The release of Fatos Nano—a sign of the authorities’ emancipation An end must be put to political imprisonments “I support Professor Bedri Dede’s statement calling for an end to political trials in Albania. I also support his demand for the release and acquittal of Fatos Nano. I say this because, at a time when Jordanians and Israelis are shaking hands with one another and putting an end to a war lasting more than 40 years, we Albanians are once again engaging in class warfare. It would be in the interests of our nation for us to direct the energies wasted on continuing the class struggle toward the unity of the nation. Unwittingly, by continuing the class struggle, we show the world our primitivism and fail to join the modern European current. It is hard to find any country in the world with political pluralism where one hears of political trials and sentences, which in our country are cloaked in other pretexts, such as abuse of ... Today, very few people still believe in Fatos Nano’s guilt. It is absurd that such a prominent figure, an outstanding intellectual, chairman of the country’s largest opposition party and a representative of the people, should be kept in prison. The release of Fatos Nano would be a sign of the emancipation of today’s authorities, a hope that Albania is moving toward true democracy. It is to the authorities’ credit, and their obligation toward the people’s democratic aspirations, to heed the voice of the people, of prominent figures and of European institutions regarding their position on this matter. This would ...

THE DEAF DIALOGUE Now that a week is nearly over since the hunger strike began, all communication between the strike leadership and the association it represents, on the one hand, and the government, on the other, has broken down. The situation in their relations resembles a dialogue between the deaf. What will happen? The government ordered the police throughout the country to stop the former political persecuted from occupying premises for their hunger strike, even by violent means. In other words, it ordered those who had been bloodied by the dictatorship to be bloodied under democracy. This extreme measure will not work. The government has seen that it is fighting itself. The court proceedings to declare the strike illegal are a clumsy ploy to legitimize its future use of violence. But the decision of the court of first instance has frozen everything in relations between the strike and the government. Moreover, this decision stayed the police’s hand and increased the number of strike sites throughout the country. What is expected? Are the hunger strikers being asked to commit suicide—to die? Are those who survived the dictatorship expected to die under democracy? Where are we headed? Never has the government found itself more shaken than this time. Its two and a half years in existence have fully demonstrated its inability to govern. The socialists have been saying this for a long time. To the detriment of democracy and the country, the socialists’ position has fallen on deaf ears. Now this demand is coming to it from the right. The situation could escalate dangerously. No one should become a sacrificial victim of an incapable, corrupt government that sees enemies on every side. The fate of democracy calls for dialogue between the hunger strikers and the government; it calls for the president to state his position; it calls for a round table of the parties. Tomorrow will be too late. In a democracy, politics is conducted openly and transparently, not behind the scenes. Government officials who do not know how to resolve people’s problems must learn the democratic means of resignation. VEZHGUESI (continued on page 2)

THE HUNGER STRIKE ON ITS SEVENTH DAY Tirana The strike enters its seventh day Yesterday, at a press conference held in Tirana, speaking about the violence inflicted on the hunger strikers, the chairman of the Association of the Politically Persecuted, Kurt Kola, made public a grave fact: according to him, on Tuesday evening in Krujë, masked men entered the place where the hunger strike was taking place and used brutal violence against the strikers. In Rrëshen, the strike was suspended so that it could be moved to Rubik, where today it entered its seventh day. Violence is also taking another form. On the orders of department heads, dozens of family members of hunger strikers employed by SHIK, the Public Order service, the Financial Police, etc., are being dismissed from their jobs. People have also been fired from the State Committee for the Politically Persecuted. The stated reason was scandalous: “You ...” (Continued on page 2) Photo: DRITAN KABA

The number of people holding themselves in confinement is increasing A shopkeeper, Ahmet Ahmeti, has donated a television to the hunger strikers, and they follow the events with great interest. But neither this nor the characteristic house can lessen their endless suffering. The strike is taking its toll; the sick are collapsing and dying.

After the batons, the state has “placed at the disposal” of the hunger strikers... private homes — 77 strikers confined in the two districts — This is the fifth day that the hunger strikers of the Association of the Politically Persecuted in the districts of Krujë and Laç have continued their hunger strike. There are 77 strikers confined in all. A private carpentry workshop on the outskirts of the town. The strikers’ conditions are extremely difficult, and their health is steadily worsening. Outside this private premises, law-enforcement forces such as the police

That Fatos Nano is innocent—this has been understood for some time by every person of influence in Albania. It became clear that what we had was a political trial and political imprisonment. Public opinion here is increasingly convinced that the time has come to put an end to this injustice and to ensure that fabricated trials are not repeated to satisfy the desire for revenge of certain forces… This would help build the rule of law, which has become an imperative of our time. For precisely this reason, all honest citizens, intellectuals and ordinary people, all those who cherish human rights, freedom and democracy, must raise their voices forcefully and demand that Fatos Nano be released from prison. In this case, indifference is just as harmful and immoral, since the issue is the development of our country’s life on the basis of law. … This is the domestic aspect of the “Nano affair.” All this is because lately, with the unlawful arrests of citizens, trials against freedom of speech, restrictions on meetings and rallies, etc., the image of our country in the eyes of international public opinion has been tarnished. It is not right for our Homeland to be spoken of abroad in the interests of narrow party agendas and under the banner of unrestrained revanchism. If in private matters stubbornness is something that may be forgiven, in matters affecting the general interest it is reprehensible and unacceptable. Therefore, all honest Albanians who put the interests of the country above all else must show today, as never before, that we are all citizens of full worth. Prof. Dr. KICO BIHIKU …ished, with the class struggle continuing, we show the world our primitivism and are not joining the modern European current. It would be hard to find another country in the world with in our country’s circumstances are dressed up in the guise of other pretexts, such as abuse of office, misuse of funds, pseudo-embezzlement, but which are essentially political trials—and anyone can easily understand this. SULEJMAN BUDO Doctor of Medical Sciences.

A merchant, Ahmet Ahmeti, donated a television to the hunger strikers and said they follow events with great interest. A merchant, Ahmet Ahmeti, donated a television to the hunger strikers and said they follow repression toll; old wounds flare up more quickly among the sick. The committee has removed 5–6 people, but others have meanwhile arrived and joined them. The determination of those protesting, who have chosen severe deprivation, is strong. It is difficult to manipulate this shelter, logic tells you. In Gjirokastër, for example, of the 600 members of the association of the persecuted and repressed, only about 20 have benefited—or not—even in these two and a half years of PD rule. “Indeed, that is very few,” the hunger strikers say. The authorities should have turned their attention to us more; this is inhumane. There are resources, too. We are told that Kaca now pays less into the budget than two years ago. Who collects the taxes and duties; who is corrupt and lining their pockets? The health service is proper and good. These people waited years for a doctor and a remedy. And, as they say, they have not wai- (continued on page 2)

It is the fifth day that the hunger strikers of the Association of Political Persecutees, staying in Krujë and Laç, have continued their hunger strike. It Association of Political Persecutees, staying in 77 hunger strikers confined in all, 34 in the district of Krujë and 33 in that of Laç. The hunger strikers in the district of Krujë, determined to continue the strike to the end, have managed to confine themselves in a private woodworking workshop on the outskirts of the city. Conditions for the hunger strikers are extremely difficult, and their health is steadily deteriorating. Outside this private establishment, law-enforcement forces remain, as always, on full alert, including MP Sadedin Balla. (Continued on page 2)

As you were informed earlier, on Monday 40 people from among the political persecuted managed to join the hunger strike declared by their association. Since that day, they have continued to remain confined in the rooms, under the care of two doctors and the watch of a three-officer police patrol. The number of hunger strikers has now been increasing. There are other requests as well, but the committee has considered this number sufficient. Their health has begun to cause the first concerns. On Tuesday, one of them was urgently admitted to the city hospital. (Continued on page 2)

Yesterday, instances of the hunger strikers’ leaders communicating with people outside the building were rare. A member of the association, who is standing at the entrance to the assembly, explains this by saying that the hunger strikers’ condition has become extremely serious after six days of striking. He says the hunger strikers have headaches, feel dizzy, and some have also begun to have thick tongues. During the night, another hunger striker was taken out of the strike for health reasons. The hunger strikers have refused to end the strike even after being informed by the press office of the Tirana court’s decision declaring them illegal. In response to this decision, they posted a strike… (Continued on page 2)

The hunger strike of the political persecuted in the district of Mat continues. Today they marked the seventh day of their confinement. Their deteriorating health is a fact worth emphasizing. All 28 confined people are in a 4x4 room, an office belonging to the district of Mat. By yesterday, most of them had received medical assistance. Three of them were taken to the city hospi- (Continued on page 2)

A new poem by Dritëro Agolli READ ON PAGE 3:

For 7 months, it has been operating in the district of Fier, but as for revenues, [unclear] the Sarandë telecommunications branch. *** In 12 construction and energy industry enterprises in the district of Vlorë, privatization was carried out… *** Citizens from Kavaja, a Hodo, a month ago moved to use a telephone set…

- In the district of Durrës, meanwhile, the private greenhouse enterprise is not functioning? The firm AGROSERRA has come to the aid of farmers. Farmers in this district have the opportunity to order small greenhouses for their land from this firm. *** - The State Control Service branch in Gjirokastër has exceeded its costs over 6 months… *** …as for revenues, [unclear] the Sarandë telecommunications branch.

*** 240 ha of land in the district of Lezhë have been made available to families who will move from the districts of the northern region. Those who have been waiting for a year in this district are residents of the mountain villages of the district of Pukë. *** The «AlbaFilm animacion» studio will participate with two films in the «CINONINA 04» competition, which is being held in Portugal during the first two weeks of November.

*** In this academic year, the new «English Language, British Culture» department will open at «Aleksandër Xhuvani» University in Elbasan. The university will now have two foreign-language departments, German and English. *** The military guards at the former Ministry of Internal Affairs museum, the 20-year-old Zef Gaxulli, took his own life on Monday evening with three shots from an automatic weapon. There is no information about the reason for this tragic event.

The number of fishing vessels with a capacity of up to 8 Bicorn ficio tons has reached 32. Most of them have been bought by emigrants and our private companies in Italy, Greece, Sweden, etc. The number of fishing vessels in this area has now exceeded 100. ** The establishment of the Association of Albanian Journalists of the Southeast, SHGSHJB, was approved in recent days. Its chair was elected journalist Shefqet Meko of Radio Tirana. *** An agricultural trader from Berat, Luan…

Bicori has launched the cup for the best racket produced this year. The competition was organized by the AFADA association. Around 150 exhibitors from many districts of the country took part in the competition. ** - This school year, Albania’s universities will admit 400 students from Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro. *** - The city of Ballsh, which covers an area of 30 ha, has a population of 11,000 today.