Dashnor Kaloçi
The first part
Memorie.al/ publishes some archival documents issued by the institution of the Authority for Information of Former State Security Files, where is the voluminous file (forms, investigative and court), of Myrteza Bajraktari originating from Gostivar, who after finishing school high school in the city of Tetovo, in 1952, began his higher studies at the University of Skopje, in the branch of Philosophy, where in addition to teaching he was employed as a journalist in the newspaper “Flaka e Vllaznimit” published in Skopje, from where he was fired soon after, he published an article where he was openly against the displacement of Yugoslav Albanians to Turkey and as a result, he was appointed as a teacher in the 7-year school “Shaban Zeneli” in Kumanovo. Myrtezai was arrested by the UDB in 1952, after he was part of a secret organization called the ‘Albanian National-Democratic Organization’, and he was sentenced to seven years in political prison, which he served in the Nis prison and Idrizovo. Escape from Yugoslavia and coming to Albania, where after staying for some time in the internment camp in Seman of Fier, he was given the right to high school, graduating from the University of Tirana in Language and Literature, but after refusing the appointment in the city of Berat, in 1971, he was arrested and sentenced to seven years in political prison, on charges of “agitation and propaganda”. Release from prison and leaving without work until the collapse of the communist regime and his appointment as Consul General of Albania in Switzerland, until 1993, and then his election as Honorary President of the Albanian League in the World, for the countries of Benelux, where he worked for the cause of Kosovo, until he passed away on December 11, 2020. The entire complete file of Myrteza Bajraktari, with the names of officials and officers of the State Security, the nicknames of collaborators, “colleagues” and The “compatriots” who followed and monitored him, the provocateurs in the investigation cells, the witnesses who appeared in court, the letters sent to Enver Hoxha and the high official instances where he demanded his innocence, etc., etc., are published for the first time by Memorie .co.uk
The document with the statement of Myrteza Bajraktari made in 1962 before the competent bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, after he had crossed the state border illegally, coming from Yugoslavia to Albania
Declaration
Signed Myrteza Bajraktari, son of Fari and Remzija, born in 1933, born in Gostivar and recently resident in Skopje, Yugoslavia, of Albanian nationality and Yugoslav citizenship.
I declare that on 17/6/1962, with my wish, I passed to the People’s Republic of Albania and I ask the competent bodies of Albania to give me political asylum.
Rabdishtë, on 17-6-1962 Name, Father’s name Surname
(Myrteza Fari Bajraktari)
The document with the minutes of the interrogation of Myrteza Bajraktari, by the investigator of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Captain Sali Shatri, in the ‘Infiltration Center of Yugoslav citizens’ in Shijak, on July 20, 1962
PROCESS – VERBAL
Shijak on 20 / VII / 1962
I, the investigator of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Captain Sali Shatri, interrogated the border breaker, the Yugoslav citizen Myrteza Bajraktari, who deposited:
Question: Tell us how you will interact with your friends in Gostivar from Albania?
Answer: Among the other conversations we had with my friends, about the preparation of an uprising, we also talked about our future connection from Albania. We have not complicated our conversations for this purpose, every letter is encrypted and with our slogan, no matter who will submit it, it will be laws and how it will be worked.
Our figure and banner will be the most precious property to be preserved, like the eye of the eye. My comrades are convinced that the Security is watching from every angle and that it is capable of making our connection invisible to our enemies.
The friends with whom I had the opportunity to talk about our future liaison from Albania are:
Mevaip Halil Purde from Gostivar, born in 1936, aged 8, electrician (currently out of work), has been in prison for 6 years as an opponent of displacement and denationalization of the Albanian people, excellent stay in prison, i we tortured and isolated them many times.
Mehmet Gega (Myrtezani) from Tetovo, born in 1934, with secondary education, (normal), with the profession of teacher (currently out of work) in prison for 7 years, as an opponent of the Yugoslav regime, organizer of a group of patriots trying to unite occupied lands with Albania.
Excellent stay in prison, constantly tortured, isolated and thrown into hard labor, all 7 years. Both Mevaip Purdeja and Mehmet Gega are experienced soldiers who took part in the National Liberation War.
Abdyrahim Taravari, from Gostivar, born in 1932, Technical student, currently a teacher at the Technical School of Gostivar. Organizer of the group of students who were convicted in 1956, in Gostivar, Tetovo and Pristina, as opponents of the Yugoslav regime, the purpose of the organization: The unification of the occupied lands with Albania. He was in prison for 7 years, at first fluctuating attitude towards the enemy; in investigations we tortured him more than anyone. Later he had a good attitude. I have reason to have full confidence.
Ilmi Dervishi, from Gostivar, born in 1931, with secondary education (Normal) with the profession of teacher, has been under investigation for 21 days, he was imprisoned on the occasion of his arrival in the Vrutok Village of Tito in Gostivar. Ilmiu’s students are inspired by Albanian patriotic feelings. Eight students of Ilmi, in the summer of 1959, tried to escape to Albania, in this case again Ilmi was taken under investigation. He is a patriot to the point of self-sacrifice, just very careful and available for any situation.
Our slogan: “Unity or Death” is known to all our high friends mentioned. I talked to Mevaip Purden about the slogan and the number since prison, even after our release from prison in the month of Fruer in 1962. I talked to Mehmet Gega, about our slogan and the number, in May 1962. With Abdyrahim Taravari, I talked in June 1962. With all these aforementioned friends, our number is “Myrtezani” 123456-789.
Every letter that exists in our number is replaced with the corresponding numbers, while the letters that do not exist are replaced with the letters needed to write the right word. To separate word by word, letters that do not exist in our alphabet are used. U also O. Eg. in case we want to write “Departure for Tetovo” – we will replace it with our figure. – “895519 UP 530 850 U 4540V50.
Whereas with Ilmi Dervishi, we left the figure “Shporetina which is the same in the order of words. Abdurahim Taravari proposed to me that he go to Turkey, move legally and there connect with the Albanian Legation.
Any directive he will receive from the legate on our affairs. Ilmi sends Dervishi to you through the Turis that are always in circulation. Okay yes I said you are needed here, we interrupted our conversation about this.
He justified this with the risk of direct connection with Albania. And he told me that if my friends agree with that, then I will write a letter to your sister as soon as possible, asking, among other things, about your cousins in Turkey. Only Raif Maleziu and the liaison, Hamdi and Ismet Ajdini, know about our slogan: “Unity or Death”.
We did not leave an exact date for our meeting with the courier, nor did we talk earlier about how we would have contacts, because until the last day of my escape, the couriers were also prepared to run away with me.
We talked about interconnection, after entering some 100–150 m. on free lands. Our conversation was this: Before August 1, 1962, in a place called _______ 6-7km. inside the occupied lands where, since time immemorial, there is a lime pit (from which we also passed), to send two submachine guns and two revolvers.
Put these weapons in the big lime pit, grouping inside a letter where I write “On the date of .to be in the place where we shared with our slogan,” Unity or Death “, the liaison with security will come, within the free lands of Albania. In this way the meeting with the thousand liaisons can be done.
Question: Tell us what does your friend Bekteshi know about your decision to revolt in Gostivar, as well as the requests you have made to the Albanian government regarding the uprising?
Answer: Bektesh Ismaili does not know anything about our decision and the demands for the preparation of the uprising in Gostivar. He does not know, of course, even the comrades I talked to about the uprising.
Bekteshi only knows that my escape is related to the preparation of an uprising in Gostivar.
BORDER BREAKER Kapterr (Sali Shatri)
Myrteza Bajraktari
The document with the minutes of the interrogation of Myrteza Bajkaktari, by the investigator of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Captain Sali Shatri, in the ‘Infiltration Center of Yugoslav citizens’ in Shijak, on August 5, 1961
PROCESS-VERBAL
Shijak on 5/8/1962
I, the investigator of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Captain Sali Shatri, interrogated the border breaker, the Yugoslav citizen, Myrteza Bajraktari, who deposited:
Question: Tell us your generalities and biography?
Answer: My name is Myrteza Bajraktari, son of Fahri and Remzija, born in 1933, born in the city of Gostivar, and resident in Gostivar, with Albanian nationality and Yugoslav citizenship, with secondary education (Pedagogical) with the profession of teacher, class of poor citizen, divorced, childless, without party, unfinished military service, twice convicted in Yugoslavia, for political reasons, first convicted in 1953, second convicted in 1960.
Of the foreign languages, I know Yugoslav written and spoken, Macedonian written and spoken, and Turkish spoken and written.
His father’s political views were progressive, he was in the Bektashi sect, and he was a person who educated all of us children, even girls. He was a man who loved his nationality as an Albanian.
In September 1951, I became a teacher in the village of Duf. Once after I went to work as a teacher, at the beginning of the week I was called to the Education Section and I was threatened by the Head of Education, Ilija Iljevaski (now the head of UDB in Debar), who told me that you are spreading national chauvinism in students and the people. I was scared of this and consulted with my father and friends and brought the decision, they resigned me.
The resignation was not accepted. But after a few days all the teachers were invited to the meeting and I was invited as an accused before the disciplinary court. Here I was accused as undisciplined, as a chauvinist that I spread chauvinism among my students, as a person who invited Macedonians to go to full Albanian schools.
Eventually I was sentenced to 1 year of deprivation without the right to pursue any state job and from education forever.
In August 1952, I went to Skopje and there I wanted to enter the Minority Theater as an actor. Since we had secondary education, they accepted me once as an actor and gave me the role of “Bird” of the book “If I Were a Boy”. After two months of doing the general rehearsal, I was expelled from the theater, with the motivation that: I was convicted by the Disciplinary Court in Gostivar, deprived of state work for 1 year and that my characteristics are bad.
On January 11, 1953, I married a girl named Meliha Mërdita, she worked as a teacher in the village of Slupçan in Kumanovo, and this was from Gostivar. After my marriage to Melihana, the next day at 11.00 on 12/1/1953, being in a restaurant, I was arrested by the UDB in Kumanovo.
My accusation was because we had carried out activities against Turkish schools, we wanted to flee to Albania, I had propagandized in Kumanovo for children to come from Turkish schools to Albanian schools, I had read national history to students, and I had formed an illegal organization.
These accusations, in fact, were true, but they belong to the past, with the exception of the organization that was formed as early as 1951, but that the UDB knew nothing about until now that I was imprisoned.
During the 7 months and several days of investigations under pressure and torture by the UDB, I admitted everything I was accused of. I admitted that I formed the illegal organization in Gostivar, in 1951, together with Xhamal Pasharon and that we talked to the organization named “Shkëndija”. I did not accept in any way any activity of the organization as well as other friends who were part of the organization.
On September 7, 1953, I was sentenced by the Skopje (District) court to three years in prison. After 23 months in prison, I was informed by the prison directorate that my sentence would be extended for another two years. That way I made the sentence 5 years. I was released from Idrizova prison on 12/1/1958.
After my release from prison in 1958, I was able to get a job at Prolet, a trading company. Then this company was closed and I started working in the trading company “Korab” in Gostivar, as a clerk in the credit bureau. I worked here until 8-9 / V / 1960, when I tried to escape to Albania.
On June 12, 1960, Hakik Luma, escorted me to near the border, he left me in a forest and turned himself, showing me the direction to Mount Korab from where I was going. On the evening of June 13, I set off for the mountain and because I knew the road, I met some shepherds who were in a state tent, surrounded by dogs and shepherds, they caught me and the next day, they sent me to Gostivar.
Upon returning to Gostivar, I was sentenced by the Tetovo district court to 4 years in prison. My trial was held in open court. I was convicted of attempting to escape to Albania.
After a month in Tetovo prison in room No. 3, I was sent to Idrizovo prison, I was released from prison on January 20, 1962, release on condition that I do not repeat the mistake. Memorie.al
BORDER BREAKER Investigator
Myrteza Bajraktari Captain Sali Shatri
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