FLASH
Shkruar nga Dashnor Kaloçi
Always guided by the teachings of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, the “great leader” of the Bolshevik October Revolution and his loyal successor, Joseph Visaranovich Stalin, the senior leadership of the Albanian People’s Party, led by Enver Hoxha and his successor, Ramiz Alia, for nearly 45 years, vigorously propagated the “class struggle”, considering it a “moving force in society”, which according to them; “rose and fell, but never died”. These slogans, borrowed from the distant steppes of the Soviet Union and implemented with the utmost precision by the communist regime in Albania for nearly half a century, sent thousands of innocent Albanians behind bars, who suffered the horrors of that inhumane system in forced labor camps, prisons and exiles, until 1991.
The arrests and sentences in political camps and prisons of those citizens whom the communist regime considered "enemies of the people", accusing them of being; "kulaks", "ballists", "Zogists", "traitors to the homeland", "reactionaries", etc., etc., accusations of the most diverse kinds, continued permanently throughout the existence of that regime (October 1944-March 1991), but they were occasionally intensified depending on various events in the country and political conjunctures in the international arena.
There were even cases where arrests, convictions, and deportations were carried out as part of campaigns, mainly to uncover "hostile groups", such as; in 1948-'49, after the breakdown of relations with Tito's Yugoslavia (the punishment of the "Koci Xoxe Group", in 1955-'56 (the punishment of Tuk Jakova and Bedri Spahiu), in 1956, after the Tirana Conference, (the punishment of the "Liri Gegë and Dali Ndreu Group") after the breakdown with the Soviet Union in 1960-61 (the punishment of the "Cham Group of Teme Sejko"), in 1973-'74, after the 11th National Song Festival on Radio-Television (the punishment of the "Group in Art and Culture") led by Todi Lubonjë and Fadil Paçram, in 1974-'75, (the punishment of the "Putschist Group in the Army") led by Beqir Balluk, Petrit Dumen and Hito Çako, in 1975-'76 (the punishment of the "Economic Saboteur Group"), led by Abdyl Këllez, Koço Theodhosi and Kiço Ngjelë, in 1978 (after the breakdown of relations with the People's Republic of China), and until the years 1981-'83 (the punishment of the "Mehmet Shehu's hostile Group"), led by Kadri Hazbiu, Feçor Shehu, Nesti Nase and Llambi Ziçishti.
After the conviction of all these "hostile groups", where Enver Hoxha's closest associates were in the dock, many other people, high-ranking officials, etc., or with no connection to them, were also convicted, who were accused of being members or collaborators of those "hostile groups"! The arrest and conviction of these people was mainly done for two reasons; the first was to make public opinion believe in their "hostile activity" and the second; the communist regime attempted and showed its strength, by exerting terror, fear and pressure on ordinary people, or on those it considered "contingents" and "enemies of the people", such as those from the "overthrown classes".
This mainly happened in cases when official Tirana broke off relations with "friendly countries", such as Tito's Yugoslavia, Stalin and Khrushchev's Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China, but as we emphasized a little above, also in the case of attacks on "hostile groups"! All of the above is already known, but to concretize these, i.e. the fact of the intensification of arrests and sentences in the case of attacks on "hostile groups", in this article we are publishing an archival document with the acronym "Secret" (extracted from the Archives of the Ministry of Interior), dated October 18, 1975, where within one day in Tirana, a full 15 people were arrested, accused of agitation and propaganda.
This, the arrest of these 15 people in one day, an event that it must be said had not happened in the city of Tirana since February 1951 ("The bomb incident at the Soviet embassy", where dozens of people were arrested in one day, 22 of whom were shot), from the testimonies of several people who experienced that day (October 18, 1975), it is known that fear and terror were caused throughout Tirana. The arrest of 15 people in one day, took place just a week before the trial of the "Coup Group in the Army", led by Beqir Balluku, Petrit Duma and Hito Çako, began on October 25, 1975 and ended on November 5, when they were sentenced to death and were immediately executed.
So, the choice of the date of October 18, 1975, for the arrest of those 15 people, (among whom was Mandi Koçi, former partisan and personal photographer of Enver Hoxha at the General Staff since 1943, Beqir Eqerem Omari, was the nephew of Bahri Omari, brother-in-law of Enver Hoxha), most likely seems to have been a premeditated action of the relevant State Security bodies and the Ministry of Interior, (approved by the senior leadership of the Albanian People's Party and Enver Hoxha personally), with the aim of exerting fear and terror, precisely in Tirana, where Beqir Balluku had enjoyed the greatest popularity! The document in question is published for the first time and with the relevant facsimiles, by Memorie.al
Secret archival document with the operational communiqué of the Ministry of Interior of December 21, 1975, with the names of 15 people arrested in Tirana for agitation and propaganda.
People's Republic of Albania secret
Ministry of Internal Affairs
copy no. 3 Tirana
General Branch
, 21.x.1975
Operational Communication no. 248
On October 18, 1975, with the approval of the Prosecutor General, they were arrested for agitation and propaganda against the people's government;
1) Mandi Adham Koçi, 66 years old, born in Korça and residing in Tirana, cinematographer by profession, highly educated, poor background, expelled from the Party;
2) Thanas Pano Naçi, 39 years old, born in Himara and residing in Tirana, pilot by profession, currently a guard at the Electro-Medical Plant, with higher education, poor background;
3) Fiqri Myslym Llagami, born and residing in Tirana, currently unemployed, highly educated, middle class, convicted;
4) Vlash Mihal Dhaskali, 66 years old, born and residing in Tirana, middle class, with secondary education, retired;
5) Rruzhdi Sali Osmanagaj, 36 years old, born in Podgorica and residing in Tirana, middle class, with secondary education, carpenter (instructor), in the Geodesy enterprise;
6) Beqir Eqërem Omari, 46 years old, born in Fier and residing in Tirana, middle class, with secondary education, divorced, worker at the Industrial Enterprise of Teaching Tools;
7) Strati Kosta papa (Bozdo), 22 years old, born in the village of Kosovicë – Gjirokastër, resident of Tirana, poor class, highly educated, expelled from the Party, former officer, currently an economist at the “Tulla” Industrial Enterprise;
8) Palok Gjon Guga, 44 years old, born and residing in Tirana, middle class, with higher education, economist at the Porcelain factory;
9) Gëzim Manush Peshkpia, 33 years old, born and residing in Tirana, wealthy class, with secondary education, welder at the Vehicle Workshop;
10) Valter Rexhai Kosturi, 36 years old, born and residing in Tirana, middle class, with secondary technical education at the Institute of Mechanical Studies and Design;
11) Besnik Koci Xoxe, 37 years old, born and residing in Tirana, middle class, with secondary education, milling operator at the “Dinamo” factory;
12) Seit Sulejman Bathore, 54 years old, born and residing in the village of Mjull-Bathore, poor class, expelled from the Party, worker at the Agricultural Enterprise "Gjergj Dimitrov";
13) Nina Mihail Pumo (Timofovic), 37 years old, born in Moscow - Soviet Union and residing in Tirana, poor class, of Russian nationality and Albanian citizenship, with higher education, currently unemployed;
14) Andon Gjon Çefa, 36 years old, born and residing in Tirana, middle class, with secondary education, technical in the Construction Enterprise;
15) Safet Xhafer Xorxi, 58 years old, born in Filat – Chameria and resident in Tirana, middle class, with secondary education, convicted once, salesman at the Social Food Trading Enterprise, (arrested on 20.X.1975). /Memorie.al
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