At the Constitutional Court The decision of the Constitutional Court dated 19 September 1995 aims to: put pressure on the members of the Plenum of the Constitutional Court so that today, 20 September 1995, they do not continue examining the “Nano” case At the Constitutional Court What was expected happened The decision of the Constitutional Court dated 19 September 1995 aims to: put pressure on the members of the Plenum of the Constitutional Court so that today, 20 September 1995, they do not continue examining the “Nano” case The Constitutional Court, with the attributes of a Political Bureau, delivered yet another severe blow to the independence of the judicial system. However, the scenes and backroom maneuvers are blatant. They are merely camouflage, not only for those who concoct them but also for those who carry them out and dress them up in the guise of law. Read on page 2

Statement by the Presidency and the Parliamentary Group of the Socialist Party Another shameful and anti-democratic act was recorded against the chairman of the Socialist Party, MP Fatos Nano. The Constitutional Court decided not to allow the Plenum of the Court of Cassation to convene, before which an appeal for the protection of legality in favor of the innocence of Fatos Nano had been filed. Neither more nor less, the Constitutional Court took on the role of presidential police, as in many previous cases. With unprecedented servility, it obeyed the presidential order and the government directive: “Fatos Nano must not be released under any circumstances!” To achieve this they stopped at nothing. They violated laws and fabricated laws. They threatened and dismissed judges and prosecutors. They surrounded the highest organ of justice with police and SHIK agents. They trampled underfoot international opinion, such as the European Parliament, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the Council of Europe, Amnesty International, and the International Helsinki Federation. Only a few days after arriving from the USA, President Clinton’s suggestion to strengthen institutional independence and the political nature of the judicial system was forgotten. Other medieval and neo-dictatorial backstage maneuvers continue to be woven. But it is useless. Fatos Nano will not be broken nor bent! He has become a symbol of the democratic resistance of those people, members of whatever party they may be, who hate injustice. The name of Fatos Nano from Bënça accuses: - The bearer of the thief’s decoration, Arsidi; - The fuel suppliers of the criminals Mladić and Karadžić through Albania’s roads; - The sellers of Albanian weapons and ammunition in Rwanda; - The organizers of the trafficking of clandestine migrants from Asia to the coasts of Vlorë and Puglia; - The unscrupulous traders in Albanian children and girls; - The officials involved in corruption and the plundering of common property and public funds in roads, waterworks, hospitals and schools. The people know them all well, from first to last. It knows their television smiles and grimaces too. It knows very well that they are keeping Fatos Nano in prison in order to continue for some time longer on the path of corruption and crime. But lies do not last long. No matter how much President Berisha tries to postpone the elections, they will one day be held. The free vote of the people, as on 6 November 1994, will show these lawbreakers, these tramplers of human rights and the political freedoms of the opposition, that democracy is not the estate of one person or one party, that it cannot be sold and bought with presidential and government decrees. The longer the opposition leader is kept in prison, the more the PS is tested with so-called “legal means” and arbitrary actions, from staged criminal proceedings to “legal” proceedings of its own political-electoral dimension, the more the politics of tension and destabilization followed by the present state are exposed. Berisha’s clan-based headquarters calculates that such a policy of conflict is in its favor because it has control of the police and SHIK. But let Mr. Berisha and those who offer him televised hosannas not forget: The one who enjoys the people’s trust wins.

Within the framework of contacts with Albanian political forces, representatives of the International Republican Institute, based in the USA, Ms. Claire A. Scholer, Mr. Thomas C. Patterson and Randy Siefkin were received at the Socialist Party headquarters by its deputy chairman Namik Dokle. They were accompanied by the Program Officer in Albania of the Republican Institute, Mr. Peter Dickinson. During the meeting, in an open atmosphere, views were exchanged concerning the current situation in Albania, the pre-electoral developments and the aims of the political forces as well as predictions for the outcome of the upcoming elections. “There are two main parties in Albania,” said Namik Dokle, “the PS and the PD, but we would like to give the other parties more space to compete as well. As for the result, the PS has defeated the PD twice and will win again.” The meeting also appreciated the contribution of the Republican Institute to democratic developments in Albania and its concrete assistance to all Albanian political forces. PS Press Spokesman

Statement by the spokesperson of the Socialist Party Regarding some leaflets distributed recently in the districts, as well as the accusations made by Berisha at the latest Press Conference, I am authorized to declare: 1. The Socialist Party has no connection whatsoever with such illegal and subversive acts. It has always expressed, and continues to express, its political positions publicly in its legal forums and in the legal press. 2. It is the duty of the specialized state bodies, headed by Berisha, to uncover and bring to legal responsibility the authors of such illegal acts. 3. Since the state bodies up to now have not been doing so, we have the right to accuse these very bodies of being involved: the Police and SHIK, in carrying out such actions, so as to give Berisha room to accuse the opposition and especially the Socialist Party. The content of the leaflets in question appears to me similar to the content of the “RD” tricks in which the PS is accused of “anti-Americanism”. 4. Such shameful acts, which will increase in the future as the election day approaches, are destined to fail. Spokesperson of the Socialist Party Tirana, 19.09.1995

With members of FRESSH, yesterday a high-level delegation of the Norwegian Labour Youth, led by its President Frond Giske, arrived in Tirana. The delegation also includes the Vice President of the Socialist Youth International, Rita Ottervik, Secretary General of the Norwegian Labour Youth, and the International Secretary of the Norwegian Labour Youth, Vlf Tore Isaksen. At Rinas Airport, the Norwegian friends were welcomed by the eurodeputies of the capital. FRESSH spokesperson.

On Thursday, 21 September, at 12:00, the Socialist Party of Albania is organizing a press conference at its headquarters about the political situation in the country and the positions of the Socialist Party. Journalists from the country and abroad, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Albania, are invited to attend.