From Dashnor Kaloçi
Part Thirty-Three
Memorie.al / Exactly 43 years ago, as the dawn of December 18, 1981, approached, 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” of a pistol) in the villa where he lived with his family, at the entrance of the high-ranking leadership block of the PPSH (Party of Labor of Albania), just a few meters from the Central Committee of the PPSH and also from Enver Hoxha’s Villa 31. Although more than four decades have passed since that day, which is regarded as one of the most serious and notorious events of that regime, even today, there is no clear and accurate version regarding what happened to the former Albanian Prime Minister, Mehmet Shehu, in the midnight hours leading up to December 18, 1981! However, even after the 1990s, dozens of testimonies and archival documents related to that event have been made public, the “murder or suicide of Mehmet Shehu” continues to be the subject of much debate and discussion, further enveloping the truth about it in mystery!
Starting from this fact, in the framework of publishing dozens of testimonies and files with archival documents from the secret fund of the former State Security and Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as the Central Committee of the PPSH, which we have published in these three decades after the collapse of the communist regime of Enver Hoxha and his successor, Ramiz Alia, the newspaper has secured the voluminous file of the “enemy and poly-agent Mehmet Shehu,” which has been extracted from the secret fund of the former State Security at the Ministry of Internal Affairs (now declassified and part of the fund of the Authority for Information on the Documents of the Former State Security), where, with some small exceptions, the vast majority of them have never seen the light of publication and are being published for the first complete time, with the respective facsimiles.
In the mentioned file, in addition to the testimonies during the investigation of witnesses or defendants, the complete act-expertise of the operational-investigative group that was established immediately on the morning of December 18, 1981, headed by Koço Josifi (chairman of the Investigation of the Directorate of Internal Affairs of Tirana), forensic doctors Dr. Fatos Hartito and Docent Bashkim Çuberi, the prime minister’s doctors, Milto Kostaqi and Llesh Rroku, the criminal expert from the Central Criminalistic Laboratory of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Estref Myftari, assisted by high-ranking officials of that ministry, Deputy Minister Xhule Çiraku, chairman of the Investigation Directorate in the Ministry of Internal Affairs Elham Gjika, and Deputy Director of the Directorate of Internal Affairs of Tirana, Lahedin Bardhi, can be found.
This file also contains testimonies from family members of former Prime Minister Mehmet Shehu, service personnel, his escort group, and all other persons who were summoned and testified about that event, as well as correspondence letters from Mehmet Shehu and Fiqrete (written by their hands), concerning their sons, Bashkimi and Skënderi, up to the early days of December 1981.
However, although we are dealing with archival documents, it should be emphasized that; knowing how the communist regime operated before the 1990s, we can never claim absolute authenticity regarding what is written there. This is because not only the witnesses and defendants, who have given their testimonies, but also some of the investigators of this case (mainly after the 1990s), have made it known that those testimonies were obtained under pressure, intimidation, and physical and psychological torture, with some investigators having written them themselves, and the witnesses or defendants merely signed them.
Moreover, for some of the defendants in this investigative process, specifically in the case of Fiqrete Shehu, the questions were drafted by Enver Hoxha himself (in his own handwriting) and sent to the investigators through the Minister of Internal Affairs, Hekuran Isai (which we have made public with the respective facsimiles in previous articles), all of which aimed to facilitate the “uncovering of the hostile group of the poly-agent Mehmet Shehu”, in order to justify his suicide (according to the official version)!
In this context of the dictator Enver Hoxha’s paranoia, the following individuals were arrested and put on trial: Kadri Hazbiu (former member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the PPSH and Minister of Internal Affairs and Defense), Feçor Shehu (former Director of State Security and Minister of Internal Affairs), Nesi Nase (former Minister of Foreign Affairs), Llambi Ziçishti (former Minister of Health), Llambi Peçini (former head of the Department of Protection and Physical Security of the high leadership of the PPSH), Elham Gjika (former head of the Investigation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs), Gani Kodra (former head of the Department of Protection and Physical Security of the high leadership of the PPSH and the family of Mehmet Shehu), Kristofor Martiro (former investigator of the “hostile group of Beqir Balluku”), Ali Çeno (former head of the escort group of Prime Minister Mehmet Shehu), Xhavit Ismailaga (former barber at Hotel “Dajti”), Idriz Seiti (former colonel of State Security, chairman of the Departments of Internal Affairs in Kukës and Lezhë, and head of a department in the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the detention, security, and execution of anti-Party individuals), Lirim Pëllumbi (former head of the Internal Affairs Department of the Durrës district), Qamil Mane Islami (former colonel in the Directorate of Camps and Prisons at the Ministry of Internal Affairs), Duro Shehu (brother of Mehmet Shehu, former commissioner in the Directorate of Air Force Aviation of the Ministry of Defense), Fiqrete Shehu, the wife of Mehmet Shehu, with their two sons, Bashkimi and Skënderi, etc.
From this “hostile group”, the first four (Kadri Hazbiu, Feçor Shehu, Llambi Ziçishti, and Llambi Peçini) were sentenced to death and executed, while the others received heavy prison sentences, from which they were only released in 1991, with the exception of Fiqrete Shehu, who died in prison in 1987 under mysterious circumstances that remain unexplained, as well as the eldest son of the Shehu family, Vladimir, who also died under mysterious circumstances that remain unexplained in the city of Gramsh (the official version; suicide), where he had been interned with his family in January 1982. For more details about all these events, the mentioned documents provide us the information we need, which we are publishing along with the respective facsimiles and relevant photographs.
Continues from the previous issue
LETTER FROM PRIME MINISTER MEHMET SHEHU, IN HIS OWN HANDWRITING, SENT ON DECEMBER 3, 1981, TO HIS SON, SKËNDER SHEHU, IN STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, WHERE HE WAS CONTINUING HIS POSTGRADUATE STUDIES
……….. (some words are illegible, our note) postgraduate exams of the last two years by correspondence, meaning while working here in the factory, such as in the “Dinamo” factory, where you have worked for many years and are familiar with, or elsewhere as we may agree upon when we discuss it settled, when you return here and at the same time study ……(some words are illegible, our note), to prepare the remaining part of the program from the two years of your postgraduate course.
And then, from time to time, you can return to Stockholm, whether for consultations, exams, or laboratory work (which cannot be done here), etc., until you completely finish your postgraduate studies (without interruption from work, from now on). This can allow the postgraduate studies in Stockholm, instead of finishing in four uninterrupted years, to be completed in five years (with interruptions, by correspondence). There’s nothing wrong with that.
But for these matters, you should discuss with the professor(s) or with the Institute where you are studying, or with the Swedish institute that deals with these issues, meaning that has granted you the scholarship. It won’t interfere with anything if the Swedes expect the scholarship in this case, for the remaining time to complete the four years, because your return to Stockholm, with short intervals for exams, consultations, etc., can be managed even with the expenses of our state, within the framework of the expenditures our state makes for postgraduate studies abroad, if the Swedes expect the scholarship from now, upon your return to Tirana.
We can do this if necessary, but the important thing is to create the opportunity to continue your studies further for the remaining time by correspondence, meaning with interruptions and not without interruptions at all, as has been done so far. Even if it takes a relatively long time to arrange these matters (continuation of studies by correspondence), with the Institute and Swedish authorities, and you cannot manage to sort it out yourself now, it suffices for you to take the exam you currently have and return to Tirana because these conditions (for your return there intermittently, from time to time, etc.) to continue the exams by correspondence from now on can continue to be addressed officially, through our embassy there, for which I have also written to Lamani.
In any case, do not forget, for any eventuality, to obtain an official written certification from the Institute regarding the part of the postgraduate studies that you have actually completed (how many and what exams you have taken, etc.), as well as the evaluations, grades, or points you have received for each exam you took, as this document will always be valid.
As you yourself and the embassy argue that you will present to the professor(s) before the Institute and the relevant Swedish authorities, it should be: “The need we have for qualified personnel, to accomplish the great tasks of the new five-year plan, compels us for Ariani to return to Tirana and continue the remaining studies (from the four-year program) by correspondence in Sweden, starting from Tirana.” And not to mention or hint at the arguments of the letter I am writing to you, in any way.
For this, I have written to Lamani and Ganiu, and you need to ensure that you use a common language on this issue. As for the justification here, at work, in public, we will discuss together when you return; it could be: “further continuation of postgraduate studies by correspondence,” etc. If the professor or the Institute insists and says that the course must continue for four years without interruption and that it is completely impossible to continue studying with interruptions, as we are requesting from now on in this case, then we propose that you gather your belongings that you need to take with you, such as programs, books for individual study, especially the personal items that you need and can take, personal letters and documents, clothing, etc., and return to Tirana as soon as you take the exam that you have in hand, while heavy belongings that you may have and cannot take with you can be brought later by Bali when he returns, because it is understood that when you return to Tirana, Ganiu (with you) will also return, and then Bali.
In this case, how you will continue your postgraduate studies, which you have been pursuing there for over two years, we can discuss in detail from every perspective, when you come to Tirana. One thing you need to be clear about, Neli, is that the postgraduate studies you have done there up to now are not lost; they are not something wasted, but rather acquired knowledge, and they cannot be overlooked in any case and in any form that will be used to complete them (the postgraduate studies) fully.
The interruption of your postgraduate studies in the current form, my dear Neli, should be understood by you (and I have complete confidence that you will understand it this way) as not only advisable but also necessary; this is required by the interests of the Party (but also your own interest, because for us, the interest of the Party and personal interest coincide, and should always take precedence, the interest of the Party). This is required by the interest of the Party, to take away from the class enemy an argument that he might use and will use, stating, for example, that “Skënder Shehu, if he were not the son of a leader (the son of Mehmet Shehu, some say of a member of the Political Bureau), with this engagement he made, regardless of its dissolution, would have returned to Tirana, and would not have been allowed to continue his studies abroad,” etc. Thus, by returning here, the class enemy loses the weapon he uses, since in this particular case, “the leaders maintain privileges for their children”!
But this (your return to Tirana) is also required by the healthy opinion of our people, of the population, and of the Party, an opinion that was upset when we made the mistake of tying the engagement with the daughter of Qazim Turdiu, then rejoiced greatly when he learned of the dissolution of this engagement, and now wishes to see concretely that Skënder Shehu does not seek privileges, but is ready to adapt to work, even in the factory as an engineer, and there demonstrate that even that mistake he made, he repaid with work, struggle, and good behavior in every way, continuing, at the same time, his university studies, like everyone else.
You are young, Neli, you have your life ahead of you, both for postgraduate studies and for marriage. I understand that it doesn’t feel good for you to interrupt your postgraduate studies in the middle and return to Tirana early, to then continue studies in other forms, without breaking from work. But I know that you are a communist, a persistent student, calm-headed, a tireless worker, with strong will, and you will understand me.
Read and reread carefully, with partisanship and calmness, every line and word I am writing in this letter, be a mature communist, my dear Neli, be prudent, be vigilant, calm-headed, and optimistic. Remember your father, who has aged, and Fiqreti as well, that we have dedicated everything to the Party, above all keep in mind the interests of the Party, and all this evil that has befallen us (which was caused by our fault) will pass.
The Party cares for its people, educates them, extends a hand where they err, and always pushes them forward in the struggle against the internal and external enemy for socialism and communism. Fiqreti and I will die in peace only when this bad issue is finally closed. And it will be closed finally when the class enemy is disarmed regarding this matter and the opinion is completely rectified, when you marry a good girl, and when we (Fiqreti and I) have rectified the Party’s mistake.
So, my dear Neli, understand me well about what I am saying to you, read and reread as I emphasized before, understand me as the communist you are, understand me as a revolutionary, judge the matter with the greatest calmness, with the highest partisanship, because this step that I am telling you to take (returning to Tirana, as I mentioned earlier) is weighed well from all sides, and in the interest of the Party, which must always be placed above everything.
You will not remain, Neli, without completing your postgraduate studies, which you have with such passion. There are hundreds and hundreds of high-ranking cadres who have completed or are continuing their postgraduate studies, both within and outside the country. Among them, there are those who are even 40-45 years old, while you are still young, 32 years old, and I repeat, you are young, you have your life ahead of you, and you will not be left without achieving this very dear goal for you – the completion of your postgraduate studies.
Briefly regarding this issue (your return), I have also written to Ganiu and Lamani there. Naturally, I wrote to Ganiu and Lamani only about your return, about continuing your postgraduate studies further by correspondence, and the arguments you would use with the authorities of the Swedish Institute, regarding your return and studies (by correspondence), but I did not write anything in relation to our mistake regarding your engagement and the other justifications I am writing to you in this letter.
Dad (and mom) expect you to understand us deeply, and we trust that you will understand us deeply, for the good of the Party, but also for your own good.
We all kiss you with love, our dear Neli: Dad – Mom – Vladi – Kimi – Bardha – Marjeta – Eda – Erti, and also Rega. /Memorie.al
Tirana, December 3, 1981
Once again, I hug you tightly,
Dad
Continues next issue
