Dashnor Kaloçi
Part seventeen
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 judicial), 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 .al
Continued from the previous issue
Myrteza Bajraktari’s letter sent to the Minister of Internal Affairs of the People’s Republic of Albania, Kadri Hazbiu, in 1971
FRIEND KADRI HAZBIU
MINISTER OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA
Dear Comrade Minister.
Forgive me for bothering you, but I’m obliged.
My name is Myrteza Bajraktari, born in 1933 in Gostivar, where after I became a teacher, I was arrested twice by the UDB for political-patriotic issues and spent seven years in prison.
In 1962, I escaped to the R.P.SH., thanking the Party and the government, this year I finished my studies at the Faculty of History-Philology, branch Language-Literature.
I got Albanian citizenship, I live in Tirana, I got married four years ago and I have a three-year-old child. My wife, Kimete Berisha, graduated from the Conservatory and has been working for Radio Tirana for ten years without a break.
The reason I am addressing you with this letter is that I have been appointed as a teacher in Berat. I agree to go where the Party needs it, however, the circumstances in which my appointment was decided, prompted me to present to you my situation as it is:
- I am 37 years old, with devastated health in prisons and camps, suffering from high blood pressure and heart disease.
- I was once separated from the family there and it seems hard to me, to be separated from the family I created here. I say this because a woman cannot accompany me without leaving the profession of violinist, to whom she has devoted all the energies, dreams and desires of her life.
- I know Turkish, Serbo-Croatian and Macedonian, so I can work not only as a teacher, but also as a translator, in the relevant institutions and precisely in the Institute of History or Folklore, where there is a great need for translators, so they have hired employees who learn this language from scratch. When Prof. Alex Buda, because he mastered these languages, did his best to take me as a cadre, while Zini Sako told me: “We really need a man like you, but turn to the Minister of Education…”. All this because I am Kosovar and when it comes to Kosovars, no one dares to do something without a recommendation from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
- I am adding with great regret that in Tirana, all my course colleagues who were married but have been appointed, who are, where and where, younger than me, newlyweds, without children and without suffering and sacrifice as mijat. Some unmarried people have also been appointed in Tirana.
- I do not understand, in whose interest it is, not to leave Tirana, where we can give much more on the issue of homeland and the Party and start from scratch and seek housing, work for wife, kindergarten for children, and other troubles that can be closed, just by securing me a job in education, or in another hostile institution.
During my studies, I was very demanding towards myself and as a result, the defense of my diploma was evaluated with a grade of ten by the commission.
In short, this is the situation.
I remain hopeful that you will consider my request.
Excuse me please sh. Minister, I disturbed you.
With much respect
Myrteza Bajraktari.
“Grigor Heba” Street, no. 3 Tirana.
22/10/1970
Document with the sentencing decision of Myrteza Bajraktari, by the District Court of Tirana, chaired by Hydaji Bejo, in 1971
THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA
TIRANA DISTRICT COURT
No. 245 Basic Reg no. 162 Decisions
DECISION
ON BEHALF OF THE PEOPLE
The Judicial Council of the Tirana District Court, formed by:
Hydaji Beja, Chairman
Fane Boshnjaku, member
In the court session of 17/6, 26/6. and 28/6/1971, with secretary Sadik Mane, and with the participation of the deputy district prosecutor, Hava Bekteshi, examined the criminal case, no. 145, which belongs to the defendant Myrteza Bajraktari, son of Fahri and Rezmia, i dt. 1933, born in Gostivar, Yugoslavia, resident in Tirana, with Albanian citizenship and nationality, of working social origin, with social status, clerk, teacher, available at the Ministry of Education, with higher education, Pedagogical, with family status, of married, has a child, previously unconvicted, disorganized, without decorations, arrested on 12/11/1970.
Accused under Article 73/1 of K.P.
After verifying the investigative materials, the allegations of the defendant, the statements of the witnesses, after hearing the speech of the Prosecutor, who requested that the defendant plead guilty and pursuant to Article 73.1 of the CC, be sentenced to 5 years in prison, after heard the defense and the last word of the defendant, as well as after analyzing the evidence as a whole:
NOTE:
Defendant Myrteza Bajraktari came to the People’s Republic of Albania in 1962, fleeing Yugoslavia. He received Albanian citizenship, graduated from the Faculty of History and Philology, with a state scholarship, started a family in the city of Tirana, and after graduating from the faculty in 1969, was appointed a high school teacher in the city of Berat.
From the evidence that was administered judicially, it is confirmed that: despite his treatment based on the provisions on immigration, from the very beginning, the defendant spoke against the line of the Albanian Labor Party, towards Kosovo and Kosovars.
The defendant agitated with the Kosovar emigrants, that allegedly the Party and the popular government mistreated the Kosovar emigration to Albania and was not interested in the liberation of Kosovo. According to him, the People’s Republic of Albania, not only has not supported the just war of the Kosovar people, but on the contrary, has hindered and it is responsible for the situation created in the years 1945-’46, and later to the detriment of the just war of Kosovar people.
Continuing his hostile attitude towards the People’s Republic of Albania, the defendant Myrteza said that in Albania there is no democracy and freedom, there is dictatorship and oppression, power is maintained by force, the economic situation is difficult. As a result, power in certain situations is destined to be overthrown.
Defendant Myrteza, in the first investigative processes, admitted that the defendant Kapllan Resuli, told him that Kosovars had in them to hope for the help of the Party and the Government for the liberation of Kosovo and that it was their duty to do so clear this situation to Kosovars.
In the same process, the defendant says that he agreed with this opinion of Kapllan Resuli and with the hopes to help Kosovars in their just struggle for liberation, they were lost, he agreed to tell every Kosovar to meet, not to feed any illusion of help from Albania. Below, the defendant admitted that he spoke as above, with various Kosovar persons.
Later, he denied this investigative statement and explained that nothing is true of their content. During the trial of the case, regarding these allegations, the investigator admitted that they were his statements. However, he tried to justify himself with the reasoning, that under the pressure of the investigation, he admitted non-existent accusations, only to expedite his trial.
These allegations of the defendant Myrteza, do not find any legal support, for the fact that they are fully harmonized, even with the statements of witnesses, such as Xhevahir Hasa, Ram Buçolli, and Adem Istrefi.
All the above witnesses, both in the investigator and during the trial of the case, noted the conversations with hostile content, against the popular power that the defendant had made to them. There is no reason for the above witnesses to articulate non-existent accusations to the detriment of the defendant.
Also as evidence proving the guilt, are the statements of Fazlli Ramadani, to whom the defendant has expressed dissatisfaction, that: Kosovar emigrants in Albania are not treated well. This conversation was made by the defendant in 1969, when the two met with Fazlina, in front of the Ministry of Education.
Defendant Myryteza, admits the meeting with Faslli Ramadani, in front of the Ministry of Education and that they complained to each other about the alleged personal injustices that were done to them. But he denies speaking against the Party and the government.
While Faslli Ramnadani, explains that the defendant Myrteza, told him that there was a war against Kosovars. Defendant Myrteza, on the other hand, admits that he talked to Kapllan Resuli, but denies that he spoke hostile things against the ruling Party.
While Kapllan Resuli, to show him only as a positive person, explains that the defendant Myrteza Bajraktari, when he discussed with him, about the “program and statute of the National Liberation Front for the Liberation of Kosovo” called him: “Red” and is ironically expressed, “Centralism – Democratic” !?
From all the above, it is proved that the defendant Myrteza, in order to avoid guilt, tries to justify that the statements to the investigator were made simply to speed up the trial, and that the witnesses lie and slander against him.
The guilt of the defendant is confirmed by this content of the manuscript, found during the search of his apartment: “All this”, the defendant writes in the letter – it happens because I am a Kosovar and when it comes to Kosovars, no one dares to accept him at work, because “they do not know us”, while those who should know us, do not care about us, because they do not want to see our muzzle here in Tirana “.
The opinions expressed above clearly prove that the defendant, with certain intentions, opposes the truth, politics, Marxist-Leninist right of the Party, towards Kosovar emigration and Kosovars in general.
In the above-mentioned circumstances, the fact is confirmed that the defendant Myrteza, as a bourgeois nationalist and irredentist, does not agree with the policy of our Party, opposes it, agitating and propagating among Kosovars, Xhevahir Hasa, Ram Buçolli, and Adem Istrefi, with in order to arouse distrust and dissatisfaction with the Albanian Labor Party and the People’s Republic of Albania.
Contrary to the claims of the defendant, these are not mistakes, but agitation and propaganda to weaken and undermine popular power.
In these circumstances, the Court finds based on evidence, the basic accusation of Article 73/1, of the Criminal Code, against the defendant Myrteza Bajraktari.
In determining the sentence, it is taken into account that the sphere of activity of the defendant to the detriment of the government has been quite limited. Such a circumstance makes the minimum sanction of Article 73/1 of the Criminal Code be applied against him.
For this reason, the Judicial Council, pursuant to Articles 277 and 284 of the Code of Pr. Penalty:
Decided
To find the defendant Myrteza Bajraktari guilty and based on article 73/1 of K.P. sentences him to 3 (three) years of imprisonment.
Serving the sentence, starts from 12/11/1970.
Against this decision, an appeal can be made with a protest, in the High Court, within five days.
It was announced in Tirana, on 28/6/1971. Memorie.al
The President
Hydaji Bejo
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