- It reached the parliamentary motion for the vote against lifting the immunity of the President of the Court of Cassation... The consequences of this vote will be discussed for days to come and will be widely debated; in the parliamentary arena, the support for the judiciary will have many details to be considered, but some conclusions can already be drawn. First of all, it has become clear once again that Parliament has turned into a ruthless voting machine, under the orders of the party-state and its leadership. The deputies of the past were already compelled from the outset to act in a purely executive manner in the mission to lift the immunity of the President of the Court of Cassation, with the absurd claim that the submission of the Prosecutor General’s request to investigate the long-discussed so-called “Makinë affair” constituted an accusation against the Constitutional Court and had a political character. Following the denunciation by 17 opposition deputies not to vote for lifting the immunity of the President of the Court of Cassation, but ultimately the involvement in what persuaded 18 deputies to be absent from the session, thus causing the vote to fail, the disregard and arrogance of the PD leadership, driven by the most harmful political aims, cannot be hidden. Just last Saturday, Mr. Berisha issued a firm order to the PD parliamentary group to cast, as one body, the vote for lifting the immunity of the President of the Court of Cassation. He also said that anyone who violated this decision would be expelled from the party and the parliamentary group, and would never again be a deputy for this party. On the other hand, the order given by Mr. Berisha could not be carried out, because it has been branded unconstitutional by the PD deputies themselves. In this way, Parliament and its speaker were forced to postpone by several days another unconstitutional act: the request by the prosecutor to lift the immunity of an opposition deputy. It remains to be seen, but all signs indicate that this move, prepared and imposed by the chairman of the PD, will suffer the same fate as the lifting of the immunity of the President of the Court of Cassation. It should also be said that the failure to lift the immunity of the President of the Court of Cassation is yet another failure of a harmful policy that is trying to steer the entire course of Albanian life toward political revenge.

The Secretary General of the European Socialist Party, Aksel Hanin, received the PSSH delegation A morning packed with informational and political meetings marked today the second day of the visit of the PSSH delegation in Brussels, led by Secretary General Mr. Servet Pëllumbi, and members Dr. Skënder Gjinushi, chairman of the PSSH parliamentary group in Parliament, Ylli Bufi, chairman of the foreign policy committee, and MP Fatos Nano. The PSSH delegation was received by the Secretary General of the European Socialist Party, Mr. Aksel Hanin. He especially thanked PSSH for its presence at the round table on migration issues, organized by the PES and the Socialist Group in the European Parliament. Meeting at the secretariat of the Socialist Party of Belgium The PSSH delegation was received by the international secretary of the Belgian Socialist Party, Mr. Pol Delvaux, in charge of foreign relations. Meeting with the Secretary General of the Socialist Youth of the European Community Philip Cordery Socialist Bank for Promotion (ECOSY) One of the special subjects of discussion and interest in the meetings with senior socialist representatives was the participation of Albanian youth in European organizations. The chairman of FRESSH and the Socialist parliamentary group in the EP reported on the first contacts of Albanian youth at the level of representation and organization. The leadership of the Socialist Group in the European Parliament received The chairman of the Socialist Group in the EP, Mr. Allan Donellys, received Alon Durra and vice-chairman Aleko Alivanos received the PSSH delegation Meetings with senior officials of European bodies, mainly in the fields of foreign policy, economic and trade relations, Mrs. Vanda Dimer, adviser in the office of the director general for external affairs of the European Commission, Mr. Frans [?], head of the Southern Division in the Directorate-General for External Affairs, MEP Leo Tindemans, former Prime Minister of Belgium and currently rapporteur for Albania in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, senior representatives of the Directorate-General for External Relations in the Council of Ministers of the European Union, etc. In the premises of the European Parliament, the PSSH delegation had a special meeting with the Secretary General of ECOSY, the organization of socialist youth in Europe. The discussion focused on the integration of Albanian youth into ECOSY as well as the organization of joint activities. For his part, Mr. Cordery promised that ECOSY would help Albanian youth, and especially Albanian socialists, in obtaining the contacts and experience needed to organize their activities in the future. At the end of the day, the PSSH delegation also had a meeting with senior officials of the European Commission to present the situation in Albania and the problems of Albania-EU relations.

By phone from Bulqizë: Miners with the miners of Bulqizë By phone from Bulqizë: Miners with the miners of Bulqizë Bulqizë is going through important moments. The mining community, around 4,000 families in the area, and the wider public are heavily burdened by the theft of 75 million lek deposited in the bank. This money, belonging to the miners by virtue of their sweat and sacrifices, is being used for dark purposes. This has also prompted their reaction, expressed through a hunger strike on the company premises. The miners of Bulqizë’s demand for transparency and a full investigation into this matter is legitimate. They are asking for those responsible to be brought before justice and for the funds to be returned to their true owners. Instead of a proper response, the management structures have remained silent or have exerted pressure. This has intensified the situation and spread dissatisfaction. The miners’ hunger strike is a warning bell not only for Bulqizë, but for the entire country. Any negligence or attempt to minimize this protest will only worsen the crisis. The demand for justice, honesty and accountability cannot be ignored.

... [partially readable text in column] Meetings with senior socialist representatives and European officials focused on Albania’s problems, European integration, and ties with socialist organizations. Interest was emphasized in the political developments in the country and the need to support democratic processes. The PSSH delegation also held meetings with other officials in Brussels, where issues of political, economic and institutional cooperation were discussed.

PSSH Press and Information Office Yesterday morning, the American ambassador in Albania, Mr. Joseph E. Lake, and a senior representative of the American embassy, Mr. John C. [?], held a meeting with leaders of the main Albanian media outlets. The meeting discussed Albanian-American relations, press freedom, political developments in the country, and the state of the print media. Ambassador Lake expressed his interest in the political situation and in democratic standards in Albania. The participants addressed concerns about pressure on the media, the economic problems of the press, and the need to guarantee pluralism of thought. The meeting was assessed as a useful exchange of views on the role of the free press in a democratic society. Correspondent of “Zëri i Popullit”

(Continues on page 2) Political irritation has apparently turned into a mechanism of economic pressure! This is how the anxiety of many private media owners in Albania, who are feeling disturbed by this practice, can be described. Mr. Fehmiu, the director of the newspaper “Koha Jonë”, denounced yesterday at the PS newsroom that the state printing house had forced the newspaper to change its front page layout. The newspaper had published an article by the chairman of the PS, Mr. Fatos Nano, titled “The world sees tomorrow, not yesterday”, a piece that was then replaced with an article by I. Kadare, “Chronicle in Stone”, because “the article was forbidden to be published”!! This arbitrary state interference in the private press, in the form of open censorship and economic diktat, has undoubtedly caused not only the indignation of journalists and public opinion, but also the revolt of citizens themselves, who see it as one of the forms of the return of fascist practices. What makes this scandal even more serious is the fact that it is happening precisely at a time when the government declares itself in favor of press freedom and a market economy. In this context, opposition representatives have described the incident as an open attack on free speech and pluralism.