Freedom is stolen when votes are stolen
 The wide protests of these last days seem to bring Albania
not just closer to elections but even to a technical government. This for the
simpe reason that the free votes are being
violently stolen, by the means of guns, police and army,
the democrats are menaced end even eliminated, as they help on keeping the
free votes. The stealing of votes as well as the confrontation of activists
of the Democratic Party with the absurdities, resultet
in hard and even tragical consequencies.
This method is ruling for seven years the Albanian social and political life.
From the great protests about the stolen votes of the last parliamentary
elections of June 24, 2001, organizet in the
anticommunist city of Shkodra, on July 21, 2001,
where over five thousand of people protested, it
was impressing the violence usedon them by the
fascist police of this state that terrorized people day and night. Lists were
prepared for political revenge, as always. Rubber sticks, beats, tortures in
the dark prison-cells of the red dictators, people wanted, as well as plans
to eliminate people occurred. Spies that are seen in groups around the city,
as they don’t know the city well, are affraid even
from honest people, for they too are able to eliminate them, if attacked in
bad times. Those spies have targeted the democrats B. C., Valentin
Baloj and Artur Doda, whom the police considered responsible of that
great protest. The protests were legal, for it is basic to ask your right, to
defend the free vote in a democratic society. Based on documents of the
Democratic Party, Valentin Baloj
is one of the Albanians who did his best for a free Albania. Since the begining of the democratic processes in 1990, as an
activist and organizer, he protested along with the students against the
dictatorship of Ramiz Alia. About the events of July 21, 2001, there is rumour about six police-men wounded. The conflict brought
the citizen B. C., to the court on November 23, 2003, which condemned him four years and
six months of prison, while Valentin Baloj and Artur Doda are wanted. In this edition we are showing e poesy
by a prisoner of the prison of Burrel, who assumes
to be condemned for political motives, though
different accusations were made on his behalf. The bastard politics of this
incredible, even state, hated by most of the Albanians, goes as far as banal revenge like that of July 17,
2001, when explosive was placed at the house of Kin Baloj,
the father of Valentin, where Jolanda
Baloj and her daughter Leunora,
were wounded. If the votes are stolen, if freedom is overlooked, the right of
speech in the indipendent press, at least, sounds
as an appeal for the communist state that forces Albanians to go all over the
world, in order to save their lives. The opposition is present however, more
active than ever before.
Sokol Pepushaj
Long Calvary of sufferings
 Arta Çesk Dedi, the girl you can see in the picture, was born on
December 13, 1976, in internment, as her father was interned in Paçram, as an enemy of the communists
power of Enver Hoxha.
Based on the document of the Integration Institute of the Political Persecuted in Shkodra – this document is already in the archive of our
newspaper – this family was in internment until the beginning of the
democratic processes in Albania,
in 1990. On July 27, 1958, Luigj Pashuk Jaku, Arta’s uncle had the death penalty, as an anticommunist,
based on the communist Constitution, articles 64, 10, 28 and 14 of the P.C.
as well as the point 1 of article 277. He was shot on August 28, 1958. The long Calvary of
persecution seems to be endless for this family that aspires for a free,
democratic Albania,
free from violence, revenge, political, ethnic and religious discrimination,
still present in the Albanian society. Likewise many others who seek
freedom and human rights, Arta Dedi
had death threats from anarchist segments, obviously with political support.
Based on documents taken from the Democratic Party, she gave a great
contribution and she was member of this party since 1995, as well as member
and activist of the Women’s Democratic League in Shkodra.
She was arrested several times, because of her anticommunist activity. On August 14, 2000, while
going home, back from a meeting of Women’s Democratic League, two people stopped and mistreated her violently, menacing
to kill her if she doesn’t leave Albania. Many girls and women are
victims like her, while during the last seven years over 6000 Albanians have
been shot dead. Those who suffered violence and rape,
left Albania
to escape death and save their lives. During the troubles of 1997, on
October, Arta’s house was burned up, and the same
thing happened on December
12, 2001, when the “Dedi” shop in Shkodra, was burned up. Arta Dedi and her family are one of the many cases experienced
by the Albanian society, one of the mos persecuted
in the world.
Zog Hysenaj
Beyond the shutting-in doors
Many of Albanian independent newspapers
recently had headlines like “The Prime Minister, Fatos
Nano, is shutting-in”, “The Prime Minister fell, the seat is still there”,
etc. The protest of February
7, 2004, was such as to make spies and security agents almost
cause unseen bloodshed, like that of 1997. However, we’re not concerned about
“shutting-in” of the Prime Minister, ministers or governors, as much as that
of the people who are victims of this politics, while a medieval revenge is
guided by the state. The blood-feud is a phenomenon that is now being
considered normal everywhere in Albania. Astrit
Bejtja and his family are at the center of our
concern. Astrit, his wife Zana,
their two children, Edin, their son, and Alisa,
their daughter, his mother Vaide and the sister Teuta have their lives threatened,
say the last two for the international newspaper “Shqipëria
Etnike”. In 1999, when the dictatorship of Ramiz Alia was leading, Astrit’s
father, Ferid Bejtja was
shot dead, while coming out of his house, by the killer, though in troth, as as such couldn’t be killed, according to the Albanian
custom. The conflict had its beginning a long time ago, right 24 years ago,
in 1980, when the victim had killed another citizen for property motives.
With the comming of democracy, at the beginning of
1990, this so called democracy, threats increased for the family Bejtja. They lived hidden until the day they left their
beloved country. The same did his brother, Bujar.
Danger is more serious after 2000, when a child was born to Astrit, and as a boy risked death, for revenge involves
seven generations. The killers want to avenge. Explosive was put to their
house recently with large consequences. What is the
police doing? It’s enough for it to be involved in smuggling, catch the
murdered, as long as this criminal clique will be on power.
Albert Vataj
Is it any difference between the strategies of SHIK
and Sigurim?
The first thing the communists did as they
came on power in Albania
on 1944, built up a strong security of state (Sigurim),
what helped them keep the power until 1990. Communism could keep Albania
submitted through Sigurim. How did it happen?
Firstly it decided and ordered to controle all the
well-known and powerful families where there were people shot dead and in
political prisons. They gave Sigurim the power on
everything. This is what the state did. When Sigurim
used to arrest anyone, especially any male member of powerful families, this person was accused of agitation and propagation, as well as
a traitor of the nation, or simply not contend with the communist
regime. Each of these accusations could cause one to suffer up to 15 years of
political prison, the family was considered to be traitor, none of the family
was allowed to attend university studies and the arrested was never
considered trustworthy.
If
the arrested agreed to collaborate with the state, he would had attenuation of circumstances. Collaboration with the
state ment the arrested was forced by Sigurim to be a spy. He had to spy anything in any way,
his friends, neighbours etc. This made him escape
prison or have attenuation. Most of the prisoners, though tortured by Sigurim, accepted prisonment
instead of working for Sigurim.
SHIK
today is using the same strategy. They are arresting those in opposition with
Nano and is forcing them to become spies for SHIK.
This begun after 1997 and is more evident after 2001. Since 2001 until today,
SHIK arrested and attempted to make spies from honest and powerful families
like Kaçaj, Gashaj, Lucaj, Lumaj, Smakaj, Imeri, Marvukaj, Malaj, Gilaj, Gjekaj, Alia, Shqutaj, Vuktilaj, Durgaj, Bacuku, Volaj, Buzhiqi, Koço, Dashi, Razburgaj, Shpati, Vushaj, Loci, Kalaj, Vukcaj, Mana, Kulla, Zeneli.
Most of these families are from Northern Albania,
but some where from South too, like Koço, from Vlora, Zeneli from Delvina. Some of
them were socialists opposing Nano as supporters of Meta,
but most of them were democrats opposing the socialist system. This is a
short, but unexisting list of people and families
whom SHIK attempted to make work for it.
We’ve
talked to some fo those individuals, who asked to
be anonymous, as fearing SHIK, and all of them said that SHIK tortured them, with
the aim to make them work for SHIK, in order to get information about
organizations and individuals whom SHIK observed. The arrested I interviewed
confirmed they had been raped by guardians and policemen, as long as they
refused to work or collaborate with SHIK.
Some
of the arrested met the Laywer of People in Tirana,
yet without results. The Lawyer of People is the only where those injustly arrested by SHIK or police can claim their
rights. Yet the Lawyer of People seems to be affraid
of SHIK or the Ministry of Order.
The
only difference we notice between Sigurim and SHIK
is that SHIK cannot accuse the arrested for agitation a propagation, or as
traitors of the country, while their strategy is the same. SHIK, likewise Sigurim, is a mean used by the state and serves it
faithfully, arresting, accusing, torturing, violating, raping, terrorizing,
condemning or eliminating anyone who opposes the Socialist State of Nano and
refuses to be a spy on its favor.
Jozefina Topalli,
vice-President of the Albanian Parliament, expressed her doubts about SHIK,
in the Parliament on May 2000, in her memorandum, while she reported
political murders and violence against opposition.
The
communists kept the power in this way for 50 years, but can Socialists keep
the power through SHIK? Maybe. We, however, will keep telling our readers,
the world, if it listens, and especially the organizations for human rights,
that SHIK is using the strategy of Sigurim, to keep
Socialists on power.
We
tried to talk to the Chief of SHIK in Tirana, the Lawyer of People in Tirana
and the Ministry of Order about this, but none of them answered our calls.
Zef Nika
Commemorating four years of UÇPMB
Bujanoc-January 26
In the village Tërnoc of Bujanoc, there was a
meeting commemorating three years from the heroic death of the national
martyr, Besim Faiku, from
Tërnoc, four years from the beginning of resistence in the Valley of Presheva, as well as the
four years from the first appearance of UÇPMB.
Agim Haliti, fellow-fighter
with the martyr, spoke about the activity of Besim.
We should be proud, - said Haliti, - that martyrs
from this area, Besim and Commander Lleshi, are registered in the history of the nation,as those who placed the cornerstone of the new
history of the Valley of Presheva.
The
former political chief of UÇPMB, Jonuz Musliu, said that “these proud and painful events for our
martyr people made more evident the problem of the area of the Valley of Presheva,
making it more sensible within and outside the country”.
A
greeting telegram was sent to this manifestation by former fighters,
imprisoned in the prisons of Serbia,
like Astrit Jakupi, Artan Livadhi, Shkelzen Zairi and the former
Commander of UÇPMB, Shefqet Musliu,
who now is in the prison of Mitrovica. In this
telegram, Musliu says that “even though I and some
guys are not there with you to enjoy this feast together and commemorate this
glorious anniversary of this area, express congartulations,
wishing you to be united, in order to realize our aspirations for our
country”.
On
the occasion spoke the father of the martyr, Faik
and the father of Commander Lleshi.
The Corresp. of “Shqipëria Etnike”
Pllumb Basha
from Lazarat of Gjirokastra
condemned 20 years
This is what the court of Gjirokastra
decided three days ago, for the murder of two citizens on March 6, 2003. The
prosecutor, Petrit Lamçe
wanted extreme penalty for Pllumb Basha, 50 years old from Lazarat
of Gjirokastra, while the court presided by Gjin Gjoni condemned him 20
years, as they considered attenuation for the tragic happening of March 6, 2003, in the
center of Lazarat. That day, Pllumb
Basha, 50 years old, father of Lenart,
born on June 20, 1997, Tina, born ono August 23,
1983 and husband of Glylso Basha,
killed deliberately Vladimir Metko, 30 years old,
the husband of her daughter, Tina, and his friend Albert Metolla,
28 years old. These two individuals had used his daughter as a prostitute for
three months in the motels of Milan in Italy.
Plumb came to know this through a letter his daughter Tina sent him. Deeply
depressed she wrote to them about the mistreatments she was suffering from
her husband, Metko and his closest friend, Metolla, by the streets of Italy. A few days after they
received the letter, Vladimir Metko and Albert Metolla were seen in Lazarat,
perhaps looking for other girls to cheat and use as prostitutes. As soon as Pllumb knew about their coming, he took a gun he kept
illegally and shot on them in the center of the village, leaving so dead
Vladimir Metko and his closest friend Albert Metolla, both from a quarter near the city. This happened
in the morning, while Pllumb went himself to the
police-station 20 minutes after. Lenart, the only
son of Pllumb left home, fearing revenge and found
shelter by his uncle, Hetim Basha,
in Tirana. He lived there for two months, and thanks to people who
accompanied him in Tirana, he escaped death twice. Being under pressure and
in serious danger, Lenart left his country, helped
by his uncle, Hetim, and friends of his family, and
went in another country where life and freedom is defended by law. He will
never come back to his country, for the killer is waiting to shoot on him.
Blood pays for blood, says the articles of the Canon of the mountains, ruling
where state and law doesn’t work. So the father was condemned 20 years, the
sister is somewhere by the streets of Italy, ashamed and mistreated,
the old mother, Glylso, is living in loneliness in Lazarat, while Lenart is
somewhere abroad shedding tears, missing his country and fearing the killer.
This
is the painful tragedy of the family Basha, but
this is not a single case in Albania.
This happens as the state is not doing its job, while the politicians leading
this country for 13 years are showing themselves irresponsible. A tragedy of
the 21st century…
Rifat Ymeri
Victim of terror of
the state
 Kujtim Deli Rahova
from Shtoj of Shkodra, is one of the democrats that suffered the most from the
terror of the state, while the family has no news about him.
Kujtim was member of the
democratic-politic-nationalist association “Azem Hajdari”. In the funeral of the leader of the Albanian
pluralism, Azem Hajdari,
on September 14, 1998,
he was amongst those who suffered violence from police and since that day, Kujtim suffered terror and psychological pressure, never
heard before. As a convinced democrat, however, he didn’t give up. During the
parliamentary elections of June
24, 2001, Kujtim was an observer of the
Democratic Party in a voting center in his electoral area. He worked almost
hidden, as the police had listed him with the democrats and their families
that had to be terrorized in different ways. Threats and psychological terror
did not stop Kujtim from defending the democratic
values and ideals. During the elections of October 12, 2003, he was a precious activist,
giving a great contribution for the victory of the democracy in the city of Shkodra.
Pressure increased day by day. His life became insecure in his country, after
many threats, and he had to leave it with great pain. Even today, his family
has no information about Kujtim Deli Rahova, from Shtoj of Shkodra. This democrat is a victim of the terror used by
the state on democrats.
Sokol Pepushaj
The Albanian state
is powerless against the Canon of Lekë Dukagjini
The phenomenon of blood-feud is one of the
heaviest plagues in Albania.
The state is not only unable to defend the lives of its citizens, but it
neither has legal possibilities to transfer either them or their families,
today living shut-in, in protected areas. Over 3000 Albanian families are
living shut-in, as the Canon of Lekë Dukagjini is more powerful than the state. The only
possibility for them to save their lives is leaving Albania. In Shkodra
there is a district named “The district of blood-feud”; though protected with
privat guards, there have been many victims,
amongst whom,women and
children.
Even
Ndoc Çefa, vice-Chairman
of the Municipal Council of Shkodra, a policeman as
well as many others, having blood-feud problems, were
forced to leave Albania,
for the state didn’t protect their lives and families. The Organization
“Albanian League of the Missionaries of Peace”, which cares about
reconciliation in conflicts, whose chairman is Xhoana
Nano, wife of the Prime Minister, is unable to stop or limit the phenomenon.
The state, is evidently powerless against the Canon.
Many states like USA, England, etc. have helped the Albanians in
conflicts giving them shelter, but other states like Belgium,s sometimes have sent them
back. In many cases, the Albanians in conflicts, to whom shelter was refused,
have been killed according to the customs of the Albanian Canon,
that permits revenge for blood-feud even 200 years later.
The Corresp. of “Shqipëria Etnike”
The businessmen
still leaving Albania
Beaten, ill-treated and under continuous
pressure by criminals of Mafia, Ilir Temali, the greatest drugs and medical equipments wholesaler in North Albania, having no
protection and security of life, was forced to leave for USA along with his
family.
Everyone
knows Ilir Temali, not
only in his birthplace in Shkodra, but allover Albania,
but mostly in the northern area where he exercises his activity. Coming from
an old respectful family of the city, Ilir was in
the spotlight as a student as well as an intellectual in his social life.
When political system changed he was one of the first to join the Democratic
Party as one of the most active members of it. His numerous activities show
this, as it were the activities of the forums of the party, supporting the
right-winged political forces during continuous protests against the
communists ruling the country.
The
greatest support Ilir gave to the Democratic Party
was through his business. He becomes very successful in this area thanks to
his culture, professionalism and intelligence, building so a sound financial
base that he uses for the Democratic Party, in its various needs, especially
during election campaigns, supporting all the right-winged political
candidates. In the last years, thanks to his careful and professional
business, Ilir Temali
becomes the greatest wholesaler in all the North Albania
for drugs and medical equipments. For many years,
all the pharmaceutical storehouses, simple pharmacies and medical
institutions of Puka, Kukës,
Fushë-Arrëz, Koplik and Shkodra were furnished by his company in Shkodra, actually in great development.
Though
at the ace of his work, although he created his authority in this area, not
only serving pharmacies and hospitals, but also ready to give drugs without
charge for people in poor financial state, yet he was put on target by Mafia and
criminals, mostly by rivals who started their “hunting” against him also
motivated by his fame. Besides numerous requests of money, made to him along
with threats toward his family and pressure to make him stop his activity,
lastly he was also mistreated. While coming back from Velipoja
beach, a few kilometers from Shkodra, in the Adriatic Sea, where he has a great villa, he was
stopped in an ambush and unknown masked people beat him with barbarity,
continuously asking him to stop his trade activity.
In
these conditions, when his and his family’s life was in danger, he decided to
leave his dear Shkodra and Albania definitely,
going in USA, where he has to start a new life, leaving back in Albania all
his investments he did with great sacrifices and sweat.
In
this case, not only his family is loosing a lot,
but even Shkodra and the whole northern area, where
he worked, as well as the simple people that often were supported by him
providing medicines for nothing.
The correspond. of “Shqipëria Etnike”
Peaceful protesters
mistreated and menaced
 The police and the Special Forces
have caused the protests of the supporters of the Democratic Party, of
February 7, 2004, to end in mistreatments and menaces. After the protest,
organized at the “Skënderbej” Square, one of the
greatest protests ever organized, the State used its repressive methods
against the protesters in this peaceful protest. There have been numerous
mistreatments and menaces during and after the protest.
Zyra Kola, member of the leadership of the DP, branch
No.42, witnesses the violence used on her by the Special Forces. She has been
hit on the lower part of her neck by a Special Force soldier, with the back
of his gun, as she was participating in the peaceful protest in front of the
Prime Minister Seat.
Rrezart Ura, member of the DP,
the branch of Shkodra, was stopped and menaced by
the police as he was going back in his birth town.
The
leader of the opposition, Sali Berisha,
has condemned the provocations of the staff of Nano, against the peaceful
protesters, saying: “Fatos Nano in the last breath
of his regime is trying to organize acts of political terrorism, but we say
him to stop playing with the citizens’ movement, stop playing with the civil
movement for you are hopeless!”
Sokol Pepushaj
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