By Dashnor Kaloçi
Part Seventeen
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 PROTOCOL OF THE INTERROGATION OF JONUZ RUSHIT LUTO, OFFICER OF THE ESCORT GROUP OF FORMER PRIME MINISTER MEHMET SHEHU, BY THE INVESTIGATORS OF THE MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS, SOKOL KOLEKA AND BASHKIM CAKA
P R O T O C O L
(OF THE WITNESS INTERROGATION)
Today, on the date 15.5.1983, in the city of Tirana.
We, Sokol Koleka and Bashkim Caka, investigators of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, interrogated as a witness, Jonuz Rrushit Luto, born in 1935, with secondary education, (driver-officer), residing in Reparti 313 Tirana, convicted, expelled from the Party. Convicted for theft and smuggling………………!
The investigator warned me regarding my basic criminal responsibility under Article 202 of the Penal Code for false testimony.
Witness
Jonuz Luto
In connection with the case, I can say the following:
In 1972, I began working as an escort officer for Mehmet Shehu. Ali Çeno also started working in this group in 1973. Before Ali Çeno joined Mehmet Shehu’s escort group and Llambi Peçini, who was at that time the director of the Second Directorate, communicated to us about the arrival of Ali Çeno.
Llambi Peçini told us that “the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs has decided to bring Ali Çeno to the escort group, who had been responsible for the assignment in the Security Battalion, is a party candidate, and is very well-prepared physically and militarily. He will be the first officer and head of the group. Mehmet Shehu’s opinion has been taken, and he agrees” …………………………………………..!
In this meeting, I stood up and expressed the opinion that I did not agree with Ali Çeno being appointed head of the group, since he was a party candidate. I proposed that Ali Çeno stay in the escort group, but in a function, simply as an officer. But this was not taken into consideration, and Ali Çeno until the day of the traitor Mehmet Shehu’s suicide, was the head of the escort group……………………….!
Ali Çeno had familial ties with the traitor Petrit Dume, through his wife. Since he arrived in the escort group and until the time of the Party’s action against Petrit Dume, Ali Çeno mentioned Petrit Dume in various discussions and continuously, boasting to us, saying; “last night I was at Duma’s, I discussed this or that with Dume,” etc.
Also, Ali often mentioned Hito Çako, telling us that; Hito Çako often went to his aunt’s house, which is in my apartment, and we would chat while having a glass of raki together. After the action taken by the Party against Beqir Balluku, Petrit Dume, and Hito Çako, Ali pretended as if he had never known them at all………………………………..!
The traitor Mehmet Shehu had a close relationship with Ali Çeno and communicated with him regarding every issue. They discussed everything together, from expanding the group of officers, vehicles, the treatment of his children, traveling abroad, receiving and sending packages, etc. For everything we had, we had to inform Ali Çeno…………………………..!
Ali Çeno traveled abroad several times while he was responsible for the escort group. I recall that before the trip to France in 1980, Mehmet Shehu summoned Ali Çeno to his office, and they talked for a long time, for over an hour. I don’t know what they discussed or what instructions Mehmet Shehu gave to Ali Çeno. Even Ali Çeno himself told me, “Mehmet Shehu called me and gave me instructions,” but Ali Çeno did not tell me what instructions he received from Mehmet Shehu………………………………………….!
Before going to Sweden in 1981, Ali Çeno was called by Mehmet Shehu, and they talked together in the garden, walking around inside his house. Almost all of us officers in the escort group learned a few days prior that Ali Çeno would be going to Sweden with Skënder Shehu and Gani Kodra. Ali Çeno was going to Sweden under the pretext of calming Skënder Shehu after the broken engagement with Silva Turdi and would stay there until just before the New Year.
However, as I learned from the officers of the escort group (I don’t remember who), Mehmet Shehu spoke with Ali Çeno two or three times and told him to return. It seems that Ali Çeno spoke on the phone in October 1981, with the escort officers, informing them that he would soon return to Albania…………………………!
I do not know for what purpose Mehmet Shehu sent Ali Çeno to Sweden, nor do I know what instructions he gave him. As I explained above, it was said that Ali Çeno would go to Sweden to accompany Skënder Shehu because he was upset about the broken engagement……………………..!
When he returned from Sweden, I talked with Ali Çeno, and he told me that he had a good time in Sweden, Skënder Shehu did not show any concerns and continued his studies normally. Together with Peço Kalluçi, secretary of Mehmet Shehu, and Farije Koçiaj, we transported the documents from Mehmet Shehu’s safe from the old house to House No. 6. Mehmet Shehu himself took out the documents from the safe, and in his presence, Peço Kalluçi put them into boxes. The documents placed in boxes were transported to House No. 6, where Mehmet Shehu himself placed them in the safe.
I clarify that Mehmet Shehu always kept with him a small gray safe made of enameled sheet metal, measuring 50 x 35 x 15 cm, which he took with him when he traveled outside Tirana and never let it out of his sight. On the day of the transportation of the documents from Mehmet Shehu’s safe, he personally took this small safe from the old house to House No. 6. After locking the materials, he had taken from that safe, he went back once more to perform the same action, retrieving the documents again, bringing them back to the safe he had in House No. 6.
The safe in-House No. 6, which resembled a cabinet, had two separate sections. Mehmet Shehu placed the documents in one section and kept the key himself, while he gave the key to the other section to Peço Kalluçi for organizing the other documents……………………..!
Even when the transport of documents took place from House No. 6 to the new house, Mehmet Shehu personally extracted the documents from the safe and along with Peço, organized them into boxes, which were transported by Peço Kalluçi, Ali Çeno, myself, and two officers of the escort group………………..!
I know that Mehmet Shehu often called Ali Çeno to burn important papers that he didn’t need……………..!
On December 17, 1981, I went to work at 6:45 AM. After Mehmet Shehu attended the meeting of the Political Bureau, I and the telephone technician checked the phones that Mehmet Shehu had at home. For a year, at the request of Feçor Shehu, the phones in Mehmet Shehu’s house were checked daily, and a protocol was kept for this. Mehmet Shehu attended a meeting in the afternoon and returned around 8 PM.
After Mehmet Shehu entered the house, Ali Çeno, who was accompanying him, came to the officers’ service room, where, as far as I remember, were Dashamir Rabaj, Vasil Lika, Orjon Trebicka, Bektash Hanxhari, and the driver Astrit Hitaj. Here, Ali Çeno asked who was on duty today; we told him it was Dashamir Rabaj and Astrit Hitaj. Ali Çeno said, “tonight I will also be on duty; the rest of you, go home and come back to work tomorrow as usual. I will go eat bread and come back.” If Ali went to eat bread at home, with whom he went and with whom he returned, I do not know, but the next day, on December 18, 1981, I learned that Ali Çeno had slept there……………………………….!
On December 18, 1981, I went to work at 6:45 AM, and nearly all members of the escort group were in the officers’ service room waiting for Mehmet Shehu to come out for work. Around 7:45 AM, Vladimir Shehu spoke over the intercom, saying that Ali Çeno should come urgently to Mehmet Shehu’s bedroom. A little later, he requested doctors. After the doctors, I also went to Mehmet Shehu’s house. Initially, Ali Çeno signaled to me that Mehmet Shehu had committed suicide, and when I entered Mehmet Shehu’s bedroom, I saw him lying dead.
He was face down on the floor, with a blanket thrown up to the middle of his chest, hands extended out over the blanket. The doctors had arrived before me, while I stood at the door of Mehmet Shehu’s bedroom and did not approach. From Ali Çeno’s side, Feçor Shehu and Sulo Gradeci were called on the phone; when Ali Çeno entered this room, Vladimiri and I followed. The door to the safe room was closed, but I do not know if it was locked or not. I did not see anyone else enter this room. After these actions, Ali Çeno locked the bedroom of Mehmet Shehu with the key, and we went out into the corridor of the second act.
Not long after, Kadri Hazbiu arrived at Mehmet Shehu’s house, accompanied by Ali Çeno. He entered the bedroom where Mehmet Shehu’s suicide had occurred. He stayed briefly in that room, looked around, and then went to Fiqrete’s room, where he took the letter that Mehmet Shehu had left before his suicide. After this, Kadri Hazbiu left…………!
When the investigative-operational team arrived to examine the crime scene, I did not enter Mehmet Shehu’s rooms. I remained on the second floor with two officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. While I stayed in this corridor, I saw Elham Gjika arrive; he had just come from the examination of the crime scene, stayed for a moment, and then re-entered Mehmet Shehu’s bedroom, where the examination continued……………………………………!
Once the examination was completed, the keys to the bedroom and the study of Mehmet Shehu were requested. I clarify that these room doors had three keys each: one copy remained on the door, while the other two copies were collected by the worker Fahrije Koçiraj before the 8th Congress of the Party of Labor of Albania, at the order of Mehmet Shehu, and were placed in his library. Thus, when the investigators requested the keys to seal the doors, Farija was called, who found the keys in Mehmet Shehu’s library, and after this, the doors were sealed.
When this action was completed, witness questioning took place on the first floor. No one was questioned as a witness on the second floor. I know that in the last 10-15 days of December 1981, enemies of Mehmet Shehu came to his house in the late afternoon or in the evening, including Nesti Nase, Llambi Ziçishti, Feçor Shehu, an instructor from the Central Committee of the Party of Labor of Albania whose name I do not know, a staff member from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in addition to Fejzo Bija, Qamil Peshqesh, and Mustafa Bixhi, who entered as if it were their own home…………..!
In November 1981, Kadri Hazbiu also visited Mehmet Shehu’s house with 3-4 military personnel, such as Mendu Backa, Nazar Berberi, Maliq Sadushi, Kiço Mustaqi, etc. Nazar Berberi also came again alone at the end of November 1981. Ali Çeno always let these individuals inside, while I remained in the officers’ service room!
On December 17, 1981, I recall that when Mehmet Shehu returned from the meeting of the Political Bureau and entered the house, Ali Çeno was waiting at the entrance of the courtyard. When I asked him why he wasn’t entering the house, he told me he was waiting for someone who was bringing some material; however, Ali did not tell me who this person was or what the material was………………………………!
On the day that Mehmet Shehu’s family was to leave the house at the hands of the comrades from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, we were told that they could take all their personal belongings without any restrictions. All of us in the service staff stayed there and assisted them in gathering their belongings, ensuring that they did not take anything that was part of the household inventory. However, the things they took that might have been significant to the matter were not checked. I know that Fiqrete took items from her cabinets and safes, such as perfumes, watches, pens, clothes, jewelry, and some papers, and during this time, Farije Koçiraj was with her.
As for Bashkim Shehu, in addition to various belongings such as clothes, a small television, a radio, and a tape recorder, he also took several boxes of different books. I remember that during this time, Fiqrete mentioned, “When the safe is opened, I have the children’s certificates inside, and I need them.” She told this to Feçor Shehu over the phone, and he replied, “Okay, okay”…………………………………………..!
I also recall that in August 1981, when we were transferring Mehmet Shehu’s belongings from House No. 6 to the new house, we had transferred a shelf from Fiqrete Shehu, which she kept locked inside. Fiqrete received a call from Mali i Dajti, and upon hearing this, she began to scream and immediately came down by car. I do not remember which officer it was, but after entering her room where we had placed the shelf, she locked herself inside. After a short while, she came out calm and told me in a low voice that she was afraid her jewelry might have been broken, but everything was fine. After she got back into the car, she returned to Mali i Dajti, where she was on vacation with Mehmet Shehu…………………………….! Memorie.al
To be continued in the next issue
