- The way out of this terror is a law on the files - The “bomb” fell on Albanian Radio and Television too. After being vilified to the extreme over the past two years for innocence and incompetence, for servility toward those in power and for abandoning its legal status of independence, for unprincipled verbal attacks on its opponents—in short, branded with the epithet “bootlicker”—RTSH has, for several years now, also had to endure the psychological terror of the former State Security files. The facts have now become known in the press. The head of the RTSH trade union resigned because he had been a collaborator of the Security Service. Long lists suggest that the number of its collaborators in this institution reaches 34, or even 62 people. The union is calling on other former collaborators to declare themselves and leave the institutions as well. The situation is thus boiling at Radio and Television, and although various press outlets have been covering this new scandal for several days, the institution itself has made no public statement. It is experiencing the event only internally. But this is not the kind of event that can be passed over with the saying: “The greatest wonder lasts only three days.” The nation’s highest temple of information and culture now resembles Elsinore Castle, where the criminal and the victim move together; where, like Siamese twins, the corridors and studios of RTSH resemble death chambers in which intrigue and poison were prepared for dozens of former employees of this institution, imprisoned, interned, transferred and trampled underfoot by the dictatorship. The drama of the State Security files, now erupting at Radio and Television, is part of the wider drama being played out today by those in power against Albanian society as a whole. The files have been one of the most discussed topics over the past two years. Yet despite broad public demand for an acceptable legal solution, today’s government refuses to provide one. The reasons are now well known. On the one hand, those in power fear the opening of their own lists. only three days.” For their own lists. On the other hand, today’s government reserves the right to act freely, opening files whenever it needs to strike at political opponents or at those “who speak differently.” The case of the former head of the Radio and Television Trade Union demonstrates the “cobra” nature of the files: it was brought out when the union of this institution began to “rebel.” This is not an unfamiliar practice. As soon as the group of “monoclonist” MPs broke away from the DP, they were immediately labelled “former collaborators of the Security Service.” The same thing happened to the “troublemakers.” (Continued on page 2)

“WE FIND IT UNACCEPTABLE THAT THE SOCIALIST LEADER Fatos Nano SHOULD BE HELD IN PRISON, AND I WANT TO EXPRESS OUR SOLIDARITY WITH HIM” Continued from the discussion between the Albanian Eurosocialists and the delegation of the European Socialist Youth (ECOSY) The Albanian Eurosocialists have been very active in presenting the “Nano Case” internationally. And here I do not mean only raising awareness among the socialist youth movements of European countries; I also mean the Inter-Parliamentary Union, which has examined this case, and the European Community, which continues to monitor this issue. As a youth organization of the European Community, we first ask the Albanian government authorities to take into account the decisions adopted for this purpose. our solidarity with him. Reinold Rynker President of ECOSY It is very important, first of all, that we get to know one another. On the other hand, we must recognize our organization and our status. But this is not a problem for you. I am very confident that at the next Congress, which will take place at the end of 1995, you will have a great opportunity to become full members of the Socialist Youth International. From the contacts we have had, I know very well that you have only one television channel, controlled by the government. We are well informed about the situation. I fully agree that a pluralist public television service is needed, where everyone can express their views. In Albania this is not so easy. A civic culture is needed to make it possible to open other channels, free for the public to express itself. This is also one of the “urgent and important” tasks: to fight for radio and television to be free and pluralist. We must support you in this regard and make our politicians in Europe aware; many of them think that television and the mass media are free and pluralist. Unfortunately, that is not true.

The report charges: 9,000 unemployed, and more than 40 percent of the people live on social assistance. Sixty percent of pupils do not attend school, while conditions in the villages are even worse. Only 0.3 to 0.4 dynym of land per person. The second conference of the Socialist Party in the Mirditë district: Gramoz Ruçi: In the face of the anti-democratic actions of those in power, our political struggle takes on special importance. The tricks and manoeuvres, beginning with President Berisha, must not lull us to sleep. The second conference of the SP in Mirditë, held a few days ago, was both a prologue to the close of the campaign for new elections in this district and the beginning of major work. In addition to the delegates and guests at the conference, the Secretary General of the SPSh also took part, ... Regarding the ownership of small and medium-sized enterprises, they have been privatized without auction. Life in the towns has been almost completely paralyzed; the economy in industrial towns such as Rubiku and Kurbneshi has ground to a halt, with the copper industry and existing mines paralyzed. Professionalism has been sacrificed while incompetence and corruption are encouraged. A pensioner becomes a school director, someone with a secondary education becomes a school director, another person with only seven years of schooling is being prepared to become an economist for the post office, and so on! With such “adventures” by the PD and its officials, the SP in Mirditë has been punished every day. The period since the previous elections, it was stressed at the conference, has served the SP organization in Mirditë to consolidate its structures, ...

- RTSH edits Eduard Selami’s footage from three months earlier into the report - As reported, the miners who had gone on hunger strike in the Batër mine came out at midnight on 22 June from ... Is this not yet another fact about the government itself, openly showing its subordination to the party? No...

SHKODËR Seminar by American representatives Yesterday morning, representatives of the American International Republican Institute, whose program in Albania began to be publicized in 1991, held a seminar in the meeting hall at the local government headquarters on coordinating the work of parliamentarians, voters and ...

As reported, the miners who had gone on hunger strike at the Batër facilities came out from deep inside the gallery at midnight on 22 June, following the fulfilment of the just demands they had put forward. - RTSH edits Eduart Selami’s footage from three months earlier into the report - at the Batër facilities came out from deep inside the gallery at midnight on 22 June, following the fulfilment of the just demands they had put forward. To inform the strikers that their demands had been met, a leader of a government group went there—the chairman of the DP, Mr Eduard Selami. But why did Eduard Selami go to Batër and Krashtë in Martanesh? Who met the demands of the striking miners, the government or the DP? Should ministers, or even Prime Minister Meksi, have gone there—or the leader of the DP? And let us not forget that on 21 June, RTV reported in its evening news bulletin that, following a meeting between Prime Minister Sali Berisha, other members of the government and representatives of the hunger strike, agreement had been reached on their demands, and a high-level government team had immediately set out to meet the strikers. And this supposedly high-level team turned out to be First Secretary Eduard Selami, accompanied by one or two advisers from the presidency and the prime minister’s office, and almost no ministers. openly revealing its subordination to the party? This fact shows, no more and no less, that in Albania it is the party-state that rules. Have you heard, dear reader, dear workers wherever you are? The PD Central Committee, the First Secretary himself, takes an interest in your problems! And finally: did you see the report shown by our television? Did you see the cinema-club hall in the town of Krastë? The screen showed the platform where Eduard Selami and his comrades had stood on 22 June 1994; then they showed the hall as it had been three months earlier, filled with people attending an event organized there more than three months ago in memory of the victims of Martanesh. TVSH continues its censorship and falsifications. One would think it was a festive gathering and not a hunger strike, when the miners were threatened by death. Shame on TVSH, shame on those who lead it. The people do not swallow lies in broad daylight.

Yesterday morning, representatives of the American International Republican Institute, whose program in Albania began to be publicized in 1991, organized a seminar in the meeting hall at the local government headquarters on coordinating the work of parliamentarians, voters, and central and local government. program in Albania began to be publicized in 1991, organized headquarters on coordinating the work of parliamentarians, voters, and central and local government. Representatives of political parties from the city of Shkodër and Malësi e Madhe, local government officials, and administrative staff took part in the seminar. The three American experts, after asking those present to answer several questions about their knowledge of democracy, spoke about the American experience in building democracy, emphasizing the constitution, the improvement of legislation, the role of MPs and their staff, and so on. They also answered several questions put to them by the seminar participants. MPs Menduh Dragu, Gëzim Luli, Alfred Paloka and Nikolin Ujka also spoke at the seminar about the concept of the role of the MP and the electorate in the democracy we are building in Albania. The organizers of the seminar treated those present to lunch at the “Rozafa” Hotel.

The Second Conference of the PS in Mirditë, held a few days ago, as envisaged, to close the new electoral campaign in this district, was also a jubilee of major achievements. The Second Conference of the Socialist Party (PS) in Mirditë, held a few days ago, as envisaged, to close the new electoral campaign in this district, was also a jubilee of major achievements. In addition to the delegates and guests at this conference, Gramoz Ruçi, Secretary General of the Socialist Party of Albania (PSSH), and MP Ndre Legisi also took part. Faced with an extremely difficult economic and social situation for the people of Mirditë, the alternatives of democratic socialism were discussed with a sense of responsibility. It was presented as the fairest solution guaranteeing the establishment of true democracy. This was precisely the central theme of the issues addressed both in the report presented by Mark Nikolli, chairman of the PS in Mirditë, and in the delegates’ discussions. The paralysis of production, mass unemployment, and the privatization of national assets through illegal decisions by the privatization board are some of the characteristics of the economic crisis Mirditë is experiencing. The number of unemployed reaches 9,000. Nearly 70 percent of those able to work are not working. assistance. The privatization of several enterprises by decisions of the privatization board has restricted an important scope that integration would resolve both problems: employment and citizens’ welfare. Many small and medium-sized enterprises have been privatized without an especially in industrial towns such as Rubiku and Kurbneshi, where the copper industry and existing mines have ground to a halt. These are, then, towns that are slowly suffering... The situation is also extremely difficult in the villages of Mirditë. Only 0.3–0.4 dylym per person remain in use. The breakdown of the telephone network, the lack of health services, especially in remote areas, the poor condition of school buildings, and pupils leaving and abandoning their studies—reaching as much as 60 percent of the student population—the lack of bread and people wandering the streets: these and many other things show that the Democratic Party government has turned its back on the countryside and that its election-campaign promises have been carried away by the wind. At the conference it was emphasized that the district council, chaired by Mr. Pashk Gjoken, instead of carrying out the task entrusted to it by the people, has acted aggressively, devoting itself to political warfare as though it governed the Party rather than the local authorities. It acts by attacking and persecuting socialists, putting them on assistance. Revanchism has [unclear text about] a secondary school, another with seven grades, and people preparing themselves economically for high-ranking posts! With such “adventures” by the DP and its officials, the PS in Mirditë is being punished every day. The time since the previous elections, it was emphasized at the conference, has helped the PS organization in Mirditë consolidate its structures, bear the burden of being in opposition, and gain experience in political struggle, which is becoming fierce because of the DP’s anti-democratic practices. In particular, the tasks set by the Second National Conference of the PSSH have been among the main directions of the PS’s work in Mirditë. Good work has been done to recruit new members. During this period alone, 130 young people have joined the PS. Oroshi, Kaçinari, Rubiku, Fani, etc., have set the best example. The Eurosocialist Forum and the Socialist Women’s Forum have been active and sought-after. New PS organizations have been established in Domgjon, Rrethi i Epërm, Kullaxhi, Tarazhi, Arrëz, Kaçinar, etc. It is increasingly understood that the PS has a dual role here: as opposition to the central and district authorities, and as a watchdog and source of support for the municipal authorities where socialists are in charge. During the delegates’ discussions, Gj (Continued on page 2)

COURT: In the dock: The monist state RAMIZ ALIA: If you do not act according to law and justice, I will calmly return to the place reserved for me by today’s political power. After prosecutor Fana’s closing argument and request for sentences, in the trial involving high-ranking Party and state officials, all that remains is the signature and the decision to be issued by Chairman Çejku. At the court’s final hearing, the lawyers presented their clients’ defenses, and the defendants made their final statements. At the start of the hearing, the lawyer for the judicial panel, Koci, addressed the court, claiming that the latest statements with their clients had been [unclear], as had the period of detention of Mysliu, who was the defendant. Mysliu, the defendant, it was stated, [unclear] we have not accepted, and the prosecutor [unclear] rightly, which he had requested and [unclear] rightly. The court considered it requested as well, and [unclear] told the judicial panel to call in another panel to help defend the defendants with their lawyers. The two defendants [said] that with their lawyers. The two defendants [said] that by today’s political power. Staying with the closing argument, said the lawyer for defendant Çarçani, it presents the defendant as having different characteristics and clear differences compared with the indictment. I would like the events of the 1990 indictment, with their changes, not to be used in the same hearing. The episode concerning the offense against religious belief, as well as the charge of spreading [unclear], does not stand. Religious propaganda constitutes a criminal offense, he stressed. Concluding, he addressed the judicial panel, saying: Adil Çarçani will not be the last chairman; today he will also be a defendant. Let us not set a precedent: no one who has been declared [unclear] and punished will ever accept that post again. Taking the floor, lawyer Ishi said of former President Alia: Here, since 21 May 1994, the lawyer has tried to prove the guilt of the former head of state and former Party leader. I say that prosecutor Fana has asked the court to sentence, as appropriate, the Commander-in-Chief Ramiz Alia, declaring him guilty and sentencing him to the highest penalty provided by law. During the trial, the prosecutor withdrew the charge of misappropriation of state property because he found that the elements of this offense were absent. Under these circumstances, I, as the lawyer for the prosecutor of the head of state [unclear], have the opportunity to point out to the judicial panel that: the investigation lasted three years, contrary to every rule; it was conducted tendentiously, using as experts employees of the institution that carried out the [unclear]; the former head of state was held in pre-trial detention for one year, in a cell and under conditions of complete isolation; and, finally, it was proved with full and indisputable evidence that Ramiz Alia did not commit genocide, did not order killings, did not order (Continued on page 2)

- Written by the father of the victim of police violence Ten months have passed since the horrific death of my son David Leka at the hands of criminals at the Laç police station. A death that outraged the entire secular public, but above all our family, leaving us in grief and his six-year-old son an orphan. Ten months of waiting, ten months of anguish, ten months of dreadful dreams as we await the democratic state’s discovery and trial of the criminal who killed my 24-year-old son. But something worse happened: on 20.VI.1994, the Court “kills” even (Continued on page 2)

- I fear the government is proceeding without doing the math - According to Deputy Minister B. Kopliku, Albania is one big family. It has parents and children. The government’s children are, first in line, the persecuted; in third place, former owners; and again in third place [others] (who make up 90 percent, S.). Normally, a parent should treat all their children equally, but apparently that is not what our government thinks. According to the logic of the Kopliku government, first and foremost the government will look after those it considers most in need, and it has also envisaged compensation in value for former owners of agricultural land. It is said (and this, too, is not accurate) that only part of an area of 80,000–160,000 hectares is to be compensated. At what price? The government rightly points to the many difficulties it has calculated under current conditions concerning the price of land. It declares that it has studied many experiences and relied especially on the Hungarian experience. In Hungary, Gene Ruli said, the price of land per hectare was set at 700 dollars. What about our government? In the draft law it submitted, it had set a price of 140,000 lek per hectare for highly fertile land, while the agriculture, law, and economy committees, as noted, proposed that these figures be changed. Ultimately, a price of 380,000 lek per hectare was set for first-class fertile land. This price applies to land compensated up to 15 hectares. For areas of 13–100 hectares, the price rises to $10,000 lek (Continued on page 3)