The protests are stopped neither by police terror nor by propaganda terror. The Socialists are convinced: DEMOCRACY WILL WIN • The protests are stopped neither by police terror nor by propaganda terror. The Socialists are convinced: DEMOCRACY WILL WIN Fier A CALL FOR TRUE DEMOCRACY Although the roads leading into the city had been blocked and the day before a staff member of «Zëri i Popullit» had been arrested, on Saturday at 8 o’clock (the police did not allow [it] in the afternoon) ... Përmet The end of the rule of the extremist PD clan is approaching The day before yesterday at 18:00, the Steering Committee of the Socialist Party in the district of Përmet organized a protest rally against the arrest of Fatos Nano and the violation of freedoms and rights ...

Ever since the new management team, headed by Messrs Bucpapaj, Bungo and Sakajeva, took charge of RTV, this institution has lost every kind of independence and has been turned into a «mouthpiece» for the party in power. RTV journalists and editors are compelled to serve the public with information that serves only the PD. The public is now fully aware of this position, which flagrantly contradicts RTV’s charter. One need only watch a few news broadcasts attentively to be immediately convinced of RTV’s bias. Meanwhile, by law, RTSH is depoliticized and nonpartisan. By providing biased information, RTV violates one of the fundamental requirements of the European charters on human freedoms and rights: the citizen’s right to accurate and impartial information. For this conduct, the opposition has severely criticized the RTSH management, citing numerous facts. Unfortunately, however, the response of this institution’s managers has been anything but civilized; it has been brutal. The Director General of RTSH, Mr Bucpapaj, has publicly declared himself to be an instrument of the PD and the president’s faithful spokesman. He has continually exerted, and continues to exert, psychological terror on RTV journalists and editors, the overwhelming majority of whom aspire to professionalism and conduct their work in accordance with the law. Nevertheless, Mr Bucpapaj, with the support of 5–6 mercenary journalists from the party in power, continues to violate RTSH’s legal charter. Here are just a few examples from RTV’s activity in recent days: 1. In the TV news broadcasts on the day the opposition leader’s immunity was removed, the political positions of PD deputies were reported in detail. The opposition’s position was described only as follows: Namik Dokle, chairman of the PS parliamentary group, made a statement! But no information was given about the contents of the statement. 2. The TV report on the PS rally in Tirana on July 30 was heavily censored. No film footage was shown of the demonstrations on «Dëshmorët e Kombit» Boulevard and «Skënderbej» Square, where more than 70,000 people demonstrated. The national TV station has a duty to report everything as it really happened. Deliberately, the footage from «Skënderbej» Square showed the demonstrators after they had dispersed! 3. Journalist Armir Shkurti, author of the report on the PS rally, deliberately misinformed viewers when he said that deputies Kastriot Islami and Gramoz Ruçi were the ones who led the demonstrators toward «Skënderbej» Square. This journalist was also responsible for misinforming the public about the events in Shkodër on June 16. 4. RTV has not broadcast any information about most of the demonstrations, rallies and meetings organized by the PS in the districts, such as in Fier, Mirditë, Pukë, Kuçovë, Durrës, Ersekë, etc. 5. In some district reports, the infamous Sami Selishta, known as a disgusting servant of the right-wing dictatorship and today’s neo-dictatorship, contrary to every standard of professionalism and civic and journalistic morality, uses a television trick to misinform the public through images about the activities carried out by the PS in Dibër. All the citizens of Peshkopi know very well that only 70 people attended the rally organized by the PS that day, as Mr Selishta claimed. [The Albanian text is unclear here.] 6. In its programs for Albanians abroad, Radio «Tirana» is completely biased in the way it provides its daily press review. For example, in the relevant broadcast on July 31, the radio read lengthy passages from articles in «RD» and did not read a single line from articles in «Zëri i Popullit». 7. RTV provided no information about the mistreatment, arrests and numerous detentions by security forces of Tirana citizens who took part in the July 30 rally in Tirana. 8. Socialist deputies have on several occasions been subjected to violence, including physical violence, as happened to socialist deputies who took part in lawful activities in Tropojë, Orikum, Lezhë, Mirditë, Gjirokastër, etc. Deputies Maqo Lakrori and Alfred Paloka were also physically attacked by organized groups, and RTV gave no information. 9. Regarding the arrest of socialist leader Fatos Nano, RTV presents even the accurate reports of foreign news agencies and the world press in a politicized and wholly inaccurate manner. At the same time, it does not broadcast comments by foreign analysts on this event, which Albanian citizens are forced to follow through foreign radio stations broadcasting in Albanian. 10. RTV gives officials free rein to attack the PS, as happened in the TV news broadcasts on August 2, when Minister Tritan Shehu spoke about the PS in vulgar language in Krujë, while most information about the PS’s lawful activities is censored. — MUSA ULQINI Deputy Member of the Standing Parliamentary Commission for Culture and the Mass Media.

«Zëri i Popullit» had been arrested, on Saturday at 8:00 (the police did not allow it in the afternoon) thousands of residents of the city of Fier and the surrounding villages took part in a protest rally against the re-establishment, the de jure imposition of a dictatorship in Albania. For about an hour, the football stadium named after the Fier-born martyr «Loni Papuçiu» echoed with shouts of «Freedom, Democracy», «Down with dictatorship», «Free Fatos Nano», «New elections», «Long live a free Kosovo». Despite the police having ordered that the slogans «Down with dictatorship» and «New elections» not be used, they were chanted. This fact, greeted at the rally, caused deep indignation among the crowd. From the rally, Petro Koci, chairman of PS-Fier, called on all true democrats of every party to defend and demand genuine democracy. He called on all police officers, jurists and employees of important state institutions not to obey the new and illegal orders. He stressed that Albania is being governed by people burdened with crimes and vengeance, such as the head of the Albanian Parliament, Pjetër Toma. «We are here to say to Arshi Pipa», the criminal Gjonmarkaj and the fascist bej Kalakula that fascism has no place in Albania. «We Socialists will spend all our energy establishing understanding among Albanians, while Berisha has broken the Muka 92-93 scheme». The rally was also supported by the protests of Ligjor Begaj, chairman of the Albanian Nationalist Party; Olimbi Zoto, member of the Central Council of PUKSH; and Tafil Proko, chairman of the District of the Trade Union Confederation of Albania. The speeches by deputies Ylli Bufi and Zabit Brokaj stirred the enthusiasm of those present, who continued chanting democratic and anti-dictatorial slogans. At the rally, the anti-national conduct of a government financial police officer was conspicuous; he, in a state of agitation, [unclear text]. The large group at the rally marched while singing patriotic songs and chanting slogans, and the police did not respond appropriately. At the end of the rally, PS-Fier chairman Petro Koci expressed support for every step they take. [some words illegible]

violation of the freedoms and rights of the opposition and the individual. Thousands of citizens took part in the rally, including people from surrounding villages, young men and women, women, children and veterans. Participants chanted «Freedom—democracy», «Down with dictatorship», «Free Fatos Nano», etc. The rally was opened by Argjir Krisulla, chairman of the Socialist Party for the district of Përmet. He was followed by the chairman of the district council, the chairman of the municipal council, representatives of the Eurosocialist youth and Socialist Women, and other speakers who took the floor spontaneously. Namik Dokle, chairman of the Socialist Party Parliamentary Group and its deputy chairman, also spoke at the rally. During the Second World War, said Comrade Namik Dokle, among other things, the famous English politician Winston Churchill raised two fingers, calling on the democratic peoples of Europe and the world to achieve «Victory» over fascism. And the peoples defeated this black, anti-democratic plague. When Sali Berisha raised his fingers, the people hoped and believed in the victory of democracy in Albania. But March 22, which came as a hope, is departing as a disappointment. The power of the Democratic Party, in all the sectors represented by it in parliament, in government, etc., has been usurped by anti-democratic clans. This is so true that one representative (Continued on page 2)

- More than half the residents of the town of Rrëshen took part in the protest gathering organized by the Mirditë PS Steering Committee on Saturday, July 30 - - The attempt by the Tropojë native Muharem Biberaj, chairman of the PD in Rubik, to prevent the socialist deputies from going to Rrëshen ends in disgrace. - Deputies Musa Ulqini, Halil Lalaj and Ndre Legisi also took part in the gathering - On Saturday, July 30, at 18:00, the PS Steering Committee for the district of Mirditë organized a protest gathering in the town’s sports grounds. More than 2,000 people took part, slightly more than half the residents of Rrëshen. Socialist deputies M. Ulqini, H. Lalaj and N. Legisi also attended. The people of Mirditë, legitimately concerned by the tense economic and political situation we are going through, came to the protest gathering to express their indignation democratically at the poor governance of today’s authorities, at the arrest of the socialist leader Fatos Nano, and to demand an end to the revanchism sought by the official authorities. Although many citizens were aware that by attending the gathering they risked losing their jobs, they nevertheless came to the sports grounds together with their children and wives. It must be said that this fear is also a highly significant indicator of the state of democracy in Albania today. The people gathered there looked visibly concerned. Their concern was legitimate. They were worried about the extremely tense economic situation of their families; about the anti-democratic actions of today’s authorities in Mirditë; and about the entirely undemocratic climate prevailing in Mirditë today. It is enough to mention that a very large number of police officers had been mobilized and were carefully monitoring the progress of this entirely peaceful and orderly rally. First to speak was Mark Nikolli, chairman of the PS Steering Committee for the district of Mirditë. Speaking on behalf of the members and supporters of the Socialist Party, he said that [continued on page 2]

Large numbers of police from the Shkodër district have used violence against dozens of villagers from Shkjezë, Shkodër, according to a petition that the village agricultural trade union council sent to central and local government bodies. Police forces in large numbers from the Shkodër district have used violence against dozens of villagers from Shkjezë, Shkodër, according to a petition that the village agricultural trade union council sent to central and local government bodies. The incident took place on July 23, when law-enforcement forces, led by Major Ivzi Bushati and accompanied by representatives of the local government of the Bushat commune, went to forcibly take the land from the villagers of Shkjezë. The petition states that this land had long ago been allocated to the villagers of Shkjezë under the land law. From 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., the law-enforcement forces beat 85 people—men, women, elderly people and children—who were working their land and refused to let it be taken from them. The police used rubber truncheons and fired shots into the air to frighten people. The Shkodër law-enforcement department detained 8 people, six of whom were released after 48 hours, while 2 are still being held in prison. The village council of Shkjezë, in connection with this incident, requested a meeting with the chairman of the Shkodër district council, Ali Kazazi, but he refused to receive them. At a meeting this village council held with the head of law enforcement in Shkodër, Nderim Muja, at 9 p.m. on July 23, he threatened them that he would return to the village with reinforced police forces brought from Tirana, the petition states. The trade unionists consider this an attempt to provoke bloodshed. In the petition sent to state bodies, the village trade union council calls for those who ordered the beating of the villagers to be held accountable; for the honor and dignity of the village women and girls who were mistreated by the police to be restored; for government and law-enforcement representatives to go to the village to clarify the problems surrounding this incident; and for the two arrested people still being held in prison to be released. If our demands are not taken into consideration by August 15, the petition concludes, the villagers will fight by all democratic means, up to and including a village-wide hunger strike. Correspondent of «Zëri i popullit»

I met my comrade from the War and from work, Selimi, on the evening of July 31, after the protest rally had powerfully made its voice heard with the slogan: Revanchism—and fascism, wherever it comes from, will not pass in Albania! Selimi could barely walk and was leaning on my arm as I helped him to a house. His feet were maimed and swollen with blood, which had filled his shoes and was dripping onto the ground. This was blood shed by the rubber truncheons of a mustached policeman who, with unprecedented aggressiveness, had grabbed me, using the slang of a thug and an incomprehensible dialect, and then attacked him as well. This is the second wound, after the one I received in the time of Xhaferr Deva and Xhem Gostivari, on February 5, 1944. I do not include the policeman who hit me among the dozens of others who knew how to behave properly during the rally, Selimi said, groaning with pain. That night, while watching the news on TV, I saw Berisha basking in the flattery directed at him by the IMF envoy, while my comrade Selimi and others like him were groaning from the pain of their wounds. MAKSUT BRATI

Who should be believed? What has long been whispered—that there is corruption, favoritism, forgery and illegal activity in Elbasan, with the sole aim of enriching oneself—remains only speculation. Even district councilors from all political forces, when repeatedly asked, “Do you have any evidence of corruption?”, have always responded only by shrugging and refusing to comment at the district council, just as a certain official used to do. He even said: “I had heard things, but I knew of nothing concrete.” Recently, the state audit dismissed the head of the financial police in the Elbasan district. A few days later, the state audit again, through an announcement on TV (which, strangely, was broadcast only in the 10 o’clock news), called for the dismissal of the district council chairman, Mr. N. Alla, accusing him of granting favors to his brothers, who had established a private company called «Skampini», and of other assets. Without wishing to call into question the existence of corruption in Elbasan, and likewise without questioning the findings of the state audit, we also want to point out some other facts that have so far remained in the shadows, but nevertheless indicate that things are not as they appear on the surface. For example, on 9.7.1993, the findings of the state audit were read out at the presidium of the Elbasan district council, setting out measures against the heads of three institutions: the agricultural bank, the savings bank and the water directorate. They had violated the law. Yet no measures were proposed against the mother company «Skampini», the major loans, or the district council chairman. The question then arises: is it possible that the state audit withholds information from the district council, or does it inform its chairman differently about suspicious matters that are far more minor? On the other hand, it is said that the reasons for the dismissal of the head of the district financial police do not [Continued on page 3]