STATEMENT OF THE PRESIDENCY OF THE SOCIALIST PARTY On 14 January 1994, PAD member Gjovalin Çeka was killed in Shkodër, just a few minutes after leaving a political meeting of that party’s leaders and members of parliament at the “Migjeni” theatre. This killing constitutes a political crime with serious consequences. The chronicle of this painful event shows that it is the same political concept, the same organisers, the same methods of action that were used against the political activity of the PS on 18 June 1993, also in Shkodër, when 8 Socialist MPs, including Fatos Nano, were mistreated in front of a crowd of people who went to extreme lengths in search of bloodshed. Before this event, the press agency and TV under the diktat of the PD and its highest leadership were displaying in Shkodër the very same persons whom the PS accused of criminal prosecution after 18 June, but who, under the protection of the PD, were not touched at all, while justice continues to punish journalists and political opponents. They were also protected by the irresponsible statement of President Berisha, who, by telling Socialists not to go to Shkodër, was inciting other dangerous people to go there so that no political opponent of the PD would go. This also gave courage to further unlawful and anti-democratic actions against PS representatives in Kukës, Lezhë, Peshkopi and Korçë, Berat, Kukës, Vlorë, etc., as well as against other opposition forces. At that time, the Socialist Party and its parliamentary group, in a statement to public opinion that was also sent to the press agencies and television stations, declared the event another organised attempt at state crime. Those who organised 2 April, those who organised 18 June, also have a hand in 14 January, once again excluding the democratic institutions of Shkodër. The time has come for all of them to answer before justice, so that the building of democracy may begin on truth, mutual understanding and all-Albanian tolerance. Genuine democrats within the PD must distance themselves from the power-holding headquarters, from political revenge and the organisers of crime, from those who have seized the apparatuses of freedom and democracy, and from killers paid with state privileges who spread anti-opposition propaganda. It is enough to understand that a distinction must be made between Albanians in general and honest democrats with social responsibility, who fight for freedom and democracy, and a dangerous clique in power that is dragging the country into anarchy. The Socialist Party strongly condemns this grave situation and calls on all Albanian political forces to unite around a common stance against political crime, against provocations and against the destabilisation of the country. PRESIDENCY OF THE SOCIALIST PARTY Tiranë, 17 January 1994

THE PRACTICE OF THE 9 BANNED PS RALLIES WILL BE BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT, THE CSCE, THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE, THE INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION, THE HELSINKI COMMITTEE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, AS WELL AS G-24.

— Declares to “Zërin e popullit” the Minister of the Interior of Greece, Mr. AKIS TSOHATZOPOULOS, who is also the Secretary General of PASOK. (Read on page 3)

Zëri i Popullit again in court Based on the criminal complaint filed by Defence Minister Sadik Zbulg [?] on 25.11.1992 against Fatmir Zeneli for the article “Do të na e gazetarët e “Zëri i Popullit” in that court in Tirana the judicial investigation began. The case concerns two articles published in this newspaper, namely: “Who is responsible for the haemorrhage in the Albanian army” published on 2.10.1992 and “After the war” published on 29.11.1992. After questioning the defendant and the witnesses, the prosecutor’s closing argument was also delivered. The court’s verdict is expected today at 6:00 p.m. Correspondent of “Zëri i popullit”

Press conference of the Democratic Alliance Yesterday the Democratic Alliance Party organised a press conference concerning the tragic event of 14 January in the city of Shkodër, where the young Gjovalin Çeka was killed. The action by the authorities to obstruct, by all means and with all tools, the political activity of the Democratic Alliance Party reached a tragic climax on 14 January in Shkodër, it says at the beginning of the Party’s press release read at the press conference. We consider this killing political, the release says further, because armed men were waiting behind the “Migjeni” theatre in Shkodër for a Democratic Alliance meeting, and they also fired automatic weapons after the meeting. Below, the release presents several concrete elements of the events that led to the tragic killing, arriving at the following conclusions: “A member of the Democratic Alliance Party, Gjovalin Çeka, unarmed, is killed as he leaves his party meeting by armed men with firearms. The disruption of the meeting had been provoked; they lay in ambush with heavy weapons near the “Migjeni” theatre, the building where the meeting was taking place, and after it ended the perpetrators seriously wounded Gjovalin Çeka and then killed him. This murder marks the maximum escalation of the war against AD; the government has been created, motivated and facilitated by segments of power and the ruling Party, in order to realise and protect their political and economic interests, and they have now taken the path of crime and are organising themselves in special mafia-type structures, with the state in the case of Shkodër, criminal and high-level political actions, of SHIK, local power, crime, professionalism, oil and arms smuggling, breaking the UN embargo, sensational murders, anti-Berisha and other elements. They are convinced that strengthening their ranks is impossible without the use of illegal means; people involved in these crimes are only through violence, therefore all this means that 14 January in Shkodër is not a crime controlled by just one individual, but a serious act rooted in many causes. Regarding the Democratic Alliance’s statement with its description of the events, it says that the statement notes that, in collusion with crime, they make observations in the analysis and show that with a lack of fairness the independent institutional status is affected; they manipulate so as to shamelessly distort the truth and deviate from the first announcement and, on 14 January, from this same ministry, where mention is made of “killers” in the plural, whereas now of the “citizen” in the singular. The Democratic Alliance appeals to the governments of European countries and the United States of America, to the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, the CSCE, the European Democratic Union, the Helsinki Committee, to intervene with all their authority so that the tragic killing in Shkodër does not become a precedent for the replacement of a state and for violence, political terror, concludes the Democratic Alliance statement. In response to journalists’ questions about this event, the President of the Alliance, Neritan Ceka, explained it as a continuation of the attitudes maintained by the authorities toward the activities of other political parties. He recalled the statement of the President of the Republic after the 18 June event when PS representatives were prevented from holding their meeting in Shkodër. In our case, the President would do better, before these coups were organised in Shkodër, to warn us: “don’t step in Shkodër.” He then argued the similarity of the presence of armed men in the 14 January event in Shkodër; the only difference is that the shots of 2 April turned into a legal operation, whereas in the present case hatred was incited for economic motives. Those who committed this crime are waiting to get some share from privatisation. These people will become the basis of a mafia power. Such cooperation between politics and the mafia will close the doors of democracy forever. Arben Imami, responsible for press relations at Public Order [?], reportedly said at the meeting: “The order service is under us; we killed him.” He also said that the Ministry of Public Order and the State Security agents from the head of state onward: Albania does not become Italy, nor does it take a single step backward, Mr. Ceka said at the end of the conference. Correspondent of “Zëri i Popullit,”

KORÇË The mutilated body of exchange dealer Kujtim Xama is found The killer roams free in Greece At last, after 13 days of searching, the lifeless body of the deceased has finally been found. Poorly concealed, covered in traces of blood and the implements of misfortune, it became possible to determine the condition of his mutilated body. It was in fact an atrocious crime, of inhuman proportions. The criminal Romeo Zallmi and his gang, along with [?] had their state-backed support [?], cut the face of the deceased and his limbs and covered him in a dump of fire about 20 km from Korçë. An event as shocking as it was unheard of for the city of culture, Korçë, left room for the reason that on Sunday a large crowd of citizens and the funeral procession accompanied him on his final journey to his last resting place. In their speeches, they expressed grief for the friend, comrade, brother and fellow citizen, but also outrage at the failure to act in order to exact retribution on criminals of the Zallmi type, who roam free across Greece. GRAMOS BOSHANJI

REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA MINISTRY OF PUBLIC ORDER No. 79 Prot. Tiranë, 17.1.1994 SUBJECT: On not allowing the rally of 21.01.1994, in response to letter No. 47, dated 12.01.1994. TO THE LEADING COMMITTEE OF THE SOCIALIST PARTY TIRANA By not allowing you to issue repeated calls for illegal gatherings, the police are respecting the requirements of the law on assemblies in the country. The ultimatums and pressure you exert on Police Commissariat No. 1 and the Ministry of Public Order through the newspaper “Zëri i Popullit” and its pages once again remind us of the same old claims, and of where your rallies lead. These are pressures exerted on the Albanian justice system by all the R. Alia, F. Nano and other officials of the former PP. The Ministry of Public Order will allow you to hold assemblies only when it is guaranteed that you can do so. The Ministry of Public Order warns that it will act legally against everyone, whoever they may be, who seek to bring anarchy by violating the law. Minister of Public Order AGRON MUSARAJ

Statement by the Presidency of the Socialist Party branch in the capital The reply reflects the political, legal, cultural and professional level of Mr. Musaraj and his servants. None of the 10 requests submitted referred to illegal gatherings, but to lawful peaceful gatherings. The obstacles in organising them are considered illegal. We regret to note that he knows neither the constitutional law No. 7692 of 31.3.1993 “On the fundamental rights and freedoms of man” nor Decree No. 740 of 31.7.1990 “On meetings, assemblies and manifestations of citizens in public places.” The reply finds no support in these two basic legal acts. Police Commissariat No. 1 has not regarded our lawful requests for peaceful gatherings as ultimatums or pressure, nor has it objected to the slogans or to the place where they will be held, but has raised some other arguments that are overcome by their organisation. We have not answered whether our peaceful gatherings remind them of calls to break bones. It is enough to recall the police, with whose approval and implementation such thoughts will come to mind, that there have been other political forces whose members organised gatherings which ended in fires, destruction, and even casualties. We do not put pressure on justice, but on behalf of the peaceful gathering and by disregarding our requests he presents to us the argument that this is what the law on the fundamental rights and freedoms of man says. We reply on the basis of these two fundamental legal acts. Mr. Minister has asked us to take notice, and we have not asked for permission for a peaceful gathering. It is a legal right; according to the relevant decree, the head of police has the right to prohibit the holding of the gathering in exceptional cases, and he assesses the conditions. That is why we complained to the Police Commissariat. While expressing our advance thanks for guaranteeing peaceful gatherings in the future, we do not take into account the order to hold them “quietly”; on the contrary, we will hold them more loudly, with lawful slogans. We will also hold them where they should be held, in “Skënderbej” Square, in front of the University or in the Block. At the end, the Minister takes on the role of a prosecutor who has sought to place us before the law, but our opinion is that with this reply he has placed himself not only before constitutional law but also before domestic and foreign parliamentary public opinion. We will continue our requests for peaceful gatherings based on the legal acts in force; at the same time we will turn to the Constitutional Court and to specialised international bodies regarding these violations. Tiranë, 17.1.1994.