By Dashnor Kaloçi
Part Fourteen
Memorie.al / Exactly 43 years ago, on the morning of December 18, 1981, the Albanian Prime Minister Mehmet Shehu, who had held that position since 1953, was found dead in his bedroom (according to the official version, from a bullet from a pistol) in the villa where he lived with his family, at the entrance of the “Block” of the high leadership of the Albanian Party of Labor, just a few meters from the building of the Central Committee of the Albanian Party of Labor and also from Enver Hoxha’s villa. Although more than four decades have passed since that day, considered one of the most serious and notorious events of that regime, there is still no clear and accurate version regarding what happened to the former Albanian Prime Minister Mehmet Shehu on the night leading to December 18, 1981! However, even after the 1990s, dozens of testimonies and archival documents have been made public regarding that event, “the murder or suicide of Mehmet Shehu,” which continues to be the subject of numerous debates and discussions, even wrapping it further in mystery around the truth.
Based on this fact, in the context of publishing dozens of testimonies and files with archival documents from the secret fund of the former State Security and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, or the Central Committee of the Albanian Party of Labor, which we have published over the decades since the collapse of Enver Hoxha’s communist regime and his successor, Ramiz Alia, Memorie.al has secured the voluminous file “of the enemy Mehmet Shehu,” which has been extracted from the secret fund of the former State Security at the Ministry of Internal Affairs (now part of the fund of the Authority for Information on the Documents of the former State Security), where, with a few minor exceptions, most of them have never seen the light of publication and are made public for the first time in full.
In the mentioned file, there are the relevant facsimiles, the expert report of the investigative-operational group that was set up immediately on the morning of December 18, 1981, led by Koço Josifi (head of the Investigative Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tirana), the forensic doctors Dr. Fatos Hartito and Docent Bashkim Çuberi, the prime minister’s doctors, Milto Kostaqi and Llesh Rroku, as well as the criminalist expert from the Central Criminalistic Laboratory of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Estref Myftari, assisted by high officials of that ministry, Xhule Çiraku, Elham Gjika, and Lahedin Bardhi.
Also, in the voluminous file that we are making public, there are testimonies from the family members of former Prime Minister Mehmet Shehu, from the service personnel, and his escort group, as well as from all other individuals who were summoned and testified about that event. Moreover, the documents in question, which we are publishing along with the facsimiles and relevant photos, provide more information regarding this matter.
However, even though we are dealing only with archival documents, it should be emphasized that; knowing how that system operated before the ’90s, we cannot claim absolute truth regarding what is written there, as not only from the individuals who provided their testimonies, but also from the investigators of this case, it has been made known that the testimonies were obtained under pressure, intimidation, and physical and psychological violence, with some investigators going so far as to write them themselves while the witnesses or defendants merely signed them.
Continued from the previous issue
ARCHIVAL DOCUMENT, WITH THE MINUTES OF THE INTERROGATION OF ASTRIT NAMIK VELIU, FORMER OFFICER OF THE ESCORT GROUP OF PRIME MINISTER MEHMET SHEHU, BY THE INVESTIGATORS OF THE MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS, SOKOL KOLEKA AND BASHKIM CAKA
“PROTOCOL.”
(OF THE WITNESS INTERROGATION)
Today, on June 10, 1983, in the city of Tirana.
We, Sokol Koleka and Bashkim Caka, investigators of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, interrogated as a witness, Astrit Namik Veliu, born in 1952, from Verri of Saranda, residing in Neighborhood No. 10, “Rruga Qemal Stafa”, Building 585, Stair 4, Apartment 60, Tirana, with a higher education (graduated from the School of the Ministry of Internal Affairs – Kufi), officer in the RPSSH Guard, unorganized, not convicted, relationships with the accused – no family connection, with Albanian citizenship and nationality.
The investigator warned me regarding the basic criminal responsibility under article 202 of the Penal Code, for false testimony.
Witness
Astrit Veliu
Regarding the matter, I can say the following:
I have worked since 1978 as an officer near the enemy Mehmet Shehu, until the day he committed suicide. I served as a guard at the entrance of Mehmet Shehu’s courtyard, where Baki Hakrama, Nysret Rama, Petrit Dema, and recently, Asim Bejo, also served on shifts.
Until November 1980, we were subordinate to the Command of the living area of the Leadership, then by order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, we were transferred under the escort group of Mehmet Shehu, which was led by Ali Çeno.
Since I went to this house and especially in recent years, I have seen a significant degeneration, to the point that it has made a strong impression on me, having been born and raised in the village. Aside from the fact that Mehmet Shehu and Fiqrete Shehu never smiled, they would shout and curse endlessly, their children would come home drunk every night and were dressed extravagantly. This degenerate clothing was especially noticeable on Marjeta Shehu.
She, especially at night, at 00:00, 02:00, and 03:00, would go out in the courtyard of her house, to the Boulevard at the corner of the Central Committee of the PPSH, dressed only in a nightgown, without any other clothing, or underwear, etc.
I remember two instances when Marjeta, after having drunk at her house with Bashkim Shehu, Ismail Kadare, and Elena Kadare, went out at 02:00, 03:00 in the morning, for a walk on the boulevard, where Marjeta was dressed only in a thin nightgown, showing her naked body.
There have been instances when Marjeta came out at 00:00, 02:00, in her courtyard, dressed only in a thin transparent nightgown and completely naked underneath. After taking a stroll in the courtyard, she came inside the officer’s guard cabin, where I was on duty, and while she was sitting down there, behaving provocatively like a prostitute, she touched my foot and said to me: “Hey, how are you, how’s it going?!”
I considered these instances as provocations from her towards us officers, especially towards me, and I immediately reported them to Ali Çeno, Farije Koçiaj, and discussed them with my fellow officers. The soldiers on duty around Mehmet Shehu’s house would also tell us when they came to duty at 00:00, 01:00, that they had only seen Marjeta, from the hills of Lake Tirana…
All the children of Mehmet Shehu would take the cars designated for Mehmet Shehu’s services, such as “Benz,” “Volvo,” “Citroën,” for hours and days at a time, going wherever they pleased! Since these individuals would come late at night, the key to the side door of the house, which we, the guard officers, kept for the last few months, during these two to three weeks in December 1981, was taken by Vladimir Shehu, and a copy remained with the officers in the internal service room of the house, where one officer slept every night, ready for anything.
I remember that in the last week before Mehmet Shehu took his own life, Nesti Nase, Llambi Ziçishti, and Feçor Shehu visited, arriving after noon around 5:00 PM. In all three cases, they were received and accompanied by Ali Çeno. In the case when Nesti Nase arrived, as well as when Feçor Shehu came, I did not see them enter the house because I was not on duty, but my colleague who replaced me from duty, Baki Hakrama, told me that they were inside Mehmet Shehu’s house, on the occasion of December 11 or 14 for Nesti Nase and for December 16 for Feçor Shehu…!
On December 11 or 14, 1981, around 8:30 PM, I saw Nesti Nase coming out of the main door of the house, heading to leave through the main entrance of the courtyard. In his hand, he held a brown bag with a red-brown color, with a wide strap at the end, which seemed to be filled, based on how Nesti was holding it. As soon as I saw Nesti, I notified Ali Çeno with the bell, who came out from the officers’ room and escorted Nesti Nase to the corner of the Party’s house; then Nesti Nase left alone towards the former Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where a black car was waiting for him. I didn’t pay close attention to what kind it was, and after he got into that car, he left…!
On December 16, 1981, after I changed shifts again with Baki Hakrama, he told me that Feçor Shehu was inside Mehmet Shehu’s house. After a little while, Ali Çeno came out of the officer’s room and asked me if Feçor Shehu had come out. I told him no. Ali told me to inform him when he came out, and he stayed in front of the officer’s service room door.
Shortly after, the main door of the house opened, and Feçor Shehu came out accompanied by Fiqrete Shehu. I turned on the courtyard lights of the house so that Feçor could descend the stairs, as it was getting dark, and in the meantime, I informed Ali that he could see Feçor was leaving the house.
At that time, I was also with Feçor’s escort, Besnik Kasaj. Ali came to us and accompanied Feçor Shehu to the fountain in the garden located opposite Mehmet Shehu’s house, where Feçor left. Feçor had a thin black bag under his armpit, and after he got into a “Gaz” waiting for him at the street corner in the boulevard, he left towards the Ministry of Internal Affairs…!
Just two or three days before this date, Feçor Shehu came again to Mehmet Shehu’s house, around 6:30 PM to 7:00 PM, while I was on duty. He was greeted by Ali Çeno, who had informed me beforehand that Feçor Shehu would be coming, and he accompanied him to the main entrance of the house.
Feçor Shehu stayed there for about 20 minutes, and when he left, he walked quickly and noticed, heading towards the garden with the fountain, without speaking to anyone, neither to me nor to Ali. Once again, Feçor had the same black folder-like bag under his arm, but he was alone without an escort. I did not see if there was a car waiting for him outside on the boulevard.
In these last 5-6 days, before Mehmet Shehu took his own life, Llambi Ziçishti came around 6:30 PM to 7:00 PM. He came one or two days before Nesti Nase’s last visit to Mehmet Shehu’s house. Before Llambi Ziçishti arrived at the house, Fiqrete Shehu called me on the phone, from the number 85-95 we had at the Guard’s Baraka, and told me: “Llambi Ziçishti is coming, so tell Ali Çeno to come here.”
I informed Ali Çeno about Fiqrete Shehu’s message. Llambi Ziçishti came from the garden with the fountain in front of Mehmet Shehu’s house, where, after being greeted there by Ali Çeno, he was brought inside through the main entrance of the house and then taken to the side of the house (to the cherry tree) located opposite the Party House No. 1.
After bringing him inside, Ali took a little longer and then came from the officers’ room. At around 7:30 PM, or even later, Llambi Ziçishti left Mehmet Shehu’s house, and Ali Çeno escorted him back to the garden from where Llambi Ziçishti had come. I do not remember if Llambi Ziçishti had anything in his hand or not…!
On December 17, 1981, I was on duty from 8:00 AM until 2:00 PM; Baki Hakrama was on duty from 2:00 PM until 8:00 PM; Petrit Dema was on duty from 8:00 PM until 2:00 AM; and I was on duty from 2:00 AM until 8:00 AM, along with Asim Bejo…!
At 8:00 PM, I went and took over the shift from Petrit Dema, who told me that there had been nothing during the service. Shortly after, Mehmet Shehu came from the meeting of the Political Bureau, accompanied by Ali Çeno and Llesh Rroku. Mehmet Shehu looked troubled and did not speak to us at all. After Ali Çeno handed Mehmet Shehu the black bag at the main entrance, Mehmet Shehu went inside the house, accompanied by doctor Llesh Rroku. Pëllumb Rusta was also nearby, and Pëllumb and I asked Ali: “Are we playing ball tomorrow?” And Ali Çeno replied: “Can’t you see what’s happening?!” and left angrily for the officers’ room.
After Mehmet Shehu closed the shutters of his sleeping room and his study on the second floor, and after he closed the shutters of the room and study on the first floor, he called Llesh Rroku to examine him. After about 15-20 minutes, Llesh Rroku came out of Mehmet Shehu’s house, where I asked him what was going on, and Llesh replied: “I took Mehmet Shehu’s blood pressure and went into the doctor’s room, which was next to the officers’ room.”
Shortly after, Ali Çeno came out of the officers’ room, passed in front of me without speaking, went through the main door of the courtyard, and headed towards the side door of the house, located opposite the Party House No. 1.
I do not know what Ali did there, where he went, or if he went inside or came out through the side door of the courtyard; I didn’t see him. After about 20 minutes, I heard a knock at the main door of Mehmet Shehu’s house. I turned my head and saw Mehmet Shehu coming out, dressed in a black suit. After seeing me, he asked: “What are you doing?” I told him: “I am performing my duty.” He told me again: “Be careful,” and went back inside the house. I heard the door lock twice.
After that, I don’t remember how Ali came out, but I saw Ali Çeno in front of the entrance to the officers’ room and asked him: “Are you here?” Ali replied: “I will sleep here tonight because I have work.” He then went into the doctors’ room where doctor Llesh Rroku and Milto Kostaqi were, and they stayed chatting until about 1:00 AM on December 18, 1981. Until around 2:00 AM, when I left the shift, I didn’t see anything else or hear any noise.
As for Ali Çeno, he was the closest and most trusted man of Mehmet Shehu. For everything, Mehmet Shehu would only talk to him, calling him to his office in the Prime Minister’s office or at home, where they would discuss for a long time. I remember that before Mehmet Shehu went abroad to accompany his children, both in Paris and in Sweden, he summoned Ali to his house that day and had a long conversation with him.
I also recall another instance where Ali had disagreements with Servet Baka and Viktor Kolaneci about who would go abroad, where Ali expressed to us officers that: “As long as Mehmet Shehu is alive, no one can do anything to me”…!
Regarding what I have stated above, I have read my statements, and they are written correctly and signed…!/Memorie.al
Witness INVESTIGATORS
Astrit Veliu Bashkim Caka Sokol Koleka
To be continued in the next issue
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