Dashnor Kaloçi
Memorie.al publishes some archival documents extracted from a voluminous file of the early ’50s where the Minister of Internal Affairs, Lieutenant General Mehmet Shehu sends to Enver Hoxha for approval some reports and reports regarding the decisions taken by the courts for the death sentences of some accused of various crimes, mainly of a political nature and in most cases Enver has approved the death sentences by writing: “To be shot”, “to be executed”, “agrees with the proposal for the sentence of death ”etc.
In the beginning of the ’90s, but also after, when the first documents that shed light on the crimes of the communist regime began to emerge from the archives of the Albanian state, many people, fanatics of that regime or not, with or without knowledge, among others, they said: “Enver did not sign the death penalty…”, “Enver was the First Secretary of the ALP, the sentences were given by the courts…”, “Enver did not leave a trace…”, “Well, war was once , there was no court… ”,“ Enver comes out lar washed ”, etc., etc.
But time and the opening of the archives showed and proved best the opposite of those statements we quoted above…! Enver not only signed the death sentences, but did so quite flagrantly, appearing on the courts and laws in force at the time. And these death sentences, he signed not only in the war period (things that have been known to the general public for years), but he continued to do so, until the late ’50s.
This fact, among other things, is confirmed by these archival documents that we are publishing below in this article, (with the relevant facsimiles), which are made public for the first time. As can be seen from the documents in question, the former Minister of Internal Affairs, Mehmet Shehu, in the routine practice of his work, sends the official documents to the cabinet of the General Secretary of the ALP, Enver Hoxha, where he announces the decisions of the Court. Special (established at that ministry), the High Court, or district courts, on persons who have been sentenced to death by them, for political or ordinary offenses.
And on these documents with court decisions, Enver has written in his writing: “To be shot”, “To be executed”, “I agree with the court decision”. The Minister of Interior, Mehmet Shehu, also signed. And only in two cases, Enver Hoxha wrote: “I think his life will be forgiven” or “Let the presidium see him once again”. So, as can be seen, Enver and Mehmeti were on the courts and on the Presidium of the People’s Assembly of that time, the only body which had the right to approve or not the death sentences. And as “to be okay” with the line of the Party, in all the documents in question, the chief of Enver Hoxha’s cabinet, Haxhi Kroj, has noted: “Comrade Gogo Nushi was also notified”, who at that time held the position of secretary of the Central Committee of the ALP, which covered the organs of the dictatorship of the proletariat. Another very serious thing that can be seen from these documents is the fact that in some of them, Haxhi Kroj wrote: “According to the order of comrade Mehmet, to be kept only in the archive, after the actions have been performed”. Which means that the persons were executed before those papers reached Enver’s cabinet. We are publishing some of these documents in full in this article, trying to give a little idea or overview of how that regime has worked over the years.
LETTER OF THE CHIEF OF ENVER CABINET FOR GOGO NUSH
Comrade Gogo Last night Comrade Commander ordered me to inform you of the following: To be sentenced to death: 1. Martin Kol Ndreu from the village of Mëhill in Puka, because for personal revenge, together with his brother, Gjelosh Ndreu, they killed the old man 70 -year-old Kol Nikën from the village of Kaçinar in the district of Shkodra. 2. Avdulla Sheme Zoto from the village of Milec in the district of Kolonjë and Tahir Mehmet Kalo from the village of Milec in Kolonjë, because the latter two have fallen out with the saboteurs from Greece, have been recruited by them, have set up groups in Milec, Lubonjë , of Korça and have run them themselves. They provided written information of a political, military, and economic nature, were rewarded with gold and provided with weapons by the saboteurs, and waited for a broadcast radio. According to the instructions of the saboteurs, they intended to kill people of the Party and the government and were ready to escape if dictated. By order of the Secretary General of P.P.SH.
(Haxhi Kroi) Tirana on 10.4.1953
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THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA
V.F.L.P.
MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS
DIRECTORATE OF THE PEOPLE POLICE
“INVESTIGATION BRANCH” no.
Oh. ___ T.S. Tirana on April 27, 1953.
SECRETARY GENERAL OF P.P. SHANBERIA
SHOKUT (ENVER HOXHA)
The High Court with its decision no.275 dated 3.3.1953 legislated the death sentence (execution on rope) no. 101. Dated 20/2/1953 of the People’s Court of the district of Tirana, given to the defendant: Beqir Mancaku, son of Mustafa and Gjylqana, D.L. 1912, born and resident in Tirana, with the profession of clerk at N.I.SH. Liqerna, with primary education, originating from the middle class, without party, without decorations, married with three children of Albanian citizenship and nationality, of Muslim faith, has performed military service, unpunished, but has been a fugitive in 1944 for crimes committed during the NÇL war and surrendered in 1949 as after the amnesty of the Presidium of the People’s Assembly. The above was sentenced to death (execution on a rope) for the following reasons: That being as a weightlifter of NISH., Liqerna, when the villagers handed over the olives to the state, the defendant marked in the delivery lists larger quantities of olives than in in reality they handed over, unjustly repaying their olive obligation to the state and finally they, on the basis of the olive delivery lists, withdrew the money, which they appropriated and shared together, as is the case of the Sefer villagers. June, Hasan Arrës, Zyber Arrës and Ramiz Picalli, who were sentenced to 7 to 13 years. The amount of olives appropriated by the defendant Beqir are 106 Kv. Estimated at 656,800 ALL. Of these, many were appropriated only by the defendant ALL 442,000 while the rest is appropriated by him and the other defendants. The crime committed by the above aggravates the state economy, in addition and his past as a fugitive who has stayed for 5 years shows that he is a sworn enemy of the People’s Power and dangerous to society, therefore for these reasons the death sentence Beqir Mancaku to be executed with a rope in accordance with the decision of the Court.
MINISTER OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS
Lieutenant
(Mehmet Shehu)
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THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA
V.F. L.P.
MINISTRY OF P. INTERIOR
TIRANA
Landa:
SECRETARY GENERAL P.P. ALBANIA
SHOKUT ENVER HOXHA TIRANA
We inform you that the High Court with decision no. 4 dated 29.I. 1953 legislated the decision of the Military Court of Shkodra no. 271 dated 26.12.952 of Vesel Koçi Camaj, son of Koçi and Lula, 21 years old, born and living in the village Vuksan-Lekaj of Podgorica – Yugoslavia, with a farmer and semi-mechanical profession, married with a child, self-taught, peasant secondary, non-partisan, sentenced in Yugoslavia to 30 months in prison, arrested on 30.6.952, sentenced to death by shooting because: The defendant in 1949 was sent to our country by the UDB under the guise of a political emigrant and as he collects information of a military, political nature, etc., and then meets with his uncle, a UDB agent, sent under the guise of an emigrant, and the two talk together about hostile work and decide to flee to Yugoslavia, in their opinion, had completed the mission assigned by the UDB. With the mediation of Marie Kola, resident in Tirana, they meet an unknown person from Fier and after being armed with a revolver by him, they escape to Yugoslavia. After arriving in Yugoslavia, the defendant meets with a UDB agent and, after giving the information gathered, speaks in front of a microphone, slandering the People’s Republic of Albania, as his Tito masters taught him, slanders which are published even in the Tito newspaper “Pobjeda”. The activity of the defendant does not end there, as during his stay in Yugoslavia he is charged by the UDB with the task of observing the movements of the Yugoslav patriots and reporting to her, the task he performed. After performing all these tasks, he is sent back to Albania for espionage purposes and is instructed by the UDB to appear as if he had fled Yugoslavia, ostensibly to escape its persecution. But he could not achieve his goal, as soon as he entered our land, he was arrested by the State Security. Defendant loyal to the UDB until the end, being locked up in prison, tells the prisoners that they have nothing to do with me without facts, they will release me, or take me to the camp, but whatever happens , will run away again and actually breaks the prison handle, explodes the ceiling and escapes from prison, but is caught again. For the guilt committed and the pronounced social danger, we are of the opinion that it should be executed in accordance with the court decision.
MINISTER OF P. INTERIOR
Lieutenant
MEHMET SHEHU
Agree with the proposal.
Enver (company)
It was announced and comrade Gogo Nushi. On 12.3.1953
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THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA
V.F.L. P.
MINISTRY OF P. INTERIOR
Directory of Sig. of State No. Të … The Res.
SECRETARY GENERAL OF P.P. ALBANIA
SHOKUT ENVER HOXHA TIRANA
The Special Court of the Ministry of Interior with its decision not dt. 2.2.1953, sentenced to death by firing squad: Gani Posa, son of Ibrahim and Naze, born in the village of Gërmenj in Durrës in 1928, poor peasant, popular policeman serving in the Internal Affairs Branch of Tirana, citizenship and nationality Albanian. Convicted that: Being in charge of guarding several saboteurs, he agrees with one of them, is recruited by him and on the evening of October 28, 1952, both together, being armed, leave the Department of Internal Affairs of Tirana and fled trying to cross into Yugoslavia, but pursued by our forces, on 2.XI.1952. The saboteur is killed while he is caught alive. For the betrayal he committed, we are of the opinion that he should be executed according to the court decision.
To be executed, Enver (firm)
Comrade Gogo Nushi was notified
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MINISTER OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS
General LEITNAT
MEHMET SHEHU
THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA
V.F. L. P.
MINISTRY OF P. INTERIOR
Tirana in 1953
No …. Prot.
SECRETARY GENERAL OF P.P. ALBANIA
SHOKUT ENVER HOXHA TIRANA
We would like to inform you that the Supreme Court with its decision no. 3 dated V.I.1953 legislated the death sentence no. 166, dated 13.12.1952 issued by the People’s Court of Berat district for the defendants:
Jasin Myrto, son of Sulejman and Anifa, 22 years old, worker, born in the village of Sqepur of Chameria (Greece) and resident in Berat, with two primary education, married with one child, sentenced to two months imprisonment for testimony fake, without party, social origin middle peasant, Greek citizen, listed on July 11, 1952.
Mehmet Madhi, son of Nexhip and Sherifa, 29 years old, farmer, born in Drashovica and resident in Berat, without education, without party, unconvicted, has performed military service, of poor peasant social origin, unmarried, Albanian citizen, arrested on 11 July 1952.
Mersin Toska, son of Asllani and Hysnia, 38 years old, born in the village of Luardhe, resident of Berat, guardian, with primary education, convicted as an enemy of the people, without party, middle peasant social origin, married, with two children, Albanian citizen, arrested on 6.X.1952. The above-mentioned were sentenced to death for the following reasons: Starting from 1946 to 1951, in the form of an organized and armed group, they committed thefts of berets, cattle, cloth, other meringues in the district of Berat, especially to the detriment of of the villagers of Orizaj, Vetërnik, Lapardha, Morav, Dëshnik, state collection warehouses, state-owned factories, flour mills with cold water and in Perondi, Bashk. Koop. Market. Berat, Cooperative Sh.Blerje. Perondi, Road Asphalting Enterprise and others. They held illegal weapons, traded in gold and Jasin Myrto stabbed Hajdar Kilen when his shop was stolen. The damage they have caused to the state sector with the above thefts is 500,019 Lekë, the cooperative sector 451,250 Lekë, ie, a total of 1,017,269 Lekë socialist assets, except for the private sector where even these thefts reach significant amounts. Although the above thefts have severely damaged socialist and private property, but considering that Jasin Myrto and Mehmet Madhi are young by age, the first 27 years old and the second 29 years old, we are thinking of sparing their lives executed in accordance with the court decision only Mersin Toska.
MINISTER OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS
General LEITNAT
MEHMET SHEHU
To execute all three – M.Sh (Mehmet Shehu’s signature) According to the order of comrade Mehmet, to be saved only in the archive, after the actions have been performed. 2.2.1953./Memorie.al
