From Agron Mema
Memorie.al / Every year, the only remaining son of Teme Sejko’s family, Rajmond Sejko, who has been living in the USA for years, does not fail to come to the city of Saranda. In 2018, he was also accompanied by his son, Teme Sejko-i riu, for whom he says he dreamed that God would give birth to a son and name him after his father, Teme Sejko. And God brought the dream gift, by his side, we have the new Teme Sejko. Teme Sejko – the young man, says that he is proud of the personality of his grandfather, whose name he inherited. Raimondi told the day of exile after his father’s imprisonment, the ordeal of the family’s suffering, since his brother’s arrest and murder, as well as his mother’s suicide, after going into depression from not being able to cope with the pain of her son’s murder.
Raimondi told the guesswork and behind the scenes of the arrest of his father and the group of the so-called “Cham Group”, where many people were imprisoned and shot, especially from Konispoli.
Raimond Sejko said that the state of that time became jealous, why Khrushchev met Temen in Pashaliman and side by side, entered the base. But he did this because Temja was the commander. Khrushchev repeated this in Saranda, during his visit, where he took Temen with him.
But Enveri himself was there during this visit and this aroused jealousy. But there were turbulent years, in the relations between the two states, and a sacrifice was needed, to fill the minds of the people that the USSR had betrayed and here, look, the evils that were being prepared against socialism and the Albanian state.
Rajmondi tells a lot of horrifying events from this tragedy, as well as appeals for another trial for them, so that they can be rehabilitated, because they are still convicted. We invite you to follow the conversation.
Mr. Raimond, can you tell us something about the ordeal of your suffering?
Calvary is very long. Some things are known. Some others are not known. It started on July 28, 1960, when my father, uncle (Taho) and Tahir Demi were arrested on the same day, at the same hour. My father in Beqir’s office, my uncle in his office in Shkodër and Tahiri in Elbasan. From that day our family’s ordeal began when two Security officers came, who left nothing unturned and gave us the mandate that the father had been arrested.
I was 11-years-old, not yet 12. I was the eldest son, while my brother, (Sokoli) was 9-years-old at that time. And we found out that these people had been arrested, but we were too young to understand things well. When we went to Vlora and saw that the house was searched, then we knew that worse days would come.
They took us, confiscated almost everything and left us with only our body clothes and a spoon and a fork…! Let’s not linger any longer, on that matter. They put us in a house in “Kateqi” square, in Vlora.
The first check was made in Tirana, at my maternal grandfather’s house, where we lived, while the second check was made in Vlora without going to us. They took the radio, they took everything. We lived in “Kateqi” square, in a room where four other families lived in its corridor, with a bathroom.
We continued school. At school, I didn’t feel any pressure from my classmates, because there were a lot of people around. The trial was played over the loudspeaker and everyone turned to us. To harass us, they didn’t harass us at that time.
What happened next…?
Afterwards, although by court decision he was sentenced to exile, a decision that was turned into a punishment. At the father’s trial, this happened. On October 22, 1961, they came and took us and took us to Berat. At first they take us to the “Earthquake Barangays”, that’s what they were called. After two months, they took us to the fortress of Berat, where we lived for another 10 years.
Even though I finished with good grades, because until the fifth grade I was behind my father’s punishment, even in high school, I was one of the best, my name was never mentioned. After that, if we hadn’t had our maternal grandfather and grandmother, I don’t know how we would have lived, because we were two small children and a woman who had back problems and couldn’t work.
Most of the time, until she died, she worked very little. This story lasted two years. After that came the arrest of my brother, who was arrested for nothing. He was 23 years old when he was arrested. 23 he did in October and was shot on March 6, 1974.
The trial was held in January, at the “Mao Ce Dun” Textile Factory, on the charge that; would set fire to the combine, terrorism, creation of gangs, escape, agitation. He had done nothing.
Several others, who had taken pictures with my brother, were also attacked. With these, a hostile group was created, with the friends of the photos, and he was shot, because they had taken pictures with his brother!!
How do you remember your father?
I don’t ever remember my father, that he was aggressive with us, with my mother…(crying…).for me, he was the best father in the world.
During the time your father was detained in prison, did you ever go to see him?
Who would let you. We never, never saw it.
When was it executed?
The trial started on May 15 and ended on May 27 and with the official papers, which are never found, what is the date of the shooting, but they say that on January 30-31. However, from later documents, it appears that he was not shot.
After the trial of Kadri Hazbi, documents emerged that he was tortured, kept alive for a month, to write those things that he had never done. And after a month, they took him from Tirana prison, they took him to a villa in the suburbs.
With the initiative of Mihallaq Ziçishti, who sent his cousin, the driver, to cut down the Scotch trees and they started torturing him, starting with Kadriu himself and, in turn, Rexhep Kolli, Nevzat Haznedari, etc.
After 10 hours, when my father, although he had very little spirit, came again, Kadri Hazbiu saw him, ran away and after my father finished, two people, Birçja and Gjondeda, put the rope around his throat, pulling him from both sides, then they took him from Linza, they also split his skull, before burying him, while Mihallaq Ziçishti’s cousin took the clothes he was wearing.
How do you value your father?
I really appreciate that he intended to come up with new names, that his name was an old name, well his mother’s name was Shpresa, the little girl’s name is Didar, like her maternal grandmother, who was so bent over, pulling the rafters and he used to bring them to Spaç, he came to exile, he lived with me. He helped me as much as he could. To cook, he pushed the kerosene furnace with his feet to bring it there, close to the bed. She is my heroine, my grandmother, but also the woman, she is the most precious person.
I remember from Konispoli, I was little when we came to the Bogaz party, I don’t remember much from the road, because I was hit by a car, but I remember green. I have been here two or three times. I don’t know, but I remember that they respected him.
But it seems that he has also made enemies, because Etem Gjinushi says that he was arrogant, that he was the chief of staff of the Ministry of Defense and the ranks passed through his hands. However, my father has been promoted several times, out of sequence.
During all this ordeal that you went through with your father, uncle, brother being shot, your mother ending her life in those conditions of severe depression where she could no longer endure life, was Mond Sejkua ever able to say; “damn you, father”?!
(Shakes head crying and sighs): Never, never…(shrugs shoulders with sighs..) I was never convinced that my father was guilty…otherwise I wouldn’t have named him my son…(crying) …long I always dreamed that if I was born a boy, I would name the boy.)
What have you learned about his arrest?
Beqir Balluku told him that this is a party duty and you will do it, but I can’t imagine that he would do the party duty and not think about the rest of us, that he was leaving us behind. I don’t know, I don’t know what happened…?!
For me, he was a very regular person, a person who was loved by all who knew him, what can I tell you…?! He spoke passionately about his hometown, but not much because we were small and didn’t understand, and he didn’t have much time to stay at home, especially when he went to the navy and he wasn’t in the profession. He graduated from the second “Voroshilov” Academy in Russia as a major officer for the army and not for the navy.
He was a rear admiral of the FLD?
Yes, he was and it seems to me that they used him to deceive him, that’s what they told him, that we will send him to Russia, for naval specialization, they gave him an office in Tirana and arrested him in the office of Beqir Balluku. The father was arrested and put on trial.
What happened, I said before, that I don’t know, but it makes me think that their brains were washed there, they were brainwashed, because I know for sure from Dervish Sulua, who did not accept and Ferat Matohiti took his head and put it in the key, to see how the preparations for the theater were being made and what they would say in court.
They were preparing what they were going to say. And to accept all those things I don’t know, there is no way for a man to accept all the things, even if he has done it, there is no way for him to accept all of them.
Did the father admit to those charges?
Yes, the father admitted everything in court.
In your opinion, what was the real reason for your father’s arrest?
I think the main reason was that we were falling out with the Russians and my father was in the Navy, so the first clashes started in the Navy, not when my father was arrested. It is thought that Khrushchev put his father’s arm in Pashaliman, as the commander that he was, and walked with him inside.
When I was in Saranda last year, I found out that even there, when he went, he took him by my side, this aroused jealousy, that Enveri was with them, but also that with the break with the Russians, they wanted to tell him to the people, that; this is what the Russians are doing to us and the opinion is that the first proposal for this sacrifice was made to Hilmi Seiti, who did not accept it and my opinion is that; I also have this doubt from my father, and this opinion was also expressed in prison, by many convicts.
They poisoned Hilmi Seiti, that when he found out that Hilmiu died, the father, Temja, went to Shkodra urgently and I know for sure that there was also a gun in the car when he went to Shkodra. There he found the fait accompli. In June 1960, we went to Shkodër and went to Hilmi’s grave, this was also given to the accused father as evidence. I don’t know what happened in the investigator, but I can imagine.
What is the reason for the punishment?
Ah, she never gave you the reason or the answer. And my father, he still appears convicted. My father and uncles and the whole group, for me, are still condemned. Because I don’t see that they can continue the hatred they have for the Chams, for me it continues and their names have not been put in place. There should be a trial as it was done, so that they receive their innocence, not with a decision of the People’s Assembly, as Sali Berisha did! Memorie.al
