Part Twenty-Two
Memorie.al / The CIA (American Intelligence Service) sheds light on all the sufferings and miseries of Albanians during Enver Hoxha’s communist regime. In a document from 1952, declassified by the CIA, a clear panorama of our country under Enver Hoxha’s leadership is shown. The document is based on testimonies obtained from various individuals, who escaped abroad, mainly to Greece. They have recounted in detail the situation in their villages and towns, best testifying to the very difficult situation in the country during this period. They first describe the harsh conditions in the prisons and how many individuals died there and in the concentration camps. On the other hand, it is shown how certain individuals were tortured because they refused to collaborate with the State Security. Some of the persons have also recounted the terror they experienced from the Security agents.
Continues from the previous issue
May 22, 1952
CIA interrogates escapees from Albania in Greece
In the Tepelena camp, according to the information he has received, all the internees have been released. He also met in Konispol people released from the camp. In Beden of Kavaja and in the village of Lekaj, during the summer of 1951, 880 people working on the canals were imprisoned. Zeneli says he saw them personally, traveling by train. Muharrem Mulaj and Kadri Petriti declare that in the village of Arantas in Mallakastër, all the families of anti-communist reactionaries from many regions have been gathered.
They are placed in some old houses and are allowed to work in the Fier region as enterprise workers, but are not allowed to leave their jurisdiction. The families are numerous and are in severe conditions. The children beg in the streets of Mallakastër and return home at night. These two people have spoken with a relative of theirs from the village of Çaushli of Maliq. In the village of Konispol, Avni Malo and his mother beat the wife of … every day because her husband refuses to become a Security agent like them. According to a new law of the Tirana government, those who do not behave properly in prison will receive double the sentence.
Kadri Petriti and Eqerem Faredin Frashëri, who were sentenced to five years in prison in Korça and were to be released in 1952, were released only in 1957. Eqerem Frashëri never served the communists and in prison refused to spy on the prisoners for the account of the prison chief. During the war Eqerem, even though he was very young, fought for the National Front. With the new law the communists shorten by three days per month the sentence of those who collaborate with them.
Information from the escapee Zenel Shaban Merxhani
Merxhani arrived at the refugee camp in Lavrion, Greece on April 15, 1952, from the village of Konispol. He is 53 years old, a peasant, and crossed the border on the night of March 17, 1952. Merxhani had the following comments on the situation in Albania: The majority of the loyal families of Konispol are those of Mustafa Dajlani, Tefik Musa and Musaj. A month ago in Konispol Skënder Plaku, Muço Kareci and Sulo Dajlani were arrested, on the pretext that they had met with Sali Dajlani (who is in Greece), while in reality Saliu lives in Syros.
Resistance
Five days ago a company of soldiers came to Konispol and settled at the end of the village, near the house of Nimet Malo, who is now in Greece. The company had about 100 people and 10 mules. The Security agents in Konispol are Izet Omari, Kadri Rakipi, Hajri Mane and Seit Kurizo, the latter a commander. The village has fifteen policemen dressed in civilian clothes. At the Bogaz Bridge there is a checkpoint with six policemen, who check the people crossing the bridge, near which is the Konispol-Saranda road. There is another bridge over the Bistrica river, where people are checked.
Living conditions
Clothing and food are rationed. The cooperatives of Konispol have very few items and most of the time they are lacking. During the time he worked for three months on the Rrogozhina railway, Merxhani went several times to Kavaja, where he learned that corn was sold at 70 lek per kg, a sheep cost 3,500 lek and a kg of milk cost 50 lek. The state bought milk from the farmers at 25 lek per liter.
Departures and security
A certain Hasan Belloja from Konispol, who due to the persecution of the communists left for Kavaja. “I too left and since I have no relatives in Albania, I became a railway worker. When I was there I lost my letter-notice, so I made a declaration at the Kavaja office and came to Konispol. In Konispol a state employee told me to go back to Kavaja, to get other documents, from the Branch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
While waiting for a chance to leave, I went to a wedding in the village of Ninat. From there I went to Shëndelli, where I crossed the border and surrendered to the Greek authorities in Pleshavice. There was forest there and I saw mines, but I crossed from one stone to another and survived. The Greek authorities took me to Lavrion.” Note: The above-mentioned is a peasant and unable to give accurate information, therefore only general questions were asked.
Interrogation of the escapee Xhevdet Malo
The refugee Xhevdet Malo from Konispol and former employee of the Post Office, reports as follows: In 1951 in Gjirokastra, a person received a package of clothes from America, worth about 20 dollars, but the post authorities imposed a customs duty of 250 dollars on it. Therefore the person wrote again to his brother in America, to send him the said amount. The brother was astonished and wrote to the other inhabitants of the village, to ask whether the brother had gone mad, but they told him that it was true and it was not his brother who had gone mad, but the situation in the country.
Also in 1951, Ahmet Abazi from Konispol received a package of clothes from the USA worth about 14 dollars, and the government imposed a customs duty of 360 dollars. He left the package at the post office. The refugee Muharrem Mullaj from the village of Floq reports that from the tortures of the Security agents in Korça, the arrested Arqile Gostivishti had lost a leg. The sons of families declared “kulaks” had to do two years of military service and two years of forced labor. In 1951, the communists forced the peasants to deliver more produce than was required.
According to the party’s decisions, the communists assign a certain quantity for each village according to the plan, which the People’s Council of the village divided as it wished among the peasants, which was very harsh. Severe measures were taken against those who did not obey. Mr. Edibe Yze was imprisoned for several years in the Kamza camp and was released at the end of 1950; he recounts that about 40 small children died in that camp, from lack of food, hygiene and the severe living conditions.
He also remembered the names: the daughter of Osman Pojanaku from Pogradec, the son of Qamil Çollaku from Bilisht, the daughter of Sabri Leminoti from Korça, the daughter of Rrapo Selca from Gora of Korça, the daughter of Shero Tresova from Korça, the son of Dagorica from Korça, the son of Batire Oshafi from Pogradec, the daughter of Tosun Hoxhallari from Tresova, the son of Kajam Cerava from Pogradec, two small girls from Alarupi and one boy, the mother of Kajim Cerava, the old woman Brakollari from Dushar, and Ligor Gjata from Bilisht. After the numerous tortures of the Security, Isa Bilishti also died. Kadri Petri, who came to Greece on March 16, 1952, reports that in the Korça prison, Bektash Panariti from Korça died from the sufferings.
The testimony of Mefail Totlaku
The 45-year-old Mefail Totlaku lived in the village of Tren of Bilisht. He declared that in his area there is no organized resistance to the regime. The people are aware of the resistance of the emigration and the NCFA committee and have hung their hopes of liberation there. The people viewed the USA and Great Britain positively, although they feared more the territorial ambitions of the neighbors. According to him, in the Bilisht area the safest houses against the communists are Ismail Kape, Ramadan Mehmeti, Haki Mydini, Arif Ramadani, Refat Medani, Estref Medani, Reshit Ganiu, Hysni Kolami, Zeqir Bektashi, Shyqyri Muharremi, Foto Jorgji and Rahim Hajrullahu, all from the village of Tren.
From the village of Bitiçka were Qamil Saliko, Elmaz Shabani, Nazif Sulejmani. Recently in his village there had been no arrests, he had heard of people who had escaped from the mountains. He personally had not seen traces of the NCFA, but his cousin Nazif Kape had seen a leaflet dropped by an airplane, which said that the people should have patience, since Albania would be liberated by the NCFA, with the help of the Western powers. The agents of the power of his area were Gure Kolami, secretary of the base organization, Rustem Kolami, brigadier of the cooperative, Tosi Skordileva, Zenel Rexhepi, Security agent, Resul Zhyleku, Enver Kape, secretary of the youth, who live in Tren and wear civilian clothes.
Travel
In Albania there are no private cars and the old trucks that exist are not enough for the needs of travelers who must wait several days to find means of travel. He has seen that in Berat and Rrogozhina, in addition to tickets, letter-notices are also checked. To travel from Korça to Berat, he had paid 160 lek. He received the letter-notice in 1948.
Living conditions
The only currency circulating in Albania is the Lek. Food and clothing are rationed. High party members find any food easily and are supported by the food administration. The black market is practiced through some special shops. There are some exchange cooperatives where peasants exchange goods, but often these cooperatives remain without food. Most of the important food items are lacking, such as clothing, sugar, coffee, rice, soap and salt.
Collectivization
To the 130 families of our village, 70 families have also joined the agricultural cooperative. Although the majority did not want to participate, they were forced to do so, because otherwise they could not fulfill their obligations to the state. All the cooperative farmers are dissatisfied, but cannot stay outside, since they lose their animals and the work tools that they handed over to the cooperative when they entered. Many members of the cooperative sabotage by breaking tools or working badly. Those who are discovered are excluded for several months and their right to reward is removed. Forced collectivization is hated throughout the country.
Letter written by the Albanian saboteur about the mission in Albania and the confrontation with the Security forces
The letter of Haki Terpeza from the Bagnoli camp, Italy, to his brother, was translated by the Greek officials:
Dear brother Hysen
I am sending you this letter even though I am not allowed to write letters, because I want to tell you about our life. As you know, dear brother, I left the Company and stayed for four months in Germany for training. Ceni, Ramazani and some other comrades came a few months later. They said we wanted to cross from Greece to take Hysen Shalku with us, so that we would become a group of five, together with a Kosovar named Abdullah. We boarded a plane and reached Albania on October 14. They dropped us on very bad terrain. Hyseni was wounded in the leg.
We were dropped by parachute at midnight and when we had gathered all the materials, it was four in the morning. Hyseni did not know the terrain and neither did we. In the morning, ten minutes before the start of the battle, we heard the first shot as we were passing at the foot of a hill. Since then we have not seen each other again. The battle continued from morning until 4 in the afternoon. We were in the middle of the communists without knowing where to go, because we did not know the terrain. Around 4 o’clock we managed to break the encirclement and left. We stayed in Albania for three days and on the fourth day we crossed the border to Yugoslavia, to Dibra e Madhe.
Thanks to God Ramazani had been in Dibra before and led us to the border. But we did not know where the mined fields were and were afraid lest we be captured alive by the communists. We had no ammunition and had been without bread for several days. We were walking in snow up to the middle; we were tired and had nowhere to go. But at least we had crossed the border and when we reached Kosovo, we went to the house of a friend of Ramazani, who gave us bread and food for our journey to Greece. As for Ceni and Hyseni, God knows what has become of them. If they were not killed before darkness fell, they may be alive.
If you have heard anything about them, by letter or on the radio, tell me, because I am very worried. But since I accepted this job, one cannot do anything. This time we were not sent to fight, but to spread propaganda among the people. But what kind of propaganda can we Kosovars do in Albania? This propaganda is futile. If there will be war, we are ready, but the communists are not frightened by four or five persons. Now I want to tell you something else. Many Albanians, even those born in Albania, have refused to go there. But if they do not go, who should go?
And for Kosovo who should fight, when these scoundrels refuse to go to their own country? Well Hysen, if they tell me to go again with Ramazani and with four or five others, I will not go anymore. I am ashamed to say “no” to the Americans. Regarding the Committee I do not want to know anything about it anymore, since all those who have gone to Albania have been killed. Here are some names: Hamit Shkodra has been killed together with four others; Sejdi Baza has been killed together with four others.
I am very sorry for Sejdiu, a 50-year-old man who had never held a weapon in his hand, at a time when there were many others younger who could have gone before him; it seems to me that Xhemal Lesi sent him, I do not believe it was Abaz Kupi. Why did Xhemal Laçi not go himself? Zir Kabashi has been arrested, while Safet Pokuli and Lata did not go, they refused. Muhamet Hoxha has been captured together with some of his friends, but I believe you have heard. I await a reply from you. / Memorie.al
Your brother, Haki
Continues next issue
