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The “folder” about two periods of communist
persecution for the family Gjinaj
 The family Gjinaj from Malësi e Madhe is known for at
least one century as a patriotic family, good Catholics as well as unwavering
anticommunists. It is because of this anticommunism that this family suffered
for about 60 year, except a short break during the democrats’ government in
1992-1996, to start again in 1997, when the new communists with the new name
as socialists, came back on power. We chose to focus this time on the
“folder” of the family Gjinaj, which “added”
persecution against them by the links with the family Shllaku,
even this well-known as anticommunist and good Catholics. Father Gjon Shllaku, a Catholic priest
in the Shën Nikolli
church of Lezha, was fired by communists on March
2, 1946, and after that, the son in law of this family, Mr. Rrok Gjinaj was interned for 25
years as an anticommunist in the bad-famed camp of Torovica,
where he and his family were persecuted and deprived of everything, going
through endless awfulness. They were set free from internment in 1970, going
to live back in the village, continuously supervised by the spies of the
communist state security, who arrested Mr. Rrok Gjinaj on November 4, 1980, condemning him of 8 years of
prison, accused of campaigning and propagation against the communist party
and power, as well as for attempted escape. He had to endure his condemnation
in the prison of Burrel, where he was condemned
anew with the same accusation. It is interesting that despite the persecution
of the family Gjinaj, the son of Rrok, Valmir makes an attempt
to escape as he was very young, and on July 29, 1988 he was arrested by the boarder guards in Shishtavec of
Kukës. Even though only 16 years old (born in
1972), Valmir Gjinaj was
condemned with half condemnation. He was set free in April 29, 1991 and after
one month even his father Rrok Gjinaj
was set free. They were freed as a result of the temporary fall of communism
and the start of political pluralism in Albania. Right after his release,
the young Valmir Gjinaj
approaches the DP and soon becomes its member. He was charged as a secretary
of the DP in Koplik (Llazan),
to organize the party in this area known as a bastion of communism. This
democrat did a very good job. During this time, Valmir
Gjinaj found time to help in reconstruction of the Shën Nikolla’s church, and he
probably did this in memory of his uncle Gjon Shllaku, former priest of this historical church before
the communists fired him. During the rule of DP (1992-1996) the family Gjinaj started a life worth of this patriotic and
religious family, but it didn’t last as long as until 1997 when the new
communists (socialists) were back on power in a way they only know (through a
Bolshevik revolution). New persecution didn’t late to fall on the young
descendant of the anticommunist family Gjinaj. On
August 22, 1997, when Valmir was waiting at the Shëngjini’s Port, for an Italian priest, who was to
celebrate a mass in the Shën Nikolla’s
church in Lezha, he was taken by to persons (agents
of the NIS)
and sent at the Police Station, where he suffered mistreatment. During the
tortures he was called “the democrat “son” of Sali
(Berisha), and we don’t want even to see the
Italian priest, for they are agents of Vatican…”
Tortures lasted for about
three days, and when they freed him, they told him to leave the DP otherwise
it would cost him the life. On August 31, 1997, when the family Gjinaj was not home, their house was burned up and on the
wall was written: “Down with the Catholics! Down with the democrats! We’ll
burn their houses!” The authors are known, for they are from the Secret
Police, but none dares to report them. Being aware his life was in danger, Valmir Gjinaj, on February
1998, finds a false passport paying a lot of money, in order to leave Albania, for
his life was more precious. Unfortunately, in June 2004, he comes back in Albania, but
the socialists come to know and try to revenge. On July 1st, 2004,
when Valmir Gjinaj was in
the Velipoja’s beach, two persons (agents of the
secret police) insult and menace him openly, even trying to take him forcedly
with them, but because of many other people who gathered around, they left
him without forgetting to warn him that them (the socialists) would find him
anywhere, for he would pay for his anticommunist attitude… After that, Valmir interrupted his vacancy and lived almost hidden.
On November 16, 2004, while going by the “Marin Barleti”
Library of Shkodra, a van with black glasses
stopped near him and four policemen (in civil dresses) beat him hardly. At
the end, one of them pulls out his pistol and putting it on his head tells
him that they didn’t want to see him in Albania anymore; otherwise they’d
kill him, for the democrats were considered strangers for them. Two his
relatives helped him to get out of this difficult situation and sent Valmir home. On February 12, 2005, Valmir
was safe miraculously, because while waiting for a vehicle to go back home
from a meeting in the 60th anniversary of the anticommunist raise
in Bajza, three people (civil secret police) beat
and menace him to pay dearly for his anticommunism, just like those who
wanted to pull the socialists down from the power in January 1945… Pressure
and menaces increase during April, by people of the Socialist Power, who ask Valmir either to leave Albania, or they would kill him,
for he couldn’t stay there to take back the power left them by the “immortal”
Enver Hoxha, for we,
socialists, are his sons. Valmir tries to leave Albania again, but couldn’t do it, maybe
because Europe doesn’t believe that in the 21st century there is
still a country where the State persecutes, violates and menaces its citizens
because of political convictions, what is real only in Albania…
These last days, in our journal came to know that Valmir
Gjinaj is menaced with every mean by people of the
socialists. They tell him that it is in vain that he is staying in Albania, for
neither on July 3 they will let the power to the democrats and Sali, and they will accept the elections’ results only if
they win, otherwise, Valmir would be the first to
pay with his life, if the socialists lose… In these conditions of menaces and
repression, Valmir Gjinaj
left Albania,
although he loved it so much. This was confirmed even by the branch of the DP
in Malësi e Madhe, who
were missing this democrat. Our question is: “How long will this last?”
Ndue Bacaj
Kelmend: Democrats in
serious danger
 After three days the Albanians will go to elect the
deputies for the Parliament. The electoral campaign was very hot, filled with
incidents, physical and psychological violence, while the Socialist Party on
power used even reprisal against democrats. The Zone Nr.1 is a tough
electoral ring. Democrats faced violence in many cases, just like during the
eight years of the criminal power of the social-communists. Many young people
of Kelmend leaved Albania, having their lives in
danger and many others whill have to leave if the
SP is “recycled” on power. During the last elections, those of October 12,
2003, Kelmënd Çekaj, born
on November 24, 1979, was a commissioner of the DP, and two days before the
elections, on October 10, 2003, politics focused on him to arrest him. Many
police forces surrounded the house, but he wasn’t there fortunately. Yet they
arrested his brother, Fatmir Çekaj,
born on October 4, 1981. At that time was arrested also the other
commissioner of the DP, Vladimir Tataj. These two
guys suffered 12 hours of terrible tortures, until the press conference of
the leader of the opposition, Sali Berisha. The family Çekaj was
terrorized, for everything in their house was destroyed, the icons were
stepped, and the young girl Laora Çekaj, born on September 27, 1986, faced violence, and
the cross she had on her neck was brutally pulled off.
Just like during the last
elections, even now the socialists are preparing to use violence on
democrats, who feel death is nearer than life.
Edlira Kuka
Shkodër. Madness
also known as 1997
Although 8 years passed since the bad year 1997, it is still present,
though not in the same measure, not with what was experienced in those tragic
days of that year, yet with its consequences, its victims that increase in
number every day more. Menaces, murder attempts or even murders in the name
of blood-feud or revenge are phenomenon that is still present today, even
though 8 years have passed.
As a consequence of these
menaces or attempted revenges, hundreds of citizens of Albania had
to leave, some illegally and some legally (with a visas bought). They’ve gone
through the world without address, in order to escape this reality still
present in Albania.
Threatened people are from
different categories. There are some who committed murder for different
motives, some who defended the honor of their family, though using guns, nevertheless none takes care of it. There’s also a
certain category who tried to do their job, respecting the law, the State,
defending the warehouses, military areas, State’s institutions against the
crowd of people fighting with the only goal to steal everything, as the State
was fallen. There were some of those who cared about that and defended it
with guns, based on the law, shooting to everyone who shot them, leaving
victims of course. The State, instead of respecting and protecting those who
tried to hold up the Albanian State, right when those on power had abandoned
their duty, and had escaped with their families, it didn’t even care to
protect them.
Today, after 8 years
passed, the people who defended the State with guns,
are forced to hide as they were continuously menaced by the families of the
victims of those episodes. Many of them hide, many others are traumatized by
what they’ve seen, but there were those who were killed in the name of a
presumed revenge or blood-feud, for this is the law of the Canon, for the
honor of the victim.
I remind today the 12th
of March 1997, when the officer Agim Zyberi, warehouse keeper of a military area in Shkodra, 18 km from it, was fighting with a gun defending
what was trusted to him. He, with his idealism, didn’t think that time would
come when he not only would remain unemployed, but his life would be in
danger too. He escaped attempted murder twice, because to someone came in
mind that his brother was killed by this officer. The Canon wants Zyber dead in order to replace the honor of the family of
the victim!
Oh God, how long will it last? How long will go on like this, that menaced
people are forced to escape in order to save their life, just because they
dared to defend the State, and didn’t want to abandon their duty even though
there didn’t exist the State, for they thought this heritage belonged to
Albanians and not to those on power.
That’s why that madness is also called 1997?…
Vasel Gilaj
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