Political show trials continue — For the third day, the judicial farce continues, bent on making the innocent guilty and the guilty innocent at all costs — “The protest and revolt were organized by those who beat and brutally killed David, those who massacred innocent people and who can no longer tolerate violence and an anti-people dictatorship,” the victim’s father writes to the President of the Republic. Yesterday, at 9:00 a.m., 13 citizens of Laç, summoned as defendants on the now-familiar state charge of “illegal assembly and demonstration,” once again found themselves on their third “excursion” to the city of Krujë. After three and a half hours of complete silence, the court session began at 12:30, once again presided over by Mr. Andi Çeljku. The prosecution was represented by Mr. Flamur Kapllani. At the very beginning of this case, the prosecutor asked the court to postpone the session until later, on the grounds that the last four witnesses summoned in this judicial investigation had failed to appear. They must come, the prosecutor said, because their testimony is important, since we still cannot decide whether the defendants are guilty or innocent. In the letter that the victim’s father, Mr. Gjon Leka, sends to the Chairman of the High Council of Justice, Mr. Sali Berisha, he says, among other things: “We are 40 families of our son’s clan; [our son was] killed by the bloodthirsty hand of the police at the Laç District Police Department. It was a medieval death, but neither our son’s café nor many other people of Laç have yet had their coffee. And for an extremely simple reason: on the very day the police committed this atrocious act, they began arresting those who did not support this barbaric act. There were many who came out to protest; an entire town took to the streets to tell the bloodthirsty hand to stop, the hand that takes their children’s lives for no reason.” The victim’s father continues: and massacred innocent people and state of prisons and police has now put 13 innocent citizens in the dock, solely because they rose to protest against the most basic human rights being trampled underfoot unjustly in this so-called democratic state. Their “sin” is no greater or lesser than what every citizen of Laç did that day, when they had the courage to take to the streets and protest against a criminal act committed by the law-enforcement authorities. And the state does know this; it simply does not like to think that the people took to the streets of Laç to protest against it, or that people rose up against it. That is why it tries to give the event a different color, as if the Socialists had organized it with specific aims. And, moreover, the chairman of the Laç Socialist Party, Shpëtim Çami, is among those in the dock. But David Leka’s father said this plainly too: the 3,000 citizens of Laç were brought together that day by only one party: “The enforcement of the law by the organs of violence.” Meanwhile, the President of the Republic casually declares at a press conference: “The victim in Laç was a criminal and the police action against him was criminal.” But he forgets that someone cannot be declared guilty before being found so by a court. Yet the President also forgets to say which is more criminal: the act committed by an ordinary citizen in the street, or the act committed by an institution in its offices, which casually takes the life of a citizen it has a duty to protect. Whether the President likes it or not, the investigators, judges and prosecutors who are fanatical about orders must know that the rally was entirely lawful, because those citizens came out to defend an undeniable right; they came out to defend their lives, because they know that after David, the vengeful hand—not of the law, but of its abusers—will come for them in turn. If the court considers the actions of the victim’s family legitimate, it must have the courage to consider the actions of the other citizens legitimate too, because those who came out were his friends and neighbors. But the way of those who conduct trials is not … (Continued on page 4)

The defendants Ahmeti, Tartari and Saliu, and the lawyers Sanxhaku and Hoxha, seek acquittal. — It is proposed that the defendants be convicted because they applied the international banking laws and conventions for a market economy, as established in the country—laws that do not exist in Albania. — Vilson Ahmeti in his closing statement: “I want to assure the Albanian people that the ‘technical government’ of independent intellectuals was led by an honest man, an intellectual who took on the difficulties and sacrifices involved in leading this government under conditions of general crisis, and who sought no privilege or benefit. I want to assure you, on my word of honor, that the prime minister committed no crime, but worked as an honest Albanian. —” Yesterday, at around 9:10 a.m., the seventh hearing in the trial of the defendants began at the Tirana court: former prime minister Vilson Ahmeti, former director of the Commercial Bank Agron Saliu, and former deputy director of the same bank Agim Tartari, accused of the crime of abuse of office under Article 106 of the Penal Code. The hearing began with the defense statement of defense lawyer Përparim Sanxhaku. At the outset, he declared that the accusation was unfounded, one-sided, superficial and marked by numerous procedural violations that had negatively affected the conduct of the case. The investigation, Sanxhaku stressed, had been conducted to convict Messrs. Saliu and Tartari, not to help resolve the case. He then addressed all the procedural violations by the investigative body, from the moment the defendants were detained and throughout the investigation conducted by that same body. He also described as a violation of human rights the isolation of the two defendants for nearly two weeks without being informed of anything—not even that they were under arrest—which, he said, was illegal. The investigation of the case, Sanxhaku said, is fundamentally surrounded by illegality. The experts’ findings are all incomplete, the lawyer stated. As in the correction with counter-intervention … [the text at the bottom of the column is illegible] At the bank, under the authorizations dated November 1 and 3 and December 15 and 16, which designate him as the exclusive negotiator. On 21.12.91 Saliu and Tartari discounted the bill of exchange for a value of 640 thousand dollars, an entirely lawful action because it was carried out in accordance with Law 7493. This payment was accompanied by another payment of 945 thousand dollars, which completed the 1.6 million dollar bill of exchange issued by Ilir Hoti; this too was entirely lawful. Sanxhaku then described the authorizations dated November 1 and 3, signed by Ilir Hoti, as regular and entirely genuine; they had been issued under the conditions of prior approval during this trial. He called the prosecutor’s appeal to citizens to file complaints against other people implicated in the case absurd. The prosecutor, Sanxhaku stressed, failed to prove with convincing evidence and arguments that Agron Saliu, Agim Tartari and Vilson Ahmeti had acted intentionally to bring about the consequence. There is no causal link between their actions and the alleged harm. It was not the discounting of the bill that caused the consequence, but the state bank’s acceptance of that bill. Under Article 115 of the Penal Code, Sanxhaku requested the acquittal of Agron Saliu and Agim Tartari. When lawyer Hoxha spoke next, he began by outlining the difficult circumstances in which Vilson Ahmeti’s government came to power. He then stressed that Vilson Ahmeti’s signing of the two authorizations does not constitute abuse of office, because it was simply a request made to an external party; issuing those authorizations was within the competence of this government, not the prime minister, and neither was related to the two or five authorizations, since they are in the same … [faint text] … [continuation of the text in the central columns, partly legible] … Tartari also sought acquittal. Agim Saliu, who spoke next, said that the prosecutor had completely disregarded the judicial-investigation stage. Mr. Marko, Saliu said, took it upon himself to do what he could not do: play the role of a banking expert. Deputy Hoti Xhylhe- [unclear text] … … Vilson Ahmeti, who spoke last, said that his signature was not illegal but entirely lawful and proper … He requested acquittal. The verdict will be delivered today at 12:00.

We wait every day for a reply from Fatos Nano, an answer to our letter sent to Tirana prison, where they put him “democratically,” claiming to uphold pluralism and justice while fighting for dictatorship. One fine day, Edi Paloka, namesake of the PD chairman who is publishing lists of political opponents in order to fill the prisons, informed us in the RD newspaper “that the police had intercepted this letter.” Repeating the claim that the police are “depoliticized,” this partisan newspaper—not just any paper, but the newspaper of the party in power—dares to mock our feelings. That was not enough: another newspaper, a worthy servant of the PD, managed to obtain not only a copy of the letter but also a photograph from the prison. Nevertheless, thank you; you have done us a great service by publishing this letter, which we had torn up. But we wanted to say a few words to Mr. Paloka. Prisons—especially when people like you from RD and the PD put us in them—are … Fatos Nano knew well who you and your companions were; your prisons rival those of dictatorships in their conditions. Not merely because they are the same prisons, but because sadistic policemen, your loyalists, and criminal directors who have long awaited revenge order outside terror. One month without questioning! Why did you, as a journalist, not write the very simple question: why keep him in prison when you are not investigating? No newspapers, no letters, no pencil, no watch; you condemn him, and without visits you treat him like an ordinary criminal. Please, Mr. Paloka, ask Mr. Pjetër Toma whether there is any difference from the prison of the dictatorship they overthrew. When we see that the respected Speaker of Parliament wrote books in prison, we say that today things are even worse. But you are not interested in democracy, only dictatorship. And how could it be otherwise? You are the shadow of your bosses and like what they like; you do not want what they do not want. That is why you tell Fatos Nano, cynically and like a thug, “Don’t bang your bald head against the wall, because the wall will prove stronger”: be assured that prison walls are weaker than our manliness, courage, integrity and patriotism. As for shaving his hair, it shows that you are sadistic criminals, that you have no sense, that you have lost your reason. The world laughs at you! You write to our chairman, and be assured that he will never separate himself from good people. He knows how to speak with all of us, with us whom we [unclear] especially when you are in trouble. But our relations are human, while you dishonestly thrust your hand—and your filthy lies—between us, with the help of “depoliticized” policemen. But so that you will no longer speak of the people’s love for the PD, and no longer say that the Kombinati workers were the ones who removed you from power on March 22, we tell you publicly: this is true, but it was and still is we Kombinati workers who saw through you very quickly, and recognized your deceitful shamelessness and thievery. Better ask Mr. Tomor Mala- [continues] (Continued on page 4)

Gjirokastër Residents of the region, former partisans, members of the families of the fallen and partisan fighters celebrated the 50th anniversary of the creation of the partisan unit of Upper Dropull on Sunday in Vrisera. Residents of the region, former partisans, members of the families of the fallen and fighters who fought as partisans celebrated the 50th anniversary of the creation of the partisan unit of Upper Dropull on Sunday in Vrisera. Wreaths and bouquets of flowers were laid at the well-maintained memorial dedicated to the event by the area’s MP, the district’s Kelmendi, the municipality and the political forces that took part in the celebration. The municipality chairman, Panajot Lula, and the chairwoman of the district’s veterans of the Anti-Fascist National Liberation War, Vera Sako, spoke in tribute to the occasion. The municipality chairman hosted a reception for those present.

On Saturday, August 28, 1993, the leadership of the Eurosocialist Youth Forum of Albania met. The meeting discussed with particular concern and responsibility the situation that had arisen, which is deteriorating and shaking Albania’s fragile democracy. In this context, the Forum’s political position was once again emphasized: to fight extremism of every kind, viewing it as the greatest danger driving the country toward total division. On this occasion, strong support was expressed for the parliamentary group’s return to Parliament, seeing this move as a concrete step toward unblocking the situation that had arisen. The meeting seriously discussed the complexity and activities of youth organizations in the country’s political life. In this context, it was considered appropriate to intensify contacts with interested parties in order to pursue active engagement. The meeting emphasized that avoiding extreme polarization in the political struggle remains one of the priority tasks. The mass signing of the petition calling for the opposition leader Fatos Nano to be released from the discriminatory conditions of prison—not only by members of the PS, but also by many ordinary people and members of other parties—clearly shows that his release would be a realistic step. The main focus of the meeting was the question of raising the Forum’s activities to a higher level, and concrete tasks and objectives were set for this purpose. It was decided that the Forum’s steering committee would meet soon. FRESSH spokesperson

NATIONAL LIBRARY A PHENOMENON OF THE DAY THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE SIGN THE PETITION EVERY DAY, DEMANDING THE RELEASE OF FATOS NANO AND THE OTHER POLITICAL PRISONERS