Memorie.al / Mal Metalia, originally from the village of Dragobi in the district of Tropoja, and living for years in Mamurras in the district of Kruja, was convicted as a political prisoner when he was still a child, along with his two slightly older brothers. In this writing, he testifies to the entire history of his life and his family, with the hardships he had to face and overcome until 1991, when the communist regime collapsed.
The Full Testimony of Mal Metaliaj
I am Mal Xhemail Metaliaj, originally from the village of Dragobi in the district of Tropoja. Like all Albanian families, after communism entered, we were declared kulaks. We were a large family of 70 people. We were told we are Metaliaj, but we are the house of Elezaj of Dragobi. Many Albanians knew us, from all regions, up to Kosovo. From the beginning, the large families did not want communism. My grandfather used to say: “Where did these communists come from”?!
Anyway, they made us kulaks… a large house, they took our property, and they burned our house. The communist regime took my father’s uncle, Asim Jaka, a strong, well-known man, and executed him in the middle of the city in 1946. They executed him without a trial. Our family was against communism. My uncle had been in prison. Meanwhile, they put two other uncles of Mustafa Salihi in prison. Jakup Salihi was sentenced to 20 years in political prison, and half of his property was confiscated. Mustafa Salihi escaped as soon as he was put in prison. Less than a year later, they came to take us. In Dragobi, the border is close to Montenegro.
We got ready. They told us the place where we would cross. When the spies of the State Security came, they had learned that they had come to take us and my father. They clashed with the soldiers and the Border forces. After they clashed, we, the three brothers, remained there in the shepherd’s hut. They had told us to cross here. They had clashed; they left, took my father, and turned back. They surrounded our house, took us, tied me, Riza Xhemaili (rest in peace), and Imer Xhemaili. They found out, put the whole other family of 60-70 people on a truck, and sent them to Lushnjë.
They kept us in the cell for a month. The investigator would come and ask us about our father: “Did you know about your father, did you show him the road where the guards stay”? My brother Riza Xhemaili, Imer Xhemaili, and Mal Xhemaili and I said: “Others knew it? We knew it because we wanted to escape. But we didn’t say where the guards stay; we wanted to escape along that road, not because we wanted to ambush anyone to kill them!” The investigation sent us to trial in Bushat, Shkodra, after a month.
Who was your investigator?
The investigator, at that time when they took me to the Internal Affairs Branch in Shkodra, was a Sadik Pema. Wherever he was, he left bad examples.
How were you treated during the investigation?
They treated us very badly during the investigation. I was young. They didn’t let us sleep for 15 days, just so we would admit that we supposedly told our father where the guards were. Every day, until we went to trial, where we said we didn’t know where the guards were. We went out to escape and go to our uncle’s.
How many years were you sentenced to?
The trial began. The indictment was: Riza Xhemaili is sentenced to death, by execution. Imer Xhemaili, the second brother, 17 years old, is sentenced to 25 years in prison. Mal Xhemaili is sentenced to 8 years. The court’s decision was given for Riza Xhemaili, sentenced to death, execution, and they left it at that. Imer Xhemaili, because he was underage, was given 12 years. I, Mal Xhemaili, was sentenced to 5 years. After the trial was over, they allowed us to talk outside, with the brother who was sentenced, for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, we never saw our brother again.
What happened to the eldest brother?
In Shkodra prison, there were cells for those sentenced to death. We were in a large, tall room, with many annexes, with 200 men. There was 60 meters of space to sleep. They put us inside; those men made a little room for us. They stood up and treated us kindly. We knew our brother was in the cell when we went out for fresh air, but we never managed to see him.
After 17 days, an officer came, and we prisoners in that room stood up. – “Who is Imer Xhemaili, Mal Xhemaili”? – the service officer said. – “I am Ymeri,” Ymeri said. I said I was Mali. – “We executed your brother,” he said excitedly. We stayed calm, we didn’t scream at all. Our brother had left us instructions. Those men got up, comforted us, and consoled us. There were about 200 men, from all regions. The indictment was: “attempt to escape,” while we hadn’t left the door of the house, but they executed him at 19 years old. A boy two meters tall, very young, at that age! I and Ymeri remained in prison.
After two months, the prison-bus came, and they were going to take us somewhere. We boarded a covered vehicle; we had never ridden in one, only our brother had come once to Kurbin to our uncle’s. “We passed Mamurras,” Ymeri said. They took us to Tirana, at the Meat Processing Plant. The large camp where the prisoners worked was there. The Meat Processing Plant was a large refrigerator. They put us inside there; there were 1000 men. They came before us, as we were young boys, and they took us, congratulated us, left us bread and food, and we started prison life in the labor camp.
There, Ymeri was almost 18 years old, young and charming; they sent him to do concrete work, the heaviest work. To tell the truth, I was not at work for several months. There are men alive today, and I don’t want to add anything. Even today I am with them, with Mark Alia, with many men from Albania. They didn’t send me to work for about 6 months. Then, a man from Mokra told me: “Are you coming with me to learn how to be a rebar bender”? Before I turned 16, they treated me kindly, made me a rebar bender, and taught me a trade. Ymeri suffered more; he worked hard labor, with concrete, wheelbarrows.
What were the conditions in the prisoners’ dormitories?
We who were young, the regime had put us in a separate barrack. They put the youth in a separate room. I stayed there until I was released.
How was the camp management’s behavior towards you?
It wasn’t bad. For the communist regime, only if you caused trouble, or wanted to escape, you were punished with a cell. The military police were good. They would say to us: “Hey you poor soul, behave well, maybe you’ll be released.”
How many years did you spend in prison?
I spent two and a half years. After two years, an amnesty was issued. Whoever was less than 18 years old, who had been sentenced to 25 years, would be released. I turned 17, so the amnesty also applied to me. When lunchtime came, they called out the names. I went out at the wires, they called it “Artizanati” (The Artisans’ Center) there. I came to my uncle’s, went to the Internal Affairs Branch here, presented myself, and they told me to go to Tropoja. But then, they told me: “You are not allowed to go to Tropoja.” They gave me a letter that I was released from prison, and they told me: “You have no right to cross the Mat Bridge, ever.” They gave me a letter, I went, took my passport, stayed with my uncle for a year. I started looking for work. My uncle had many acquaintances; he would send me to work even in the private sector.
How many years did your brother spend in prison?
Ymeri spent 9 years. Before Ymeri was released, they took me for military service. I did two years of military service in Zall-Her, Martanesh. Then I was released, and Ymeri also came after nine years. Both of us were single. We built a small house, where I had the shack. We bought it together. Ymeri was a master builder, and I worked in construction. We got married. An old man, Hysen Takuti, gave his daughter to me. Avdi Berisha gave his daughter to Ymeri. We lived, worked, and behaved well. We have four children.
Did you receive any news from your father?
We were unable to receive any letter from our father. He stayed in Kosovo, and then left for America with my youngest brother. Until 1990, we didn’t receive any letter, nothing. When our father died in 1980, after three months, we found out that our father had died in America./ Memorie.al
