By Ani Jaupaj
Memorie.al / A few days ago, in Canada, where he lived for 26 years, Meshan Çini passed away. One of the relatives of her fiance’s family, with whom she never lived, announced the news and the key details of the life of a heroine who resisted to the end. That’s all it took to find out more about Meshan’s life. Her name is not often mentioned in Albania, due to the many years she lived abroad. During this long time, it has returned only two or three times. However, she left everything documented in her book. Below, we are extracting pieces of history told by her herself…!
After a fabulous childhood, at the age of 18, in post-war Albania, where the dictatorship was established, Meshani got engaged to Selman Ndreu, owner of the “Continental” hotel in Tirana and member of the well-known Dibran patriotic family of Cen Elez and Elez Isufi.
The arrest of her fiance after eight months of engagement overturns once and for all the youthful dreams of the girl of rare beauty. There begins the ordeal of suffering, which lasted almost 4 decades. Despite the pressure from the officials of the time, she refuses to leave her fiancé, who will later die in prison, where she used to go to see him.
The sequel is easy to imagine. An accusation is made; a scenario is built, and then comes the implementation. Meshan Çini is arrested and spends 11 years in the prisons and camps of the dictatorship, from where he comes out with a deaf ear and a hysterectomy operation, provoked by the cold nights spent in the cell.
She had endured living in unbearable conditions, unemployment and loneliness. A daily battle that lasted another 28 years, a battle she resisted like no other, in the name of love for life and Edlira, the daughter she adopted and devoted herself to. In February 1991, at the age of 63, together with her daughter, she crossed the border on foot, leaving behind her motherland with troubles, to go towards a dream for a better and safer life.
“I experienced the fall of the dictator’s monument in Greece – she remembers – while I was waiting for my documents to go to Canada, to meet my brother, Duro, whom I had not seen for 45 years”.
Meshan Chin’s confession
“In 1945, I got engaged to Selman Ndreu, the son of Cen Elez, they were a family of Bajraktars. The regime did not harass them immediately, after taking power, it left them for a short time! In 1946, it was announced that they would all be arrested and all the brothers, as they were, tried to escape to Greece. To do that, you had to have a leader, a man to vouch for you, but they were shot by a traitor.
He took 500 lira and in a part of the road he stopped, as if to look at the broken windows, and at that moment they surrounded him. Dali Ndreu, the general, along with his wife, Liri Gegë, survived the immediate shooting. They didn’t take their lives, but sentenced them all in turn… one of the brothers to 20 years, the other to 15, or more, and my fiance, Selman, to 10 years.
After he went to prison, I always went to see him. The first three years were held without punishment. I went to the court myself and got permission to meet him, and since their investigator was Hito Çako, a close member of our family, he allowed me. The first time I went to Peshkopi, I asked Hito not to bring Selman to a meeting with his hands tied…! That’s what he did; he brought it to my office.
I met him and the first words he said to me were: “You have the right to leave me, because you are too young.”
“What I will do is my business”, I answered and asked him if he needed anything.
After this question, Hito Çako intervenes. “You, all the luxury you’ve had and are used to, you won’t be able to enjoy it, because Selmani will be sentenced to 101 years in prison, or be shot.”
Selman’s family was rich, in addition to many properties; they also owned the “Continental” hotel.
Until that time, I hadn’t thought about anything, whether I would leave him or not, but when Hito told me that they could even punish him with death; I realized that I would not leave him!
“Selman, stay calm, I won’t leave you until death,” I told him, broke up with him and ran away.
Three years passed without a conviction. The events and stories of torture they told were numerous. You wouldn’t believe the condition his quilts were in after being taken out of jail, covered in blood. It was the time of the horrors of Koçi Xoxes. After Peshkopia, the 11 brothers spent their time in Gjirokastër. It was very difficult to go there, they didn’t even let me get on the bus, and they had given orders everywhere, that no one would shelter me or pick me up in a car if they saw me on the street.
However, I always found a way and managed to go at night. I was treated very badly in Gjirokastra, but I arrived where I wanted. Meanwhile, I lived with my sister and I had two brothers in prison. We lived in Tirana until 1947, but then they removed us and we ended up first, in Sulovë of Elbasan. From 1946 to 1951, I did not stop visiting the prison! Once, while we were working in the tunnel in Elbasan, someone said something about me, but a dibran who happened to be there, knowing my relationship with my fiance, said: “Not you, Enver Hoxha is begging me too, she has her fiancé”.
After this event, I was removed from Elbasan. I had to flee to Tirana, but with what? As soon as I got into a truck, I was dropped off, so I was forced to come from Elbasan, on foot. We didn’t find a house, but a little luck helped me there. I met a sister-in-law of mine who lived in Slovakia and whose sister was married to Haxhi Lleshi’s nephew. She came to meet me and found me a room, in a house where an old woman lived. The house was torn down, because it had neither a ceiling nor a roof, but I agreed to stay. I didn’t stay there for long either, because events took a different course.
Arrest
When I was arrested, I was living in Kavaje, I was sick those days, with the Spanish flu. At dinner they came, checked once and left. My sister’s little son says that they came and asked about my aunt, but if she is going to prison, they better take me. At 3 in the morning, the door rings. “We want Meshan, as for a question in the Internal Branch”!
I got up as sick as I was, put on only my dressing gown, because I thought I would come back and went. They left me outside, waiting, from 3 o’clock until 7 in the morning, until the head of the Internal Branch, Banush Veliu, came. To say; we went to Durrës and they took me by train, because they didn’t want to be noticed. The whole of Kavaja recognized me for my story and the daughter in my eyes. We fled to Durrës, to the Internal Branch, where the Head of the Branch, Jashar Kasimati, was, while my investigator was Sotir Xharja and a secretary. They put me in the room and didn’t wait, but immediately said: “You’re under arrest!”
I leaned against the wall and just said; good, but I was all numb, barbell! I didn’t think anything, because I hadn’t done anything! As soon as I said good morning, they gave me that answer back.
They asked me some questions and immediately put me in the dungeon. The dungeon was full of water, I knocked on the door because I wanted to go to the bathroom, and they told me to do it there. It’s just that I never made them cry. Even in the interrogator, they beat me, what can I tell you. When Nevzat Hazidari heard about this, he came directly from Tirana to ask me if it was true. I didn’t accept it. What could I say, I would be in their hands again, and who would protect me?!
The truth was that as soon as I said a word, they would punch me. Once he hit me so hard that he broke my eardrum, I was hurt! I spent four months in the interrogator, until when I went to court, I found out that there was a good chance that I would be shot. I gathered myself there!
“Let them shoot me! Meshan, – I said to myself, – as they have given you all the good titles, keep your bravery” – and I remained strong.
When the session started, they asked me: “You were a fisherman by profession”? I laughed ironically…!
I had never even seen a fisherman, not being myself, but I understood why they asked me. However, the charge was attempted escape, which was not true.
“You,” they said, “are the bride of Cen Elez’s son.” Your brothers are in prison, your fiance is in prison, your sister’s husband is in prison, and you have everyone in prison. Besides these, you are close friends with the daughter of Shefqet Vërlac”.
“They all found me, I didn’t find them!”, I answered.
I was sentenced to 20 years. They wanted me to ask for mercy, but I didn’t ask for anything. The investigator told me; speak the truth, we will give you privileges. I told him; as much as the snake is put in the breast, as much as your word is believed. This thought occurred to me immediately, while he wanted to know, who had told me…! They had taken my property, everything I had. They took me to Durrës Prison, to the dungeon. They came from Tirana; they asked me if I was tortured.
Prison tortures
Nevzat Haznedari had a secretary, the son of our cousin; they grew up in my family. From him, I benefited from Nevzat who did not behave harshly, because he spoke very harshly to every woman, but he never offended me.
After Durrës Prison, I was brought to the isolation of Tirana, for a year; there I tried twice to kill myself with drugs, to poison myself. From there they took me to the old women’s prison, then to the camp, to agriculture. I was constantly sick…! I asked the Ministry for the doctor to come, but when he saw my name on the waiting list, Qazim Balla, raised his gun to kill me. Marie Saraçi saw the scene and came forward, saying; what are you doing like this?!
According to the regulations, the commander had no right to enter with a weapon, but he did. The marshal, Xhevahir was called, had a female guard and as soon as he saw Qazim, he raised his machine gun and swore that he would melt the 72 bullets into his body if he killed me.
I notified the Ministry of the Interior. Feçor Shehu and Qatip Dervishi came to me. At first I didn’t want to meet them, because I was afraid of what might happen to me afterwards, but I went. They offered me cigarettes, I don’t smoke, I told them. I used to smoke, but I told them I didn’t. They wanted to know what had happened.
I told him that I had to go to the doctor for a visit, while Qazim wanted to kill me. “Look, I will still be in his hands,” I told them. They told me not to worry and left.
The next day a meeting was held and another commander was brought. They removed it with great ceremony. Those things that they have done well, I know and I tell them, I don’t blame them, I don’t want revenge, everyone found it from God.
Breaking out of prison and escaping to Canada
In 1963, I got out of prison. I didn’t have a passport and wherever I went, I had to notify the almighty; otherwise, the owner of the house would be fined. I didn’t notify anyone, I went hiding. I did my best to get a passport, I went to the Prime Minister everywhere, but they didn’t give me one. I lived with the villagers, in NISH-Tulla of Tirana, in Mzeze, in Yzberisht, etc.
The peasants were very good at sewing for a living. To those in the presidency, I sewed for free. Meanwhile, the fiance was dead! After he found out about my imprisonment, he became seriously ill. They had taken him out of prison and taken him to Llakatund in Vlora.
In 1991 I decided, oh freedom, oh death! In Delvina itself, because they were looking for me on the issue of a property in Greece. I found there two old friends of my father and there I found out how people escape. The two young sons of my family used to take people out. They promised me that as long as the limit was easy, they would send me a telegram.
I left and contacted the Italian Embassy. She says do you have money? Need $1000! My brother who lived in Australia sends me 1000 sterling. I was 63 years old when I fled to Greece and, after that, to Canada, to my other brother. I lived very well these years. I get a pension of 1500 dollars a month and I live with the people I love and who love me. During these years, I have returned 2-3 times to Albania, but my happiness is here! Memorie.al
