the discussion, to issues concerning the party’s ideological and organizational cohesion in the district, and to establishing the PS in Tropojë as the leading political force, the more mature and capable force for defending the interests of ordinary people and rural communities within the framework of implementing the reform. The socialists of Tropojë have great energy and qualities in their ranks, making them one of the strongest and most loyal pillars of support for the alternative. (Continued on page 2)

WILL THIS “PURGE PLATFORM” BE IMPLEMENTED? These days, a document prepared by Skol Ndue Qezi, a lecturer at the Unified School, was found in the files of the PD branch in Laç. It had been prepared by Mal Berisha, chairman of the PD branch in Laç (where the author lives), on June 10, 1992!!! The document is detailed, but to make it somewhat clear to the military personnel who are to be dismissed, as well as to readers, we are quoting excerpts: “...Specifically, at the Academy headquarters, the Academy’s deputy commandant, regardless of his professional abilities, as a former deputy secretary of the Party Bureau with a functional role, can no longer hold such a position. The faculty chief as well: a committed communist, militant leader, military intelligence officer, capable specialist. The head of the communications section, a minor apparatchik, a committed communist, an able creator of cliques together with the head of the tank section. In all situations they are capable of creating all kinds of plans and artificial obstacles. The head of the education department, formerly deputy director at the MMP, together with the department instructors and the education chiefs in the units, a former party secretary for many years... The head of the personnel department, formerly a commissar, appointed to this position seven years ago, has little ability to perform this task. The head of armaments, of transport; of the material-supply base, the head of administration, the deputy chief of the artillery faculty, the head of the specialist faculties, the head of the rear-services department, of the chemistry department, topography, the intelligence department...” Reading this shocking document, one asks: does the PD really judge and decide the abilities and fate of dismissed military personnel this way? Can this “purge platform” be implemented? One doubts it and hopes it is simply a “joke.”

According to a report from Gramsh, the director of the Financial Police Directorate, Mr. Sokol Hyseni, has ordered the head of the Financial Police branch in this district not to hire anyone without first obtaining approval from the district branch of the DP. Apparently, this is being done because Mr. Sokol cannot issue this order to the executive committee, since, as is known, the Socialists won in Gramsh. One question remains unanswered: in what capacity is Mr. Hysen issuing the order—as a police officer or as a party member?

INSTEAD OF A SUGGESTION TO THE GOVERNMENT A situation is becoming increasingly familiar: citizens’ homes are facing a wave of burglaries, which may even occur every night. Perhaps, amid all the uproar being stirred up, there may be some exaggeration, but the truth is undeniable: many homes are falling prey to attacks! After having «successfully» swooped on various places—warehouses, shops, and other humanitarian-aid facilities—and after having «successfully» attacked enterprises, factories, and various units, bringing many farms down to «zero», where some [illegible]—and even more so in the city—[illegible], whether the former owner or not, [they] did all the work they could, with difficulty and effort. Now this new target has also come within the reach of the robbers: citizens’ homes. Families are being set upon in their own homes, including elderly people and children, people known and unknown. In these circumstances, they rob still more. This is not a «need» of organized crime; it may take one step further... After this, I am afraid that a strict law for thieves will be called «the return of dictatorship». No one should be afraid of this accusation, nor should anyone accuse them of it... So that this and other such things are not repeated, we should not feel reassured only after the criminals have been pursued. Naturally, catching them is a major constraint, because ultimately justice will have its say, as will the people, at least in that area. We will be more at ease, but that is not everything. Strict laws are needed, new and temporary ones as well, even if only temporary, for those who break into homes. Such break-ins have led to many extraordinary incidents, and more like them may occur. Today’s legislation, in many cases, releases the home invader sooner than it punishes him. A hundred loopholes may let him escape punishment; a hundred procedures make it difficult to convict him. Even those few who are caught—even red-handed—receive such light sentences that one day the police may tell themselves, «stop catching them». No one should be afraid that a strict law for thieves is «the return of dictatorship». No one should fear this accusation, nor should anyone accuse them of it... And I emphasize: the committee [illegible] for violations of human rights. This law, strict, decisive, and precise, would be welcomed by everyone. Even now, despite the loud claims that order is being restored, people still do not feel safe. Let this law be temporary too, since this period we are going through should itself be temporary, but let it serve as a beginning for restoring people’s trust. There was a time when homes left their outer doors open for late-arriving guests. There was a time when shops stood full of goods at night and not a single pane of glass was broken. Today doors are locked in the dark, and although shops have become like bunkers, it is still [unclear] every night [something] carried into homes and every morning back to the shop. This time will return in a democratic state, because no one fought for freedom so that citizens would live in fear. But laws must come, including a series of tougher laws against those who break into homes, who steal what a poor person has saved and accumulated over decades. B. I

The chairman of the Socialist Party of Albania, Fatos Nano, received Viktor Neruballo, Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Tirana, at the headquarters of the Party’s Steering Committee. During the meeting, views were exchanged on the current political, economic, and social situation in Albania, on issues relating to economic reform, the privatization process, and so on. Fatos Nano presented the Russian ambassador with the views of the Socialist Party of Albania on the importance and need for dialogue among political forces in order to overcome the serious situation in the country. “We are not mistaken,” Fatos Nano went on to say, “when we say that people must be made aware of the danger of violence and of the concrete, everyday manifestations of a new monism.” Views were also exchanged at the meeting on international affairs, particularly the situation in the Balkans. Nami Doka and Bashkim Zeneli also took part in the meeting. The chairman of the Socialist Party, Fatos Nano, also received the Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic to Albania, Christodukis Tsallakis. Fatos Nano and the Greek ambassador exchanged views on the pressing problems troubling the country today, the positions of the Socialist Party of Albania, the situation that has arisen and ways to overcome it, relations between Albania and Greece as an important factor for stability in the Balkans, and the need for the Greek government to consider employment legislation for Albanians who have gone there. “Today,” Fatos Nano said, “Albania needs a balanced and responsible model to deal with the difficult and complex situation; it needs better prioritization of priorities, and a realistic, transparent policy in the work of the executive, as well as of Parliament.” Members of the People’s Assembly, Bashkim Zeneli and Anastas Angjeli, also took part in the meeting.

met in the very hall where, eight days earlier, 23 workers from the Pasture Enterprise had been confined during a hunger strike; the police forcibly removed them and mistreated them. It was held one day after the district Executive Committee’s marathon meeting, which dismissed all the socialist leaders and replaced them with people who were incapable and discredited among the public. The state of the market in this district, especially in the lowland areas, is unimaginable to people who have not seen it for themselves. These are the fruits of the “democratic revolution” and the PD’s “reward” for the votes the people of Dibër gave it on March 22. Under these circumstances, the report delivered at the conference on behalf of the district PS Steering Committee by its chairman, Elmaz Sala, emphasized that the Party’s main task in the district is to bring the Party’s considerable potential fully into operation so as to successfully cope with the difficult situations. Today, more than 4,000 members are active in the PS ranks in the district of Dibër, organized into 259 party organizations. The campaign for the new elections was accompanied by the strengthening of its organization, including the establishment of 21 party steering councils in local areas, headed by some of the most capable and dedicated people; 108 new admissions this year have strengthened the organizations with new members. Organizations that had seen some members and organizations before March 22 are now giving way to action and initiative of their own.

- Citizens are given scraps of paper as proof that they have handed in their weapons! A veteran citizen came to the newspaper’s editorial office. He surely carried with him the painful emotion caused by handing in the weapon he had kept for many years as an unforgettable memento of the war years. In any case, he did not come to bring that letter, that pain, or the insult he felt, as it appeared in the newspaper after this damage, nor the outrage he felt, which he and all the other veteran comrades have expressed over the implementation of the weapons law. No. The insult was not that the law existed, but the way it was being implemented. The veteran held in his hand a pistol, in entirely good state, but with only this note: “Today, 8.6.1992, I received P, Çe 354681. Signature S.H.” And that was all. No indication of who handed it in, no stamp or anything else. Even for one or two kilos of beans or potatoes, at today’s prices, the person handing them over would ask for more. Let us set aside the insult or injustice felt by someone who kept a weapon and is now handing it in. But the act of documenting the handover of such an “item” cannot be so greatly undervalued and trivialized. This is not a matter of a formal act or ceremony, nor of proof of moral compensation for what is being taken from him. The point is that a serious written certificate should prevent any possible abuse. Slips of paper like the one given to the veteran citizen could be lost or “fabricated” without much difficulty.

FEAR OF THE INTELLIGENTSIA?! BROZI AGAINST BALETA Since RTV is almost silent about the discussions taking place in Parliament, we bring readers a fact from the debate sparked by the approval of Article 38 of the draft law “On the organization and functioning of local government.” Article 38 “Every municipal or city council has its own secretary, who is an official and should, as a rule, have completed higher legal education.” The first to speak on this article was Mr. Baleta, who strongly insisted that the secretary of the municipal or city council should not have a higher legal education. Because, according to Mr. Baleta, everyone knows who those are who have completed higher legal education (Curiously, Mr. Baleta himself completed the Faculty of Law and has been a lecturer at that faculty in recent years). Moreover, in order to strengthen this authority qualitatively, Mr. Baleta proposed not have higher education. B. I (Continued on page 3)