By Dashnor Kaloçi
Part twenty-one
Memorie.al / Exactly 43 years ago, on the morning of December 18, 1981, the Albanian Prime Minister Mehmet Shehu, who had held that position since 1953, was found dead in his bedroom (according to the official version, from a bullet from a pistol) in the villa where he lived with his family, at the entrance of the “Block” of the high leadership of the Albanian Party of Labor, just a few meters from the building of the Central Committee of the Albanian Party of Labor and also from Enver Hoxha’s villa. Although more than four decades have passed since that day, considered one of the most serious and notorious events of that regime, there is still no clear and accurate version regarding what happened to the former Albanian Prime Minister Mehmet Shehu on the night leading to December 18, 1981! However, even after the 1990s, dozens of testimonies and archival documents have been made public regarding that event, “the murder or suicide of Mehmet Shehu,” which continues to be the subject of numerous debates and discussions, even wrapping it further in mystery around the truth.
Based on this fact, in the context of publishing dozens of testimonies and files with archival documents from the secret fund of the former State Security and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, or the Central Committee of the Albanian Party of Labor, which we have published over the decades since the collapse of Enver Hoxha’s communist regime and his successor, Ramiz Alia, Memorie.al has secured the voluminous file “of the enemy Mehmet Shehu,” which has been extracted from the secret fund of the former State Security at the Ministry of Internal Affairs (now part of the fund of the Authority for Information on the Documents of the former State Security), where, with a few minor exceptions, most of them have never seen the light of publication and are made public for the first time in full.
In the mentioned file, there are the relevant facsimiles, the expert report of the investigative-operational group that was set up immediately on the morning of December 18, 1981, led by Koço Josifi (head of the Investigative Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tirana), the forensic doctors Dr. Fatos Hartito and Docent Bashkim Çuberi, the prime minister’s doctors, Milto Kostaqi and Llesh Rroku, as well as the criminalist expert from the Central Criminalistic Laboratory of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Estref Myftari, assisted by high officials of that ministry, Xhule Çiraku, Elham Gjika, and Lahedin Bardhi.
Also, in the voluminous file that we are making public, there are testimonies from the family members of former Prime Minister Mehmet Shehu, from the service personnel, and his escort group, as well as from all other individuals who were summoned and testified about that event. Moreover, the documents in question, which we are publishing along with the facsimiles and relevant photos, provide more information regarding this matter.
However, even though we are dealing only with archival documents, it should be emphasized that; knowing how that system operated before the ’90s, we cannot claim absolute truth regarding what is written there, as not only from the individuals who provided their testimonies, but also from the investigators of this case, it has been made known that the testimonies were obtained under pressure, intimidation, and physical and psychological violence, with some investigators going so far as to write them themselves while the witnesses or defendants merely signed them.
Continued from the previous issue
ARCHIVAL DOCUMENT, WITH THE MINUTES OF THE INTERROGATION OF ORJON JANI TREBICKA, OFFICER OF THE ESCORT GROUP OF PRIME MINISTER MEHMET SHEHU, BY THE INVESTIGATORS OF THE MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS, SOKOL KOLEKA AND BASHKIM CAKA
MINUTES
(OF THE WITNESS INTERROGATION)
Today, on the date 25.8.1983, in Tirana.
We, the investigators of the M.P.B., Sokol Koleka and Bashkim Caka, are taking a witness statement:
- Name, father’s name, surname: Orjon Jani Trebicka.
- Date of birth (day, month, year): July 3, 1950.
- Education: Higher military education.
- Place of residence: Neighborhood No. 1, “Mihal Grameno” Street, building 94, Staircase No. 2, Tirana.
- Position: Officer in Division 326 of M.P.B.
- Party membership: No party.
- Has he been convicted: Not convicted?
- ID number: Not with him.
- Relationship with the accused: No family ties.
The investigator warned me about the criminal responsibility, based on Article 202 of the C.P., for false testimony.
WITNESS SIGNATURE
Orjon Trebicka
Regarding the matter, I can state the following: In 1978, I started working as an officer in the escort group of the enemy Mehmet Shehu. On December 17, 1981, by the order of Ali Çeno, who was the head of the group, I also went to escort the enemy Mehmet Shehu to the Politburo meeting, along with Ali Çeno himself, as well as the doctor Llesh Rroku.
After the Politburo meeting concluded, we escorted the enemy Mehmet Shehu home. After Mehmet Shehu entered the house, we went to the officers’ service room, where the officer on duty was Dashamir Rabaj.
In this room, there was a television, so I was not focused on the instructions that Ali Çeno gave to the officer on duty, Dashamir Rabaj. But after we stayed here for a little while, we left for home.
As far as I remember, I went home together with Ali Çeno, with whom I walked up to the “Partizani” Cinema, and after that, each went to his own house.
When I got home, I took a bath and was in my room when later doctor Milto Kostaqi called me, who that night did not sleep at his house, but together with another doctor, Llesh Rroku, stayed at Mehmet Shehu’s house, because as I found out, Mehmet Shehu had high blood pressure.
During the phone conversation with Milto Kostaqi, we joked with each other. During the phone call, I asked Milto Kostaqi if there was any news, and he told me that Mehmet Shehu had asked for Ali Çeno and Ali had come to Mehmet Shehu’s house………………………………………..!
I do not remember and cannot determine what time the Politburo meeting ended, nor can I determine what time I left together with Ali Çeno for home…………………………………………….!
Together with Ali, after we left the officers’ service room, we passed through the garden in front of the house, to the fountain, exiting onto the main boulevard. During the walk I had with Ali Çeno, he did not tell me anything about whether he would return to duty or not………………………..!
I do not know of any hostile action from Mehmet Shehu, Ali Çeno, or other persons. But I would like to emphasize that Mehmet Shehu kept Ali Çeno very close and discussed everything only with him. I must say that before Ali Çeno went to Sweden, he seemed to keep it secret and did not tell everyone that he would go there to escort Skënder Shehu.
“Ali Çeno told me something like this 4-5 days before he left for Sweden, instructing me not to discuss it with anyone else. Ali Çeno himself told us he would go to Sweden to escort Skënder Shehu, so that he wouldn’t be upset about the broken engagement with Silva Turdiu. But whether this was truly the reason for sending Ali Çeno to Sweden, or if Mehmet Shehu sent him for some other purpose, I do not know………………!
When we were on vacation in Dajt in 1981, at the time when the belongings from Mehmet Shehu’s old house were being moved to the new house, Fiqret Shehu, after calling Jonuz Luto, was very worried about the movement of one of her trunks, about which she had given instructions that it should not be moved.
For this reason, Fiqret insisted on leaving immediately for Tirana, where I accompanied her. I remember that before she left, Mehmet Shehu, laughing, told her: “They will lose the jewels”! Fiqret immediately came to Tirana, where after seeing her belongings, she calmed down, as if nothing had happened. As for what belongings she had, I do not know…………….!
After the minutes were read to me and I saw that my statements were correctly written, I signed them without any remarks. Memorie.al
Witness Investigators
Orjon Trebicka Bashkim Caka Sokol Koleka
To be continued in the next number
