- A conversation by the newspaper’s deputy editor-in-chief, Luan M. Rama, with leaders of the local government bodies in Kuçovë and leaders of the Socialist Party in that district - - Question: The events of 9 May in Kuçovë have rightly attracted public attention. The Ministry of Public Order issued a statement saying that Fatos Nano wanted to hold an illegal rally, a claim repeated on television on 10 May by the Head of the Kuçovë District Public Order Department, Muharrem Noka. What is the truth? Vangjel Shyti, Mayor of Kuçovë. As the city’s mayor, I was informed about a meeting with the area’s MP, Fatos Nano, which was planned for 9 May. On this basis, as mayor I sent a letter to the head of public order, informing him of the meeting to be held in the cinema hall and asking him to take the necessary measures to ensure that the event proceeded normally. This was also what the letter shown by the Head of Public Order in front of the television camera said. As for his claim that Fatos Nano had requested that a rally be held, the Head of Public Order is not telling the truth. Nobody asked for a rally to be held. The meeting in the cinema hall proceeded normally. A person who was disrupting the peace was taken out of the hall, but he was not held at the police station, as Head Muharrem claimed; after 20 minutes, he came back into the hall. When the meeting ended, people left the hall normally. Some waited outside to greet the MPs, while others went on their way. We left together with Fatos Nano and the other gentlemen and, after normally greeting the citizens waiting in front of the cinema, headed towards the hill overlooking the city to have a coffee. The police intervened here, preventing the MPs from walking together with all the other people, including me as the city’s mayor. They were ordered to get into cars. Lili Nushi, Chairman of the District Council. Seeing that the police forces were breaking the law by exceeding their authority, after they had kept up continuous pressure on the MPs, I approached Viktor Skëndo, an officer in the Public Order Department, and told him to withdraw the police forces. I repeated the same thing to Lulzim Sollaku, one of the leaders of the police forces during that operation. They did not obey, thereby committing another violation of the law, because in my capacity as chairman of the district council and chairman of the district defence staff, I told them several times that their actions were irritating people and that they would be held legally responsible. Question: In the report I wrote about this event in “Zëri i Popullit” on 11 May, among other things I also mentioned 17 injured people, while… (Continued on page 4) Police violence against the democratic people of Kuçovë

- The Association of Families Dispossessed by the Fierza Hydropower Plant organized a protest gathering in the city of Kukës on 9 May - Thousands of people, representatives of the 30,000 residents of 40 villages dispossessed by Lake Fierza, forcefully demanded that today’s officials resolve their just demands as soon as possible - “We are here to demonstrate our full support for your demands, which we consider entirely just,” emphasized the deputy chairman of the Socialist parliamentary group, MP Musa Ulqini, in his greeting. He and MP Lush Përpali attended the gathering at the association’s invitation. A year ago, was established. It operates in the districts of Kukës, Has, Pukë and Tropojë and represents and defends the interests of more than 30,000 residents of 40 villages dispossessed by the waters of Lake Fierza. These residents were left without a livelihood after the dissolution of the former agricultural cooperatives and the adoption of the law on compensation for former owners; they feel abandoned to the misery of their lot and without any hope for the future. Among the families from these dispossessed villages, in Kukës district alone only 0.5 percent of working-age people are currently employed in stable private-sector jobs. The high-interest loans offered by today’s state make it impossible to obtain and use them. With the end of assistance, about 5,000 workers from the former flooded villages, who until recently had been employed in state enterprises, have been left in a miserable situation. About 2,000 hectares of some of the most fertile land on which the residents of the flooded villages made their living are now beneath the lake waters. Many enterprises, such as the state agricultural farms in Has, have now closed or been destroyed, leaving thousands of residents without any employment prospects. Meanwhile, major social problems have arisen between residents of the flooded villages who moved to other villages and the local residents, mainly over land. The desperate condition of the families in the village of Fajzë is typical. Misery is now present in this village, just as Migjeni once described it. The residents of this village remember the much-publicized visits by ministers of the “Meksi” government, the gentlemen Rexhep Uka and Artan Hoxha, who came to Fajzë shortly before the 26 July elections and promised that if they voted for the candidates of the Democratic Party, their problem would be resolved immediately. One of the demands promised to be addressed was the relocation of families living in desperate conditions to another village, where there was vacant state land. But the elections passed, the votes went to the representatives of the DP, and the government officials forgot their promises. Mr. Meksi did not even deign to receive representatives of this village for a meeting, although they insisted for almost 10 days. After this, 120 families from Fajzë, living in conditions of extreme poverty, set out to settle on a piece of uncultivated land in the plain of the former Sukth State Agricultural Farm. But the police intervened brutally, causing further suffering to these people abandoned to their profound misery. More or less the same situation exists in the other villages of this area. It is precisely in defense of these interests that the association in question is fighting. It has raised its voice in protest at every level of government, but, surprisingly, its just demands have fallen on deaf ears in the government. Indeed, today’s officials do not even deign to meet and talk with the association’s representatives. Respecting the rules of democracy, and in protest against the indifference of today’s officials, the association decided to organize a lawful, peaceful protest gathering in the center of the city of Kukës, with representatives from the districts of Kukës, Pukë, Has and Tropojë, as well as MPs elected by the residents of these areas, among others, taking part. For this reason, in accordance with legal requirements, a written request was submitted to the competent authorities, which gave a positive response on 3 May. But, surprisingly, on Friday afternoon, 7 May, at the insistence, as is reported, of the Kukës branch of the DP, the competent authorities informed the organizers (continued on page 3)

Gentlemen! The reason for addressing you with this letter is the shocking incident of 25.4.1993, when five young men from our commune were brutally massacred by Serbian chauvinists on the Albanian-Yugoslav border. This was a very grave and painful event for everyone, but especially for their families and fellow villagers. They set out to cross the border, driven by the economic hardship they face in feeding their families, since the villagers in our area have no means of livelihood. There is little land, it is waterlogged, and there is no machinery; even when machinery can be found, prices are very high. The forest has been almost completely damaged, and there is nowhere to keep livestock; what little can be kept is in poor condition, and that is the limit of what they can manage. Only two members of each family have been covered and left behind. Most of those who were employed have gone onto assistance, and the price of wheat in the area where we live is high. Greece is far away, and so we thought too late about finding work there. Some have made attempts recently but were turned back. Emigration to Italy, Germany, etc. is out of the question. Thus these young men, having no other source of income, took the illegal route to sell a packet or two of cigarettes in Prizren and the surrounding villages, to earn a few lekë. This cost seven young men their lives, five of them in a single night. We know that you have become busier, but we also know that you are concerned and aware of the difficulties facing these areas, which, in my opinion, are in desperate straits. I tell you that many families in the commune I lead have no income at all and are kept fed by their relatives. Gentlemen! Besides the above, our state border is subject to pronounced laxity. Would it not have been better for our border guards to catch these young men and punish them? Such measures would have been nothing compared with the barbaric massacre inflicted on them. Would it not be better for people in the areas where we work and live to be equipped with weapons so they can protect their lives and their children, thereby defending their homeland, Albania, and their national dignity? The theory that arming citizens leads to quarrels and blood feuds does not hold up, because no Albanian, at least in our part of the country, has ever said that he did not avenge a blood feud because he had no weapon. In view of what I have said above, I ask you to consider the following: 1 - For our communes and areas with a large population, little land and waterlogged terrain, and no sources of income, the Government should urgently undertake a study to ensure that the population can move from their places of residence and settle in lowland areas, on land opened up by the state. 2 - The state enterprises, such as the mines, the geological service and factories, should receive funding and material resources so they can resume operations and employ those who have gone onto assistance. 3 - The Government should do everything possible to send young people from these areas abroad for work, even seasonal work, with proper visas. 4 - Wheat must be subsidized, since we neither produce it ourselves nor have money. The villagers cannot go to market because production is insufficient even for their families’ needs. 5 - Funds should be provided and companies secured so that this little patch of waterlogged land can be put on a proper agricultural footing, since the river is less than 100 m away. 6 - Parliament or wherever and w— (Continued on page 4)

- To the President of the Republic, Mr. Sali Berisha. - To the Chairman of the People’s Assembly, Mr. Pjetër Arbnori - To the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Mr. Aleksandër Meksi. - To the Human Rights Protection Forum. - To the press - Zëri i Popullit - Rilindja Demokratike - Koha Jonë - Aleanca Demokratike We address you, gentlemen, with this protest because on 9.5.93 the cultured and dignified people here, the democratic people who protest, have been treated with utter contempt; the government you lead has trampled on their honor and dignity. By force of the whip, they have been forbidden even to meet with the area’s MP, and have been shut inside their homes, in the police department, and in police cars. We do not know whom you fear, nor why you act like a dictatorship, against which we too contributed to the struggle, indeed long before any other city. Do not forget, gentlemen, that on 5 June 1988 our people rose up unprecedentedly, and showed that they know how to stand up to injustice. There is no greater shame than when the forces of public order, like Serbia against our Kosovar brothers, turn their force against children.

The day before yesterday, Mr. Avni Doçi was relieved of his duties as prosecutor of the Tirana district, a position he had taken up about six months earlier. Mr. Doçi himself confirmed this to us yesterday when we met with him. When we asked him about the reasons for his departure from the post, Avni Doçi replied: “The High Council of Justice made this decision because I had several times requested to be relieved of this duty. I have family problems that require me to work near my family in Durrës.” Other sources within the Tirana prosecutor’s office comment on Mr. Doçi’s dismissal from his post as district prosecutor at this particular time, linking it to the issue of the complaint by the Chairman of the State Audit, Blerim Çela, regarding the “corruption” problem involving Italian aid. In the view of the capital’s legal professionals, Mr. Doçi is respected for his proper adherence to the law. After leaving the Tirana prosecutor’s office, Avni Doçi will work at the Court of Appeal prosecutor’s office in Durrës. Meanwhile, the name of Tirana’s new prosecutor has not yet been announced. H. JUPE

Remember the Day of the Martyrs of the Nation, May 5. There were flowers, visits, and appearances, and there was no shortage of lengthy displays in numbers, horses and voices. Among the visitors stood out the Mayor of Tirana, Mr. Sali Kelmendi. For the Albanian people, music has betrayed the horses, and as for the truth, neither yesterday nor today. The hypocrisy of the ruler Sali Kelmendi is complete in everything, including the cult of the martyrs—except when it comes to the families of those who... for the Homeland. Watching the programme on Ra- (Continued on page 3)

As a reference, or more accurately, as a slogan, the leader of the PD, E. Selami, repeatedly uses the words: “The PD is the most successful party in every field.” People rack their brains over this slogan-making by the blue leader. They try in vain to find the PD’s “successes.” What is more, saying that it has been the most prominent and most successful in every field can look like nothing more or less than a joke. The versions offered by those commenting on this sentence by the “great politician,” Mr. Selami, vary widely. Some think that Mr. Selami says it casually, in general, to impress foreigners and raise his own standing. Others believe this is an irresponsible statement by the blue leader, since he says what he is instructed to say. Also not without merit is the explanation that when others do not praise you, you should praise yourself without restraint, and perhaps others may believe it a little. Some others think that the leader’s bombastic statement should perhaps be understood in its context, just as the words of many of our rulers’ comrades should be understood. However, many others insist that the statement is nevertheless very sincere: it is true that the great PD family is indeed proving to be the most successful in every field (perhaps even beyond), in one respect—that of “praise.” This is precisely why Mr. Selami does not deny (understandably, with a caveat) that his party is successful in that respect. It is enough that it is called “successful,” and this is genuinely said to foreigners. As for Albanians, they have already passed through the PD’s period of “successes” and are now in a state of total decline. VENGELI

he field and changed it brutally

According to our information, in SHIK circles, and also in…

According to our information, there has been comment and interest in SHIK circles, as well as at high levels of the state, regarding the article published on 7 May, “Enigma or legend about a dossier”. We are pleased that “Zëri i Popullit” is read and discussed even in depoliticized institutions, and we inform readers that in forthcoming issues we will publish a series of articles about one of SHIK’s activities and its relations with the Law and the President. At the same time, concerned that the subject matter of the above article is not for publication, we wish to make it clear that in that article, while protecting state secrets, we wanted to help uncover the truth. All the more so since this is an extremely delicate issue: ensuring that the State Security Archives are not misused, a matter in which SH.I.K., the Meksi Government and the President are so deeply engaged. Finally, we tell Gazidede’s agents who keep hanging around “Zëri i Popullit” whenever an article on this subject is published not to waste so much time and energy, since there are no secrets here. Mr. Gazidede himself can learn about these matters through the refused… with the journalists of “Zëri i Popullit”. But it is not too late even now. Whenever he wishes, we are ready.