By Kastriot Dervishi
– The denunciation letter of the ex-convict of Burrel, Muharrem Xhakoni, sent to the Central Committee of PPSh, for the two captains of that prison, who staged the slow deaths of some prisoners-
Memorie.al / On the map of communist prisons in Albania, Burreli is among the blackest places. In case Albania was invaded by another country, the convicts here were immediately executed. Burrell prison in the documents of the time, it turns out that in the years 1950-1957, it was known as; “Prison no. 3”. Around 1957, the prison was renamed “Ward 321”. It served as a high security prison, in the years 1946-1991, for political and ordinary convicts. The first history of the prison, drawn up by the Moroccan communist administration, dates back to 1962. At this time, the Department of Internal Affairs, Mat, drew up a short history of the prison. This history is within the propaganda of the time, that is, according to the principle “a lot of words and a little information”.
According to this historian, the prison must have been built in the years 1936-1937, in order to “enter the Albanian patriots who, with their principled feelings, were against Zog’s regime and against his clique”. In fact, the prison was built between the end of 1938 and the beginning of 1939, without being completed and “inaugurated”. For the first time in this way, it would be used by the wartime administration. Among other things in this history of 1962, it is written:
“But the opposite happened with this facility, that the bourgeois regime could not put it into use, because the decision of the Zog satrap regime was taken by the Italian fascist occupation, so the main man who designed the Burrel prison, the former minister of Inside that time (actually the prime minister for the time in question – note) Koço Kota, who himself died in this prison. Since April 7, 1939, when Fascist Italy occupied our country, like all the other objects of Albania it occupied, it also occupied the Burrel prison, which it used against the Albanian patriots.
From April 7, 1939 and until September 1939, in the prison of Burrel, there were more than 400 Albanian prisoners, for political and ordinary issues, who were under the bayonet of the carabinieri and the Italian militia, who held them until September 1943.
At this time, the prison was taken over by the German army, where the Albanians who were inside were tortured even worse than by the carabinieri and the Italian fascist militia. The Nazi army held the prison until July 31, 1944. On this same date, Burrel was liberated by the partisan forces. The prison was opened and the Albanians who were in prison were saved from the hell of fascism.”
The entire part on the history of the prison is described by a comic script, which in any case we have corrected from the literary side, especially in the sentence divisions, which never end. The ignoramuses who made such historians had, at best, three primary classes. From July 1944 until the year (the month is contradictory in some sources) 1946, the prison facility was used as a storage warehouse for the needs of the new communist government.
In 1946, internal fortifications began, outer guards were installed and the outer barbed wire fence was built by Italian-German prisoners of war. The purpose was for the prison to be used for “war criminals, spies, etc” prisoners. This had happened because in some places in Albania, such as in Elbasan, Peshkopi, etc., prisons had been broken, and there had even been escapes. Burrel’s prison was a strong building, whose invulnerability was increased by the second siege that was established and by the internal arrangement.
Italy used it as a warehouse for the needs of the army, while after the war, the communists closed the works, as they needed to use it against the opponents of the regime, giving it the number 3. The internal service was done by the People’s Defense Forces and then of the police, while the director dealt only with the administration.
The brave convict
Today I will bring the testimony of a convict who complained to the Central Committee of the PPSh about the difficult conditions of serving the sentence. At the time when the letter was written, that is, on February 20, 1963, over 300 political convicts and 2 ordinary convicts were serving their sentences in this prison. The convict who wrote the letter is called Muharrem Avdulla Xhakoni (born 1924) was arrested on 17.5.1955, together with his friend, Sejdi Cak Demishi (born 1880, 76 years old).
He was accused of trying to escape, although he was arrested in Sukth, many kilometers from the border. With decision no. 12, dated 21.1.1956, the Military Court of Tirana, acting in Durrës, consisting of Faik Spahiu, Llazar Kote, Gani Sabahu, with assistant prosecutor Servet Kadilli present, declared the two defendants guilty of treason high against the homeland and based on Article 64 of the Criminal Code, sentenced him to 12 years in prison. He was released from department no. 307, on 13.3.1966, when it was located in Rubik. The commissioner of this department, Major Besnik Çomo, writes on the release sheet:
“The said person is released upon completing the term of the sentence, taking into account the various earnings from work and decrees. During the time he served his sentence in this ward, he maintained a bad attitude, did not show any remorse for the crime he committed, collaborated with other convicted persons and propagated against the people’s power. He worked at work, with the aim of earning, to be released as soon as possible. There were several cases of violations of the internal rules of the camp.”
The letter of the convict Muharrem Xhakoni, for the Central Committee of the PPSh
ALP Central Committee
Tirana
Prisoner Muharrem Xhakoni, officer of Department 321, born in Ishem, resident in Durrës, 38 years old, with primary education, middle class, married with children, sentenced to 12 years in prison, in May 1955, with sales profession, I have the honor to present my prayer and complaint as follows:
Gentlemen, members of this committee! I feel it necessary to explain, the death of 5 people, some abuses, arbitrary actions, punishments without regulations, illegal treatments, do it intentionally and cover it up well.
I am raising this complaint, against the assistant doctor, captain Kamber and captain Asllan, both employees of this department.
When I had a fever of 40 degrees from the Asian flu, Capt. Asllani lifted me from the mattress, put me in the cell, undressed me, barefoot when the cement was wet and the temperature of the cold (was) 8 (degrees) below zero.
After 8 hours in that state, my blood froze, I became paralyzed and lost consciousness. When I came to, I saw that I was in the room. I was brought back to life by the massages of my friends and warm water baths.
The last time, they lifted me up at midnight from the mattress, put me in the cell and then together with the assistant doctor Kamber, they stripped me, stripped me, tied me with irons and when my hands were numb, when my hands were black, then they pulled, shook me in a form of torture.
Capt. Asllani takes me out to the prison yard with impossibility, when it rains heavily. Old people, sick and emaciated, who are barefoot and in rags, get wet in the rain, without fire, changing rooms and stoves.
When we walk, absolute silence is required. If you say good morning, Captain Asllani puts you in the cell, with all the other consequences, as if we were dead shadows and not living human beings.
If you do 5 minutes of gymnastics, in your country, they put you in a cell, barefoot and naked. This thing harms us all, especially those who suffer from rheumatism and various paralysis.
This captain has given orders to cut, do not wash my head, neck, ears and do not use soap in the morning. The victims of this order are dozens of prisoners. Father Donat Kurti, because he washed his head a little, was sentenced to prison. Got a kidney cold as a result of three days in the cell, no symptoms. He has been recovering for three months, hospitalized in the prison infirmary.
When the doors open to the yard, we have to run, in the form of a popular cross country. In the narrow corridors, the straps of the clogs break, the sick old people fall. The rear ones ride on top of those in front and again the powerful command of the guard is heard, saying: “run, run, run”.
So the column shakes again and those who remain in the tail are all put into the dungeon.There isn’t a day since Captain Asllani is on duty, that they don’t undress, get dressed and enter the wet dungeons. always without sleeping mats, 4-5 prisoners.
Since the command has appointed him as the guardian of the other guards, (Captain Asllani), he has ordered them to act like him. His punishments, although not included in the regulations, in most cases, exceed 10-15-30 days, without sleeping mats, naked, barefoot in wet dungeons. 95% of punishments are arbitrary.
Gentlemen, members of the Central Committee!
Our punishment in dungeons drenched with rain water all winter, naked, barefoot and without sleeping mats, is constantly causing us diseases: gastritis, ulcers, intercolitis, hemorrhoids, rheumatism, various paralysis and all other tubercular diseases.
All these are without the consequences of the punishments in the dungeons, without pleasure, sleep, such punishments have led us and are leading us to a death that comes in gradual forms. Those bodies which, with their natural resistance, endure it, remain disabled for life.
We earnestly pray that a commission may be convened by that committee, and that, as far as possible, it be decided by legal means, principled and in accordance with medical science, the annulment of this injurious punishment, which leads to the lifelong invalidation of men or their physical disappearance.
The aforementioned punishment (punishment between dungeons without sleeping mats), to be replaced by different forms of punishment, with other punitive or coercive measures.
Below, I am giving in order the names of those who died in this prison, as victims of Paramedic Kamber.
Xhevat Korca. Sick for a year, he wanted to go to the hospital in Tirana, for the operation of the ulcer and for tests and complete cure.His occasional verbal and written pleas were flatly rejected by Assistant Medical Officer Kamber.
Xhevati went on hunger strike and after that he did not win the hospital and died in prison after 15 days. Assistant doctor Kamber, for the official justification, got another doctor and after they did the autopsy, they wrote that he allegedly had cancer. His death is known by all.
Gergj Kokoshi. You lost a little water (urine). Kamberi answered the verbal and written requests to send him to Tirana in the negative. With the intervention from above, a car was fixed, but when it arrived at the operating room of the national hospital in Tirana, the disease had done its work and the patient no longer responded.
So gentlemen, a small surgical operation opened the blocked urine channel, drained the collected water, as happens every day in our state hospitals, and the sick Gjergj Kokoshi would be alive. He died, because of the water collected in the abdomen and the delay of the operation, 20 days passed.
Estref Mufti. He suffered from specific eperonitis. His requests to send him to the Tirana hospital were rejected for nearly 5 months by assistant doctor Kamber. An analysis that was sent to the laboratory of the Tirana hospital, telegraphically announced that the patient had to be admitted to the hospital for analysis and complete treatment.
Since these formalities were carried out privately, assistant doctor Kamber rejected them. When Estrefi cried like a child and promised to pay the expenses of the car himself, Kamberi laughed, that he did not have that disease, but gas. He said he would recover in prison.
With the intervention of a major from Tirana, after the disease had been active for 5 months and after the stomach was filled to the brim with water, they sent him to the hospital. When they were taking away his water on the first day, he died. It has been scientifically proven, that when peritonitis is in the beginning, it is easily cured with streptomycin. But when the sick spend 4-5 months and the stomach fills with water, 99% of them die.
Akile Tasi. He suffered from black liver. Later, botkini also passed. The second day he came out of the infirmary, from the botkini, he was put in a dungeon with a cold below zero. They took off his hood and without any blanket, they kept him for 7 days. Got a cold in the black liver, which was affected by botkini before, and this complication turns into cerozapatic. All written pleas were rejected by Kamberi. After three months, the patient died.
Ismail Qazimi. He complained that he suffered from high blood pressure and black liver a year ago. He always asked for a hospital in Tirana, but Kamberi answered him with disdain. Lying for months on end, he died in inexplicable misery. When the directorate wanted to send him to Tirana, assistant doctor Kamber refused to issue a report – says convict Zenel Shëndellia.
While the party has banned the exploitation as a slave, I strongly request it to stop in our prison from the above-mentioned captors and animal treatment.
As long as the party and the government have banned beatings, because it humiliates a person, we are asking for a ban on punishment in the dungeon, without bed rest, because this punishment = suffocates, kills a person altogether.
When I pleaded with the director to see me to a neurologist for nerve trouble, Paramedic Kamber stripped me down to my shirt and pants, made me barefoot, beat me, slapped me 12 times in the face. Being in the dungeon, in that condition, driven by injustice, I went on a 12-day hunger strike and attempted death, of other kinds.
When prisoner Fadil Meçja begged assistant doctor Kamber for multivitamins for health reasons, which had come to him in a package from his family, he put him in the dungeon for 30 days, along with other consequences.
If Lenin were alive and he happened to see the horrors of captains Kamber and Aslan, he would immediately order that both of them be hanged in the prison yard. I hope that you too will not let these captors use us as chess pieces.
I am not swaying, either from Hamletian indecision or quixotic urge, but from undeniable truth, from indisputable facts.
In the name of medical science, in the name of conscience, in the name of legal norms, for the protection of human rights, we ask that my demands be met and I appeal to you to perform this act of justice:
Lay planks in all the cells.
To give sleeping mats to the prisoners in the cells, as this punishment leads to the physical disappearance of the prisoners. It is possible to replace it with other restrictive measures.
Don’t force us out into the yard when it rains, because we don’t have a fire to dry and a change of clothes.
Captain Asllan Uka and doctor Kamber should be transferred, because they act and appear as tigers with a human face, because they are extremist fanatics, because they have abused, disabled people and damaged the lives of prisoners.
Prisoners with urgent illnesses should be sent to hospital no. 2 in Tirana.
Stop running when the doors open, because there are old, sick and barefoot people.
To cover the roof of our warehouse, after 100,000 ALL, they are in danger of rotting from our clothes, from the rain.
According to the state regulation, we get a ration of grapes with clothes and body, and we have not seen warm water for 4 months.
As in other prisons, and in our prison, written regulations are hung between the main doors, to clarify and orient the prisoners and to restrain the arbitrary actions of the guards.
To prohibit provocations, personal grudges and any punishment that is not included in the regulations.
They are allowed to do 5 minutes of aerobics in the morning.
To give us the right of schedules, which is eaten many times.
Let us come to your defense for sending this petition of complaint, gentlemen of the Central Committee.
The answer to Muharrem Xhakoni’s letter, by Rita Marko
The letter of the convict Muharrem Xhakoni was dealt with in the Central Committee by the Administrative Directorate, which passed it on to the secretary of the ALP.
The signing of a text by him gives the most convincing proof that the quoted captains are nothing but tools, because everything was determined by the party.
This answer is given:
As it seems, the prisoner Muharrem Xhakoni has been encouraged by one another to slander and fabricate about our people, wanting them to decide the convicts of the people’s power, the rules of the prison.
These prisoners, when they were outside, made all kinds of plans to the detriment of the party and the people’s power, but now that the people’s justice took them and punished them, they try to slander and make rules according to their pleasure.
Prison rules are set and necessary for these enemies. Memorie.al
Rita Marko
23.2.1963
Original title: “Rare evidence for slow deaths and paralysis of convicts” – How the former Ministers of Education, Xhevat Korça and Gjergj Kokoshi, lost their lives – APS justifies crimes and torture in prisons!
