We are with You, dear brothers and colleagues, there on the seventh floor of the Press Palace in Prishtina, with our full support, joining our voice of protest to the demands for freedom of the Albanian word, for the rights that belong to half of our nation, forcibly divided, against whom the violence of Millosheviç’s gang knows no bounds, all the way to imposing total information darkness. This is our message these days, when in Prishtina, the symbol of popular resistance in Kosovo, Demaci writes; newspapers, human-rights defenders, the winner of the Saharov Prize, together with other distinguished intellectuals, journalists and writers, have been shut inside an unprecedented strike for all of Europe and the civilized democratic world. For some time we have also felt the pain of the closure of the newspaper «Rilindja», the closure of other newspapers and magazines, the imprisonment and persecution of Albanian journalists, the usurpation of Prishtina radio and television and other local media, and their ruthless seizure. Together with you, we have experienced their servility in language, their transformation into a sleeve of the occupier’s politics, in whose favor the recent act at the «Rilindja» publishing house was also undertaken. For some time we have followed and welcomed the efforts of Kosovo’s Albanian intellectuals to curb the medieval policy that seeks to impose total information darkness over martyred Kosovo. We have judged that the «generals» of «Greater Serbia» are making their calculations wrongly. Kosovo and what is happening there have been exposed to Europe and the democratic world. This is a great guarantee of victory. We join our voices with our brothers and colleagues in Prishtina in their appeal that Europe should not remain silent, judging that the act of usurping the «Rilindja» enterprise through the Serbian enterprise «Panorama» is the final blow dealt by the Serbian dictatorship itself, bringing down the walls of information isolation it is trying to build. These days, our call joins the pan-Albanian appeal addressed to Europe and the democratic world, to its distinguished people, to raise their voices with international organizations in defense of the lives of Demaçi and his comrades, in defense of their demands, in defense of the rights of the nation whose freedom and every right are trampled upon, down to the right to information in the mother tongue. Tirana, June 1, 1993 The collective of «Zëri të Popullit»

Yesterday in Shkodër, classes were not held at many elementary and secondary schools. This happened because the independent education union in this district declared a strike. Despite our efforts, we were unable to meet with the leaders of this union to learn anything more specific. A few teachers whom we managed to speak with told us that we are holding this strike to increase the salaries of education workers. Some say they are demanding a 10 percent pay rise, while others say they are demanding an increase of more than 20 percent. Let the organizers of this strike know what this demand is. The teachers pointed out that we are determined to have our demands met. For this reason, they have halted the continuation of classes, the holding of examinations and the issuing of final results. It is said that this strike will continue for several days. We learned that this strike has also been supported by the section of the education trade-union federation in this district. We managed to meet the chairman of this district’s trade-union confederation, Mr. Fatmir Sma[j]li, and asked him for more detailed information about the strike. Mr. Smajli told us: “It is true that we have supported this strike, but we have our own demands, separate from those of the independent union. We are concerned with increasing teachers’ salaries, and therefore with teachers’ pay being increased, which is why we are also joining this strike, but our demands are aimed at resolving the most urgent issues. Thus, we have asked the government to implement a living minimum, calculate salaries on the basis of each teacher’s professional qualifications, extend paid annual leave, stop the pressure exerted on teachers to force them into the independent union by local government bodies, and approve the status of teachers. Regarding all these demands,” Mr. Smajli continued, “we had agreed with the former Minister of Education, Mr. Vejsiu, that he would come here on February 26. But to this day, nothing has been done. In my opinion, this strike is more of a game being played at the teachers’ expense. The players in this game are the leaders of the independent union and the government. I say this because they are all saying that the government will index salaries to prices during July. So now it wants to tell the teachers, ‘Look, we have met your demands, which the independent union put forward,’ thereby showing, one way or another, that only the independent union fights to have their demands met. I consider this a speculative, antidemocratic act that encourages division between the two unions. This serves nobody—not either union, nor their members—but only the government. Whatever happens,” Mr. Smajli concluded, “we are determined not to abandon any of the demands described above, but we will not become playthings in the hands of the government or political forces pursuing their own immediate interests.”

NO COMMENT: «IN ALBANIA THERE IS A PROGRESSIVE DETERIORATION IN RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS!...» — Declares the American Committee for Refugees (USCP) — The Italian news agency ANSA, citing its correspondent in Washington, reported on May 26, 1993: «...The American Committee for Refugees (USCP) also expresses concern about the fact that, according to Rome’s judgment, Albania “is a free country”; therefore, anyone who flees the reality there cannot claim political-refugee status. In response to this statement from Rome, the Ame—» —rican Committee for Refugees, according to the ANSA agency, says: «The American Committee for Refugees (USCP) insists that in Albania. So no further comment is needed, except that in this case ANSA does not say whether the deterioration in respect for human rights in Albania is increasing in arithmetic or geometric progression...»

The meeting on May 29 brought something unusual for the residents of the town of Gramsh and the surrounding villages. They gathered for a peaceful rally to protest energetically against today’s government and to march around the Socialist Party in this district. [Unclear text: “Kutos e kryetrit…”] its chairman, Comrade Fatos Nano. The number of participants in this rally, which was around 5,000, showed not only the heavy burden of hardships that the people of Gramsh suffer under the Democratic Party, but also the faith they have in the socialist alternative and in the seriousness of the Party and its parliamentary group. Gramsh can no longer endure having more than 4,600 workers on assistance, a large number of whom have now reached the end of their benefit in May. The government’s revanchism, police diktat, and the great hardships of workers in town and countryside dictate that they stage this mass protest. In both rounds of voting, Gramsh gave its vote to the Socialists. But what can the Socialists do when the party in power has blocked everything? The centralization of authority over the management of enterprises, right down to local government, is accompanied by a fierce class struggle. On the day the rally was held, four department heads were removed from the agriculture department solely because they thought differently from those in power and because they are in the leadership of the Socialist Party in the district. Where are these gentlemen going with this, allowing partisan passions to take them over? Gramsh is in complete misery. The town and the countryside are at the same economic level. Work is not functioning in any enterprise. In the countryside, too, everything is blocked, and the land is being worked by hand and with donkeys. The roads are ruined, while telephone service is lacking in 31 other villages. Today the farmers of Gramsh tremble at the thought of buying a handful of fertilizer. The protest by the people of Gramsh showed their determination to defend democracy. Low wages and skyrocketing prices have made life unbearable. And the situation is getting worse and worse. What reform are those in power implementing—the unemployment reform? Privatization in this district is also proceeding at a very slow pace. The economic enterprises have been left to fend for themselves. Where are Mr. Meksi’s promises to resume work at the Banja hydroelectric plant and put the district’s two factories into operation? Our officials, including the city’s mayor, Hysen Godole, instead of coming together with the members of parliament (whatever their political color) to resolve people’s problems, take the most difficult routes, signing [unclear: “roplan”] and traveling around the world and Europe. Is this how the PD officials are defending democracy? What is going on? Parliament passes laws when the first article, Democracy—the Constitution—is missing. With no Constitution in the country, it is just like a child without a mother. And everyone knows what a child without a mother means. The people of Gramsh forcefully demanded the establishment of the rule of law. There is no state governed by law, and therefore they violated the laws of Albania’s Demo— (Continued on page 3)

Further changes are expected According to a two-line report published in the newspaper «Dibra», 72 telephone lines have been disconnected in the town of Peshkopi. No comments are provided regarding this measure by the authorities of Dibra. Nor has our correspondent in Peshkopi sent us any details about this arbitrary action so far. From people from Dibra who arrived in Tirana in recent days, we learned that the telephones were taken away from Socialists and given to Democrats. They emphasize that this is merely the beginning of the telephone-removal operation. After telephone lines were disconnected in all the villages of Dibra, and after disconnections were also made in the district’s main centers, such as Lurë, Reç, Dardhë, Artas, etc. (our newspaper has published a report about these), this latest act is the clearest proof that the renewed promise of a telephone in every village home is a long-tailed lie. The Tirana telephone directory (1990 edition) states, among other things, that «Automatic long-distance telephone connections in our country were first established on April 20, 1988, between the towns of Peshkopi and Bulqizë». No comment. On this occasion, the newspaper’s editorial office informs its readers, members and supporters of the Socialist Party, and people with relatives in Peshkopi whose families had been provided with a telephone, that before asking for the number they should think and make sure whether their friend still has a connected telephone. We stress this because it may happen to you (and you will certainly end up paying 500 or 1,000 lekë while making a detour through some... democratic [office/person]). We emphasize this also for residents of other parts of Albania who have relatives there: telephone disconnection is becoming a widespread phenomenon. The slogan «Stop, look, cross» used at railway crossings should be replaced by the slogan «Stop, check, telephone».

30 people in 400 chairs The DP in Mallakastër decided, in support of the fight against corruption undertaken by its leader, Mr. Selami, to demonstrate that it is capable of carrying out this attack at any cost. But, as always, its value proved equal to that of substandard materials. The people are capable of understanding where the rabbit lies; they can clearly see where the real corruption is. When you have the «predatory wolf» right in front of you, tearing apart its prey, there is no need to set off looking for tracks. This was clearly shown by the date 20.5.93, the day of the long-awaited DP rally. The rally was attended by gentlemen Tritan Shehu, Ylli Vejsiu, (Continued on page 3)

Gjirokastër Using the same methods as before—«put our people in»—at first quietly and gently, and lately openly and more actively, the DP, in its haste, is capturing and occupying, one by one, all the positions and heights in the work of assigning cadres. Some of the new appointments do not meet with approval among public opinion or the district authorities; some of those appointed have only half or a third of the ability of those they are replacing. Nevertheless, the campaign continues. Interventions have been made at the district archive, two post offices, the forestry enterprise, the state bank, the privatization agency, etc., and more are expected. Also because the DP here is a secondary force, the authorities have not made any pronouncement on the changes. Dual power and the «small government» thesis are emerging in full. At times the whole affair even takes on a comical aspect. The post office director was replaced five months ago for the purposes of reform, but now he is being removed again for the same reason, without any work-related or competence-based justification. Someone has appointed people who themselves meet the requirements of the enterprise regulations. Positions are being filled one by one. Fanatical state-builders, «biological» distrust of others, and the desire to «put them out», or the career fever of political activists?! Before long, a time will come when you will find out all about this. But by then this party may have become a cause for concern. It is not known what mood the congregation of those being replaced will be in. There is no shortage of lessons from the history of political parties.

On Friday, June 4, 1993, at 1700, a protest rally will be held in the square near «Skënderbeu» Stadium in the city of Korçë. Members and supporters of the Socialist Party, young trade unionists and young Eurosocialists, women, students, workers, employees of workplaces and production facilities, administration employees, the unemployed, private-sector workers, the self-employed, pensioners and other citizens, and villagers are invited to attend. The Steering Committee of the Socialist Party of the Korçë district

The promises made in a patronizing manner have been exposed. The northeast produces and exports, while the government travels around the world by plane. An entire region has no prospects of ownership; everything belongs to the state. In the party and independent press, and in other Albanian and foreign mass-media outlets, the question of whether or not the Meksi government will resign continues to be discussed in every possible way. The blockade of local government, unemployment and assistance, the concentration of the reins of the economy and the life of the country in a single hand with blue cuffs, deafness and indifference to the hardships of ordinary people, the drafting and rubber-stamp approval of laws that run counter to the majority of the people, etc., are some of the arguments that reveal the incompetence of the «Meksi» cabinet. These things are well known and need no comment. They are nationwide, present in the north and south, east and west. But what is «unknown» and constitutes a wound that only keeps worsening is the mountain blockade, especially in the northeast. The first Monism brought the forgetting of this vast region for more than four decades. (Continued on page 2)