By Elisabeta Ilnica
The first part
Memorie.al / He was 21 years old when he was sentenced to 21 years in prison. Agim Akcani is among the three former political convicts, survivors of the event of 1975, when two shootings were signed and six other people were given a total of 115 years in prison. They were called members of the “Baldushku Saboteur Group”, which as the investigators of the case concluded, these eight villagers of the area participated in; “criminal organization against the people’s power, developed agitation and propaganda, with the aim of undermining the people’s power, as well as carried out the act of diversion, causing a damage to the socialist economy in the amount of ALL 359,983.80”. All these accusations were made after the deaths of 98 Dutch cows (most of them slaughtered for meat), which were allegedly poisoned with mercury and other toxic substances.
One of the former investigators of this “group of saboteurs”, Dilaver Bengasi, has recently spoken about this tragedy in the media. At that time he was an Economic Crime investigator, but even now he justifies the “saboteurs” as real, as well as the event. However, he stated that he did not agree with the shooting of two of the accused, such as: assistant doctor Rifat Daja and nurse Nuri Allmuça. Both were shot somewhere in Albania, but to this day, their graves are not known.
The investigator and the accuser distanced himself from the shooting, saying that the decision was the Court’s, but Agim Akcani verifies his signature on the execution document of Daya and Allmuça. Agim Akcani gives an exclusive account of the event of 1975, where he talks about himself, his fellow “saboteurs”, friends and enemies of the cell, but also many other fellow sufferers he met in prison…!
Mr. Akcani, how did the story of cows getting sick in Baldushk start?
It started in November 1975. The livestock complex of Baldushku was one of the best in the Tirana area, if not in the whole country. By all means those cows were milk records, milk factories. They were very large cows, they gave up to 45 liters of milk a day. However, from November 8, the cows were taken out to pasture and two of them started showing signs of intoxication. They were moving, drooling, moving inside the stable, in the country…! I, as a brigadier, immediately notified the veterinarian, Pëllumb Rama.
He came and made the relevant visits to the two cows, also made the relevant treatments. Then they seemed to calm down and we employees ran around the house, as it seemed to us something transient. Other times there had been sick cows and after they had been visited, the problems had passed. But from the afternoon of November 8 until the next day, their condition worsened. On the afternoon of November 9, the first two cows were slaughtered, while the chief veterinarian of the district was notified.
I went to bed late that night, and when I returned to the barn the next day, December 10th, I saw that the other cows were showing the same signs of illness as those two cows at first, even worse. They tried to break chains, jumped up, drooled a lot, looked crazy. I started to lose track, I didn’t know what was happening. I couldn’t do anything, because I was a brigadier, so the higher authorities were notified. I was waiting when a military car arrived with several people.
The toxicologist entered the stables, where there were dairy cows, Dutch breed. After 2-3 hours, a man approached me and asked me who I am. I didn’t know him at the time, just like some others who got off the state cars. I told him that I am the brigadier. Later, I found out that the one who asked me, was Dilaver Bengasi. The one who conceived and staged the Baldushku massacre, where he killed two people and sentenced the other six to 115 years in prison. At that moment I was arrested, that is on December 10.
Why should the Bengasi investigator stage the event?
The death of the cows in Baldushk was a coincidence that greatly helped the career of Dilaver Bengas and saved the head of Manush Muftiu and some others. From what we found out later, these two people had been wandering around Baldushk for some time, as they were investigating a letter sent to Enver Hoxha, which, among other things, was written: “You will eat the olive pit”. In fact, when the file was closed, I found out about the existence of that letter. I have no idea if this letter was also real, or if it was fabricated.
But I can say that for that phantom letter that did not appear anywhere, the two people were shot; Rifat Daja and Nuri Allmuça. For the “legalization” of that letter, the investigators, especially Dilaver Bengasi, had to kill these people, they needed a group, a sabotage. That he could not be shot except for an anonymous letter, there was no article. So when the cows died, executions were given the go-ahead. The article of economic sabotage was also used for other shootings, such as: in Librazhd, in Krume i Kukës, etc., so it had given evidence that it worked.
And when Baldushku’s cows started dying, investigators and State Security created Baldushku’s criminal organization. Perhaps the most ridiculous organization, since we came out as terrorists who were destroying communism, poisoning cows…! “Organization” that never existed, but that was created in Ward 313, (Tirana Prison), in Tirana, on behalf of Dilaver Bengasi. With those shootings he did and with our 115 years in prison, Benghazi then rose in career.
Who was arrested with you?
The head of the sector was Kiço Nikolla, the veterinarian Pëllumb Rama and the food fermentation worker, whose name was Selman Balla. Together with me, Agim Akcanin, we were the first four arrested.
Did you know the people with whom you were accused of complicity?
I knew some of them because we were employees of the same brigade or from the same village. But for example, those two people who were executed; I did not know Rifat Dala and Nuri Allmuça at all. I found out their name, in the investigator. One of them was from the village of Mumajes and the other from another village, whose name I can’t remember now. Never in my life, I had a relationship with them, I never met them.
What was the exact number of dead cows?
I don’t know, I left two cows slaughtered at the time of my arrest. Later I found out that there were 98 cows, but I believe that even the numbers do not add up. However, few of them died, as most were slaughtered.
Was the meat of slaughtered cows used?
Yes. This fact was even declared in the courtroom, that the meat was consumed whole. Money has even been collected from the sale of meat.
Do you have any idea how much those cows were bought?
No, I have no idea, because I found those cows there. But they were Dutch race. Very good cows.
Were those cows poisoned, why did they die?
These cows are poisoned. Sure. Although more than 40 years have passed, I am sure that the origin of their poisoning was mycological. Which means; careless food poisoning. It was therefore an accidental poisoning, but never intentional. Everything else was staged by the investigators.
You say accidental poisoning, but the investigator of the case, Dilaver Bengasi, has stated that not only the food, but also the water was mixed with mercury even…?!
If mercury had been mixed with the water, or the food, then the first to die should have been the heifers and young calves. Why didn’t they die?! Or other cows?! They all drink water…!? Only those milk records that ate from the fermented food and were in stall no. 1 died. Then it was proven that the poisoning was of mycological origin, since they started giving the same food to the cows in stall no. 2, began to show the same signs. Let alone, where could you find such a large amount of mercury, for poisoning?! Mercury was found only in thermometers, and there were barely one or two thermometers in the entire village.
What was this fermented food, where did it come from?
Two or 3 days ago, from the warehouses of the “Mustafa Koçi” cooperative, 625 kilograms of wheat came to us, with a wheat transport note, which I still remember to this day, as I signed it myself, to take delivery. It seemed okay at first glance, but later it turned out that it was wheat altogether. I am sure that the cows died, precisely from consuming this type of wheat. Those who ate it had problems (the seed was disinfected with poisons before planting).
Is it true that you ordered more food and water, even though the cows began to show signs of illness?
I gave the order to give them food and water, because I didn’t know that food was the problem. I thought animals had to eat to regain their strength. I was the brigadier, not the vet. However, in his current media testimony, Bengasi says that; an 18-year-old girl, a party candidate, offered to tell him something: “The brigadier who gave the order to eat was Agim Akçani, while the food processor was Selman Balla. Also, in this circle of these people, who I strongly believe were the first causes of that tragedy, there was also a milkmaid named Nadire Shima”.
Who is Bengasi talking about, who is this 18-year-old girl?
It’s his alibi. In the cattle complex, there was no party candidate, because you followed us closely about what happened inside the stable, and on the other hand, I knew all Baldushku’s daughters who was a party candidate. Neither 18-year-old! It is Benghazi’s invention, just as it invented all criminal history. I have closely followed his narrative in the media and how he gets confused in the narrative, either with the story or with the characters. That, because it wasn’t a real event, but made up, he can’t remember his lies either. The 18-year-old girl was his imaginary creature and her name does not appear anywhere, in any kind of document.
Many others were also arrested for the “Baldushku cows”, dozens of them, among them the chief veterinarian of the cooperative Kiço Nikolla or its veterinarian Pëllumb Rama. Why were they released and not you?! Why would they keep you in prison, if you had not committed the poisoning?!
After the arrest, my first thought was that; the cows had died through carelessness, and without some punishment, we would not go out. Even accidental poisoning would normally have its punishment and I kind of agreed. But it never occurred to me that “Department 313” would create a “criminal organization” against popular power, agitation and propaganda, undermining popular power, acts of diversion, etc., but this happened. And the State Security, to justify that we do not keep innocent people in prisons, took out those who had a clean biography.
For the rest of us, who found some “cen” of our biography, they kept us. But there is something else. Those who came out, it seems, had also made compromises. They had surrendered before the violence of the investigators and had signed other things. One of them was Pëllumb Rama. This person, after two and a half months in the investigator, came out and became a deputy of the People’s Assembly. He was in the parliament until 1991, as a candidate of the Labor Party.
Are you alluding that Pëllumb Rama has become a witness against you?
I believe so. Among all the arrested people, the person I really knew and was a friend of was Pëllumb Rama. Because he was and is the husband of my uncle’s daughter. I spoke to him later, but he is with the Benghazi investigator. Naturally, he has his reasons, as involved in this matter…!
However, none of the arrested persons, I don’t think that with their testimonies, they have influenced my sentence, for better or for worse. During the time of the investigation and during the prison, I learned that if the State Security wanted to incriminate someone, “with” or “without” statements, they would do it anyway. Under pressure and torture, what does a man not do…?! Even Pëllumbi, depending on what state he was in, may not have been able to withstand the investigation.
Do you currently communicate with him?
Life has given us different directions. Better this way.
Have you faced Pëllumb Rama in the cell, or with other arrested persons, for the same charge?
What confrontation?! It’s not even a question…!
But Bengasi says that he confronted you in the cell with Selman Balla and Nadire Shima. According to him, as soon as he turned his back, you put your hand over Selman Balla’s mouth, giving him the “mosss” sign, i.e.: “Don’t tell, don’t talk”! Also Nadire Shimës…!
As for Nadire Shima, I found out after 8 months that she was also arrested. I didn’t even know anything. I haven’t even met Selman Balla, don’t you understand that Benghazi speaks fairy tales?! Even now, I can’t understand how he has the courage to go public when his hands are covered in blood. All that human blood…!
Nowhere you have faced, with the members of the group of 8 years?
There was a confrontation, but not a confrontation, and moreover, not with the people Benghazi is talking about. The confrontation was with Rifat Daja, who was then sentenced to be shot. They brought it to my cell and when Rifat Daja saw me, he said to the investigators: “You still have this here”?! And everyone was surprised. They immediately took him out of the room. After some time, they brought me again. It was finished. All the signs of violence and his eyes were like sunsets. A twenty-pound man was frozen. A living corpse.
His investigator was Kosta Gazeli. After he came the second time, Rifat Daja said: “I collaborated with this man, I committed the act of diversion, etc.” He tried to recite what the interrogator had written, but stuttered. Because when you haven’t done an act, you don’t even know how to say it, you don’t know how to show it. But he struggled. I understood what had happened. I am very sorry that Rifat Daja and Nuri Allmuça were shot, even to this day, I often think of them. They were killed by the hand of Dilaver Bengasi.
Bengasi declares otherwise, he emphasizes that he did not agree with the executions. “In the Baldushku incident, I led the investigations and clarified the whole incident, while the court and the prosecution concluded the outcome of the decision, i.e. the executions or imprisonments”, he says. Was it not so, that you claim otherwise?
I am quoting the words of Dilaver Bengasi, told to my person face to face: “Courts are formal, they legalize our decisions. Your suit is cut, two people will leave this world…”! He was no longer an “honest” person: two people were shot and their fate was decided before they were arrested. And on the shooting decision sheet, there is “as much as a pig”, the signature of Dilaver Bengasi. What is there to say about this firm Bengasi…?! Memorie.al
