Dashnor Kaloçi
Memorie.al publishes the unknown story of Sami Biner originally from the village of Fushë-Bardhë in Gjirokastra, whose family during the war all engaged with the Anti-Fascist Movement, where Sami himself with the nickname of the war “Gjirokastra”, reached the commander The battalion in the 12th Assault Brigade and in the Përmet Congress was promoted to officer with the rank of captain, after taking part in the fighting between the partisan forces and Visegrad, where he was wounded twice. How the attack on Sami began after 1944, when his first cousin, Captain Rrapo Bineri, former Chief of Staff of the Legality Forces, left Albania along with Abaz Kupin and other nationalist exponents. How Sami was arrested and imprisoned eight times from 1946 to 1973, on various charges of a political nature and his mysterious disappearance after the last conviction that although he was accused of “gambling”, was taken from the Tirana Sanatorium and sent him to Burrell Prison, where he lost track of him. The rare testimony of her daughter, Moza Bineri, about her grandmother’s long ordeal, who was looking for her son in the prisons of the communist regime, and the words that the Minister of Internal Affairs, Kadri Hazbiu, told her when he came out in front of his car, as well as later, his deputy, Feçor Shehu.
“During the war years, the entire family of my father, Sami Biner, became closely associated with the Anti-Fascist Movement, and Sami himself became commander of the 3rd Battalion in the 12th Assault Brigade, an officer with the rank of Captain at the Congress. Përmet on May 24, 1944. He was nicknamed the “Gjirokastra” War and took part in many battles as far as Visegrad, Yugoslavia, where he was wounded twice. “But two years after his release, he was beaten and sentenced several times to prison, until in 1973 he was arrested and we saw him neither alive nor dead.” The man who speaks and testifies for the first time for Memorie.al is Moza Bineri, who tells for the first time about the mysterious disappearance by the State Security of her father Sami Bineri, one of the most famous former partisans in the area. of Gjirokastra.
But who was Sami Bineri and what is his past? Why was he released from the army in 1946 and what were the reasons for his degradation? How was Sami Bineri sentenced seven times and what were the reasons he told his comrade-in-arms, Deputy Interior Minister, Major General Halim Xhelos, that he would not accept any duty or work from that regime ?! Why was Sami Bineri re-arrested in 1973, what were the circumstances of his mysterious disappearance from the Tirana Sanatorium, and why was he sent to Burrell Prison in 1974, where his traces were eventually lost? Does the mysterious disappearance of Sami Biner have anything to do with Avdul Banushi’s public testimonies in the press, where he stated that: together with his group of five people who had come on a mission from the United States in 1973-74, some were sheltered? once in Sami Biner’s house in the basements of “Shallvar” ?!
Sami Bineri, partisan commander
Sami Bineri was born in February 1925 in the village of Fushë-Bardhë in Gjirokastra, whence the origin of that well-known family in that province. Sami’s family consisted of his father, Lulo Bineri, mother Safoja, three brothers Selimi, Dalani, Hiqmeti, and sister Merushja. During the war years, the entire Bineri family became closely associated with the Anti-Fascist Movement, and their home in the village of Fushë-Bardhë, as well as in the stone town of Gjirokastra, where they later settled, became one of the most powerful bases. illegal and partisan shelters. Samiu, together with his other brother Selimi, became partisans since the creation of the first squads in the Gjirokastra Region. Samiu initially joined the “Plaka” Squadron in Vlora, where he became one of the most famous partisans, and for the merits, he showed in the fighting, he was appointed Commander of the Third Battalion, in the 12th Assault Brigade. He also attended the Përmet Congress as a delegate on May 24, 1944, where he was promoted to officer and given the rank of captain. During the war years, Sami Bineri, nicknamed “Gjirokastra”, took part in many battles, where he was wounded twice. Regarding the activity of Sami Biner during the war, the former military-cadres and war veterans also gave their testimonies, such as Xhemal Shehu, Luto Haxhiu, and Ymer Veshi, who, among other things, show: “Samiu has been an active participant. of the National Liberation War, a brave and determined partisan of the first hours, and for the special merits he showed during the War, he grew in responsibility by being appointed to the position of Commander of the Third Battalion in the 12th Assault Brigade ”. Veterans Cane Rama and Kristaq Haxhimihali also recalled the activities of Sami Biner during the war years, who wrote, among other things: Halim Xhelo, Kastriot Muço, Sami Bineri (“Gjirokastra”), Asllan Gjika, Fadil Dauti, Mahmut Myftiu, Hasan Kushta, etc. (“Mbroteja” Magazine No. 12. the Year 2000, p. 82) During the Nazi-fascist occupation of Albania, the Bineri family disappeared without a trace in the Kaçanik prison, one of its sons, Dalani, Sami’s brother.
Beginning of the blow to Sami in 1946
Although Sami Bineri had been one of the well-known partisans and cadres of the War, he was hit by the communist regime as early as 1946 and the main reason for his strike was the biographical side of his family circle, as one of Sami’s first cousins. , named Rrapo Bineri, who had graduated from the Military Academy in Rome and served as an officer of the Zog Monarchy, had fled Albania in November 1944 after taking part as Chief of Staff of the Legality Forces during the War… This was more than “sufficient” for the communist regime to not only deny Sami Biner all the merits of the war but also to demobilize him and sentence him to prison. In this regard, his daughter, Moza Bineri, testified: “From 1947 to 1973, my father, Sami Bineri, was convicted eight times by court decisions, entering and leaving prisons. The truth of his attack was the biographical side of our family circle, while in the fabricated accusations that were made against him, the strangest things were written, such as “illegal departure from school”, “abuse of socialist property”, “agitation and propaganda ”,“ gambling ”, etc., etc. All these accusations against our father were aimed only at his degradation, because after his arrest, they kept him in the investigator, took him to court where he was acquitted and again arrested and sentenced him to prison “, Moza testifies. Bineri, about the beginning of the beating of her father Sami, since 1946 and the subsequent ordeal of his sentences.
He was sentenced to 8 years in prison in 1965
Since 1946, when Sami Bineri was first sentenced to prison, he has been sentenced seven more times, entering and exiting prisons, until, in 1973, he entered and never came out alive. Regarding the sentences of Sami, his brother, Selim Bineri, testified: “Since he was beaten in 1946 for the problems of the biography of our family circle, Sami began to resent the communist regime, and as long as he was alive he no longer loved him. mode. As a result of his convictions, in 1951, he was sentenced to three years in prison on charges of “agitation and propaganda.” Even after his release from prison, he spoke openly with many of his comrades-in-arms and as a sign of hatred for the communist regime, Samiu also married Luluka Qeska, the daughter of Bektash Bey of Saranda, when he was well known to all. that he was declared an “enemy of popular power.” Many of Sami’s comrades-in-arms wanted to help him, but he refused and spoke openly to them against the communist regime and the high leadership of the ALP. One of those comrades of the War who loved Sami very much was also the Deputy Minister of Interior, Major General Halim Xhelo, who often came to meet him and said: Sami I find a job where I can take a shower and tell me to help you. But Sami did not accept at all and said: Halim, I do not accept any work from them “, recalls Selim Bineri, regarding his brother Sami, who spoke openly against the communist regime of Enver Hoxha. As a result, Sami Bineri was arrested in 1965 and sentenced to 25 years in prison by decision No. 25, dated April 29, 1965, of the Tirana District Court. After his release in 1972, a year later he was re-arrested on charges of “gambling” and sentenced to three years in prison.
Disappearance without a trace in 1974
While Sami Bineri was sentenced to three years in prison for “gambling” and was serving his sentence in the Tirana prison (Section 313), he was sent for treatment to the Tirana Sanatorium, where his traces were eventually lost. Regarding this, his daughter, Moza Bineri, testified: “While the father was serving a prison sentence and was hospitalized in the Tirana Sanatorium, they took him and took him from there and sent him to Burrel prison. Our family learned of his transfer to that prison from the Director of the Sanatorium, who testified to our subordinate Safo that her son, Sami, had been sent to Burrell Prison. At the time he was picked up from the Sanatorium and sent to Burrell Prison, we were surprised because, in that prison, political prisoners were serving their sentences while their father was convicted of gambling. Based on this, our grandmother Safua took me by the hand and we went near the villa of Kadri Hazbiu, at “Rruga e Elbasani” and we got him out in front of the car, while he was leaving the house. Kadriu got out of the car and met us, and when his mother told him, “Where is my son, Sami?” He replied, “Mother, gather the children, for you are brave, leave Sami’s work.” After that, we went and met with the Deputy Minister of Interior, Feçor Shehu, who told us that: they were responsible for Sami Bineri, we would get him from the People’s Assembly. Even after Feçor Shehu’s response, we continued to search for the fate of our father and went to the Tirana Internal Directorate, where we were told that: for Sami Bineri we should go to Burrel prison. When we went to Burrel, I waited at the prison door, and my grandmother was called to the guard officer, where she was told that “Sami was shot” and his clothes were given to him. My grandmother came out immediately and when she came to me waiting outside, she did not tell me that he had been shot, but told me that: we would not be able to meet my father, as they had taken him to another prison. We continued to search again but never received any official answer about the truth as to why our father had been shot. After the execution of the father, our family was subjected to persecution and we, his children, were deprived of many of the rights that belonged to us. Also, what killed me the most spiritually was the decision taken at that time by Kadri Hazbiu and Ali Vukatana, who forced my husband, an officer, who divorced me at the age of 17 when I was pregnant, “she recalled. Moza Bineri, about the mysterious disappearance of her father Sami Bineri, and the persecution that followed after his children who even today they could not find the bones of their father.
The mystery of Sami Biner’s disappearance
As evidenced by the testimony of Sami Biner’s daughter and the archival documents she has extracted from the archives after the 1990s, Sami Bineri was taken from the Tirana Sanatorium where he was serving a “gambling” sentence and was taken to Burrell Prison. , where and was executed. The decision of Sami Biner’s sentence states: “With decision no. 124 ft. 14.4.1973, of the Tirana District Court, Sami Bineri was found guilty of gambling and possession of gambling premises and according to Article 285 / II and 285 / I of the CC and 48 of the CC was sentenced to three years of imprisonment freedom. While Samiu was serving this sentence in the prison hospital (Sanatorium of Tirana), he was sent to Burrel prison where the decision of his execution states: “With decision no. 11. Dt. On March 2, 1974, in the Mat District Court, Sami Bineri pleaded guilty to the crime of theft of socialist property and under Article 80/1 of the Criminal Code. he was sentenced to death. ” These two decisions are very contradictory because while Sami was serving a prison sentence for gambling, he was re-arrested and sentenced to death for the crime of “theft of socialist property.” The death sentence of Sami Biner has led to many suspicions, which have to do with the testimony of Avdul Hakan Banushi, (originally from Golem of Gjirokastra) who after fleeing Albania in the 1950s and had stayed in the United States. He was arrested on April 7, 1975, near the clone in the Hani i Hotit border area, while trying to enter illegally on a secret mission in Albania. (Banushi’s arrest came after a stalemate set up by Interior Minister Kadri Hazbiu, through some State Security men brought in from the United States). From some archival documents as well as from the testimonies of Avdul Banushi published in some issues of “Gazeta Shqiptare” (15 to 20 July 2020), he had deposited during the investigative process, that during 1974-’75, when he had entered several times illegally in Albania, even coming to Tirana with a secret mission to kill Enver Hoxha, together with his group, were sheltered at Sami Biner’s house in an apartment in the “Shallvareve” palaces in the center of Tirana “. Asked about this, Moza Bineri testified: “I can’t say anything exact about this, because at that time I was small, but I know that some people came to our house for whom, Mother Safoja told us, that were friends from the village. Meanwhile, Sami’s brother, Selim Bineri, testified: “I was working as a driver at the time and I was leaving our house for days at” Shallavaret “because I was traveling long distances. But I remember that Avdul Banushi came to our house at that time disguised with a helmet on his head and after talking to our mother Safon, he left without entering. I say that Avdul Banushi and his group at that time should have been sheltered by our mother Safoja “. As evidenced by this evidence, the disappearance without a trace of Sami Biner in 1974 casts doubt on the fact that: he was executed because the State Security had data and suspected that agents coming from abroad were sheltered in his house. But in connection with this, one of the former senior State Security cadres (who prefers to remain anonymous), testifies that the event with Avdul Banushi was plotted by special segments of the State Security of that time, to win glory and to appear before the leadership of the Ministry of Interior and Enver Hoxha, as if they “had saved the life of the main leader of the Party, by discovering and neutralizing the CIA agent, Avdul Banushi, who had entered Albania illegally with the mission to assassinate Enver Hoxha, during the great parade of November 28 on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the liberation, when he would appear in the tribune of the leadership, which overnight was moved from the square in front of the Hotel “Dajti” to prime minister “. And the victim of these machinations that was staged at that time by the State Security, remained Sami Bineri, who was executed as a “host of a foreign agent”, to lose track./Memorie.al
