From Prof. Dr. Bardhyl Çipi
Part Four
Prof. Çipi: “Regarding the process of the exhumation of Enver Hoxha, which I led, I was forced to issue a rebuttal in the 2000s, because they had slandered that…!”
SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE OF IMPRESSIVE DEATHS
(Public figures, victims of the dictatorship, other events)
Memorie.al / Bardhyl Çipi, one of the most experienced specialists in our country in the field of Forensic Medicine and Bioethics, their teaching, and the training of new forensic experts. Some of his patients are: victims killed at the border while attempting to escape the communist dictatorship, but aided by his faithful dog in discovering his hidden body; the interned woman who committed suicide out of despair; Kosovo citizens killed by Serbs because they sought to live freely, not to be humiliated and tortured by them; residents who lived in Albania 1500 years ago; the University of Tirana professor who was robbed and murdered, etc. A book on death and the scientific evidence for uncovering its various types: murder, suicide, those stimulated and coerced by the communist regime, murders and genocide against Albanians by their neighbors, fresh or decomposed and skeletonized bodies. Documents of the deaths of prominent figures; Kennedy, Lincoln, Napoleon, Lenin, Trotsky, etc., and other events involving the deaths of ordinary people. Knowledge about the changes that occur after death and the examination of bodies worldwide and in our country, from a historical, ethical, forensic, and juridical perspective. Some of his latest books are; “Manuali i Mjekësisë Ligjore” (Forensic Medicine Manual) (2015), “Bioethics in Albania nowadays” (2016), “Tranzicioni shqiptar në lupën e mjekësisë ligjore” (The Albanian Transition in the Lens of Forensic Medicine) (2018), “Mjekësia Ligjore Kriminalistika” (Forensic Medicine Criminology) (2020).
The Exhumation of Enver Hoxha’s Body
In forensic examinations, a special place is held by the exhumations of previously deceased bodies, which may be performed for various reasons, primarily for the examination of bodies from deaths suspected to be the result of murder, which have not been previously examined, or when the initial inspection was seriously flawed, etc.
However, exhumations can also be performed for other reasons unrelated to forensic medicine, for example, when cemeteries or specific graves are to be transferred for various reasons.
One such case is the issue of the exhumations carried out on May 2-3, 1992, at the Cemetery of the Nation’s Martyrs in Tirana. These were, in fact, entirely ordinary operations, as happens during cemetery transfers.
However, this action by the democratic state in the cemetery where heroes, martyrs, and the most distinguished people of our country rest, was carried out to remove the grave of the communist dictator and those of his main collaborators, who did not deserve the honor of staying there, due to the fierce persecution they had inflicted on the Albanian people for over 45 years.
For this reason, the Municipality of Tirana, which organized and led the transfer of these graves, was very careful to avoid any opposing reaction from fanatic communists, supporters of the former regime.
Due to the experience I had in performing forensic exhumations, I was appointed, along with the Municipality’s doctor, to medically oversee the progress of their execution. To increase the accuracy of our actions, we also brought in a criminology expert.
Unfortunately, the criminologist, who was assigned as a member of the specialist group to participate in this operation, with the duty to also take the relevant photographs and secure them, made them public. Not only that, but in the writing published in the daily press in the 2000s, which includes the photographs of the criminology expert, this event is presented in a distorted manner, even including slander.
Such actions apparently carried out with specific malevolent intentions to incite feelings of hatred in our people, and simultaneously offensive to me in the delicate profession I practice—which also violate the principle of maintaining professional secrecy—are not only harmful but also punishable.
Under these circumstances, I was forced to publish the results of Enver Hoxha’s exhumation to show the truth of its execution and to inform the public opinion in our country.
Furthermore, regarding this exhumation, I want to add that recently, other false accusations have been raised, claiming that dynamite was allegedly used in opening Enver Hoxha’s grave.
Likewise, testimonies have been published from specialists who participated in the hermetic sealing of this grave to preserve the deceased’s body for as long as possible, an action that, according to them, was carried out on the first night after the burial in 1985.1
Therefore, I feel obliged to describe my participation in this exhumation again, especially since it concerns a very important public figure, who was the main deified leader of the communist dictatorship of our country for a long per2iod, about 45 years, for whom, according to the known rules of post-mortem confidentiality, the medical secret may not be strictly maintained.
During my long professional activity, I have participated in a large number of examinations of this kind; so many that I have even forgotten many of those from years past.
However, what has remained in my mind from all these countless cases was precisely the sense of grief and suffering that arises when one thinks about the human being that existed before, the efforts they made, the troubles they had, the good or bad they did to others, and now to end up as these tissue and bone residues that will gradually crumble and disappear into the earth, amidst microbial decay and insects with their larvae, which are destroying and eating them little by little.
Regarding the event I am recounting, for me as a forensic specialist, the main impression that remains relates to the fact that a perfect job was carried out in all aspects: technical, scientific, and humane.
All state procedural rules were meticulously applied, accompanied by an accurate and detailed documentation of all actions performed. For almost all the bodies to be removed, new coffins, marked with the respective names, had been prepared.
On the other hand, the Municipality of Tirana had taken measures for the preparatory work of opening the graves. It was decided that the work would begin on the evening of May 2, for the sole reason that it was thought it might last several hours, due to potential difficulties in opening the concrete parts of the graves, so that the next morning, they would be ready for the other exhumation procedures.
According to an international rule, which has always been applied in our country, exhumations are always carried out in the early morning hours.
And in fact, this is how it proceeded. The bodies to be transferred were inspected one by one and very carefully by us, mainly to note the identifying marks of their remains, especially since some of them had been previously transferred from other cemeteries.
Afterward, their parts, always under our supervision, were carefully placed in the new coffins, which were then sent to the city cemeteries for their reburial.
Regarding Enver Hoxha’s grave, some difficulties were encountered in opening it due to its complicated construction. First, the upper concrete part, covered with marble slabs, was removed; then, a layer of concrete was removed with the common tools used in such cases, followed by a layer 40-50 cm thick of white, water-soaked “fish bread” material, and underneath that, another thinner concrete section, composed of several layers.
Beneath these, a very thick lead sheet was discovered. It surrounded the coffin on all sides, in the form of a hermetically sealed casing. According to the constructor of this grave, who was present that night to guide those working on its opening, the hermetically sealed metal casing, inside which the coffin with the body was located, ensured very good and long-term preservation.
Unfortunately, after opening the metal casing, it turned out that its closure had not been hermetic, because a very large amount of water with a slightly bad odor was found inside it, which almost covered the coffin. After this discovery, I did not see the grave constructor again. The coffin was brought to the surface with the help of a crane.
It was made of dark brown wood, with many carved decorations on its surface. Its lid was loose, not fastened. The coffin appeared partially damaged from the long stay in the water. After removing the lid, inside the coffin was a human body, male, tall, which, although the process of decay had begun, was generally preserved.
The body was wearing a dark suit (jacket and trousers), a white shirt and tie, half-shoes, and socks. On the left lapel of the jacket, there were two emblems, one of which was the 40th anniversary of the PLA (Party of Labor of Albania). In the abdominal area, there was a piece of white, rectangular paper, wet, on which it appeared to have been written in ink, but which was almost completely washed out and unreadable.
At the feet was an artificial, red flower. The head of the body appeared neat, but with thinning hair. The face was deformed by the very advanced process of decay, especially around the eyes and lips. In general, the other parts of the body were more preserved. After being photographed, it was presented to a relative of the family, who identified it as belonging to Enver Hoxha; after this, he also received the approval of other family relatives who were standing slightly farther away.
The entire inspection was carried out within a short time, just a few minutes. The body was not removed from the coffin for further examinations. The coffin with the body was carefully transported in a “Zuk” type funeral vehicle for reburial in the Sharra cemetery in Tirana. This was everything that I and the other colleague saw in the quick inspection of Enver Hoxha’s body after its exhumation.
In truth, very great care had been taken for the preservation of Enver Hoxha’s body after his death. In the Tirana morgue when the autopsy was performed, and afterward, the best methods using embalming fluids were employed, and the body was also kept in the morgue refrigerators during the night on the days the tributes were held.
Likewise, the specialists who tried to carry out the hermetic sealing of the grave worked with dedication, but failed to create the vacuum required in such cases, as they now acknowledge. In fact, even according to forensic literature, in cases of bodies preserved in a manner somewhat similar to that of Enver Hoxha, they have been found intact, even after several decades.
Unfortunately, when the grave was opened, it was found filled with water inside which the coffin with the body was floating. From our forensic experience and respective literature, the presence of moisture and water is one of the main factors that influence the faster development of the process of putrefaction of the body.
Therefore, this was the main reason, and not the lack of vacuum, that the process of decay was quite advanced, especially in the face, on Enver Hoxha’s body after the exhumation, 7 years after death. This clearly proves that a proper sealing of the grave and the lead casing around the coffin was not achieved.
I do not want to dwell further on the fabrications and senseless interpretations regarding this event, published in the two articles in January and April 2000 (in “Gazeta Shqiptare”) and later the lie that dynamite was used to open the grave!
However, I cannot help but mention the slander that the body suffered an injury, being torn on the left side of the face, from being hit by the coffin lid when it moved as it was being lifted by the crane, due to the crane cable not gripping the coffin properly.
As far as I remember from this event, when the coffin was lifted with the help of the crane, only a slight creaking was felt initially, and nothing else. This small noise seems to have fueled the imagination of the criminologist or the journalist to create this somewhat complicated and slightly strange imaginary fabrication.
From the careful external examination of the body, together with the Municipality doctor, a member of the commission for these exhumations, not a single mechanical injury was noted, a fact that I remember very well even today. Likewise, the claim that dynamite was used in opening this grave is completely untrue, because I was present throughout that entire night during all the actions carried out at this grave.
As I recall, ordinary tools were used there for opening and removing the concrete or metal parts, and then only a crane was brought in, which served to more easily extract the coffin from the depth of the grave. Memorie.al
