Dashnor Kaloçi
Memorie.al publishes archival documents extracted from a file located in the Central State Archive (fund of the former Central Committee of the ALP), where there is a correspondence between the President of the Supreme Court of the People’s Republic of Albania, Shuaip Panariti , with the Central Committee of the ALP and the Prime Minister, regarding the trial conducted in November-December 1963, against the defendants: Vangjel Lezho, Fadil Kokomani, Robert Vulkani, Trifon Xhagjika, Thoma Rafaeli, Franko Sara and Stavri Rafaeli, all senior graduates in military universities and academies of the Soviet Union and other Eastern European countries, such as artists, engineers, military, journalists, etc. All their activity “anti-party and hostile” according to the information of the Supreme Court, starting from: agitation and propaganda, espionage activity with the Soviet lieutenant Valentin Zhenj during their meetings at the house of Robert Vulkan and the beach of Durres, plan and attempt failed to assassinate Enver Hoxha in the premises of the Leadership Bloc and then the Minister of Interior, Kadri Hazbiu, at the Tirana Maternity Hospital where he often went with the car he drove himself, until the attempt to escape initially from the river Buna and then from Lake Pogradec, etc. The unknown file of the group of liberal communists where four of them would be shot, is published for the first time by Memorie.al.
“Before the Court, the defendants Vangjel Lezho, Fadil Kokomani and the captain, Trifon Xhagjika, stated that in addition to the activity they carried out in connection with foreign intelligence, making preparations to escape and making agitation and propaganda against the popular power, they intended to they also committed an act of terror, in order to make the outside world understand that there are people in Albania who do not agree with the political line followed by the Albanian Labor Party and the government of the Republic of Albania. To achieve this purpose, from the conduct of the trial, it turned out that they made this preparation: At first they planned to commit the act of terror against the party leader, Comrade Enver Hoxha. For this, the defendants Fadil Kokomani, Vangjel Lezho, Trifon Xhagjika claimed that they went near the premises of the Central Committee to see the time of arrival and departure of Comrade Enver from the office. They claimed that they had seen Comrade Enver at what time he went to the office and left the office and in what direction he came to the office and left the office, but they found it difficult to carry out the assassination attempt against his life, because the good defense that was done to him. However, being consistent in their activity, these convicts come to the conclusion that they kill other leaders. Thus, the defendants Fadil Kokomani, Vangjel Lezho and Trifon Xhagjika, admitted before the Court, so it also emerges from the investigation material to kill comrade Kadri Hazbiu and some other employees of the State Security “. This was stated, among other things, in a report-information of the President of the Supreme Court of the People’s Republic of Albania, Shuaip Panariti, sent to the Central Committee of the ALP, regarding the judicial process that took place at the end of November 1963, to seven defendants: Vangjel Lezho, Fadil Kokomani, Robert Vulkani, Trifon Xhagjika, Thoma Rafaeli, Franko Sara, and Stavri Rafaeli, all senior graduates from military universities and academies of the Soviet Union and other Eastern European countries. What were the duties and functions of the seven defendants at that time, why were they arrested and charged and did they have a gap in the trial? Regarding these and others, we are aware of the archival documents issued by the Central State Archive (fund of the former Central Committee of the ALP) that are published for the first time by Memorie.al, where there is a correspondence between the High Court of the People’s Republic of Albania with the Central Committee and the Prime Minister, which we are publishing in full as they are in the relevant file, starting from this number.
Followed by the last number
Information of the High Court on Mehmet Shehu
INFORMATION TO THE PRIME MINISTER
The hostile activity of the defendants was carried out in the following directions:
In terms of betrayal of the Homeland committed through espionage.
Defendants Vangjel Lezho, Fadil Kokomani and Robert Vulkani have stated that they have known Soviet citizen Xhenj since 1958, when he was working for Radio Moscow at the time.
From the beginning of January 1961, Valentin Xhenj came to Albania with the rank of lieutenant under General Arkadi Kuzmin, who at that time worked at the Warsaw Pact representation.
Before the court, defendants Vangjel Lezho, Fadil Kokomani and Robert Vulkani, admitted that they had met several times with the Soviet lieutenant, Valentin Xhenj, and that they had approved his statements that the relations between the two countries – B.R.S.S. and R.P.Sh. have allegedly broken down because of the leadership of our party.
This officer, after ascertaining that these defendants were ready to serve him and after conveying to them the requests of General Kuzminski, asked them to inform him about the political and moral condition of our people, about the materials used in the basic organization, speeches given by leaders to employees, on the economic situation that existed after the breakdown of relations, etc. These meetings took place in the restaurant of the Restaurant “Volga” in the house of Robert Vulkan and on the beach of Durres, where they were contacted by General Kuzmi, through his driver, Sasha, as well as in other places.
In addition to the information provided orally, they also provided written information through informative reports formulated collegially by the above three defendants.
In these reports they informed about the protocols of the Party leadership that have been worked in the Party organizations, giving their number and date as well as their content, they informed the content of the speeches of the leaders of the Party and of our state, which they held in meetings with employees, but which have not been published in the press, presenting the problems posed by our leaders in a wrong way, have informed about the moral-political situation of the Party and our people, which they have presented as unhealthy , slandering that allegedly there is no democracy in the Party, you can not speak freely, that the people lack freedom of speech, press and there is a strong dictatorship, they also informed that after the breakdown of relations, the economic situation has worsened and this , they were blaming the leadership of our party.
Judge Fadil Kokomani admitted to stealing from Radio Tirana two coils which the above defendants intended to use to record the speeches of our leaders and to hand over the Soviet Intelligence. Judge Fadil Kokomani admitted handing over a coil to Soviet lieutenant Valentin Jane.
At the request of the Soviet officer, defendants Vangjel Lezho, Fadil Kokomani and Robert Vulkani submitted their autobiographies.
- In terms of betrayal of the homeland committed by attempting to flee abroad.
All the convicts for a long time, have made preparations to escape abroad.
The defendants, who were related to the Soviet officer, asked him to provide them with means of escape. It has been proven from the trial that the Soviet officer promised to provide them with fake passports, that he would study how they escaped by ships or other means of transport, and also ordered them to do the same. to study other variants and, in case they managed to escape to Yugoslavia, instructed them to appear there immediately at the Soviet embassy, as it would immediately give you the necessary assistance.
Judge Stavri Rafael also stated that after the relations between B.R.S.S broke down. of R.P.P.Sh. The employees of the Hungarian legation have told his wife, who is Hungarian, not to be upset that in case they leave, they will take her with them and, if she wanted, Stavri would also take this with them.
In the end, after making the necessary preparations, some of whom had tried to escape from the river Buna in the district of Shkodra, but in impossibility had returned again, in July 1963, all convicted except Robert Vulkan and Trifon Xhagjika, divided into two groups, try to escape through Lake Pogradec.
For this purpose, they had bought swimming equipment, such as mattresses, coats, driving equipment and had done several exercises with them on the beach of Durrës. These funds were seized and presented to the court as evidence of their guilt.
They failed to commit this crime because they were arrested while trying to escape. While the work of the defendants Robert Vullkani and Trifon Xhagjika, has remained in preparatory works.
From the material of the investigation as well as from the allegations that they gave before the court, it results that they wanted to escape mainly being driven by hostile motives.
The defendants stated that they did not like the way of life in our country. to be free to express their feelings, even if these are against the interests of the Albanian people.
The defendants Vangjel Lezho, Fadil Kokomani, Stavri Rafael, Robert Vullkani, Trifon Xhagjika etc. They stated that in this matter they no longer looked at the interests of the homeland, for them, the homeland was just the place that met their adventurous tastes.
The defendant Fadil Kokomani in the letter he wrote to his wife, stated: “I am sorry to call myself Albanian, that the Albanian language is a cursed language, woe to us who were born in this country, that the officers are ignorant and when they talk with them, it seems as if he pulls the donkey uphill from the bridle, because in the Albanian language I only want to mention two names – mother and father – while for the others I do not even ask at all ”.
So they had become a scum who had completely lost their sense of patriotism.
Judge Stavri Rafael stated before the court that in order to escape abroad, in addition to the hostile concept he had on the political line followed by our Party, he was influenced by his arrogance, as well as his sense of careerism, hoping that in the outside world will reap sensational successes, will become a renowned listening artist and with all the necessary conditions. He admitted before the court that together with his wife, they realized an income of over 30,000 lek per month that he lacked nothing, that the Party and the Government had given him all the necessary help, so much so that he spent most of the post-liberation period through high schools, overseas and finally, claim that the people reward these goods with betrayal.
- In terms of preparations to commit acts of terror against party and State leaders
The defendants Vangjel Lezho, Fadil Kokomani and Captain Trifon Xhagjika, starting from the desire to commit an act that caused a commotion in the outside world and to show that in the RPSH there are opponents of the Albanian Labor Party and of the People’s Power, have made a series of preparations to assassinate leaders of the Party and our state.
Before the Court, the defendants Vangjel Lezho, Fadil Kokomani and the captain, Trifon Xhagjika, stated that in addition to the activity they carried out in connection with foreign intelligence, making preparations to flee and doing agitation and propaganda against the popular power, they intended to carry out also an act of terror, in order to give understanding to the outside world that in Albania there are people who do not agree with the political line followed by the Albanian Labor Party and the government of RPSH.
In order to achieve this goal, from the development of the trial, it turned out that they made this preparation:
- At first they planned to commit the act of terror against the party leader, Comrade Enver Hoxha. For this, the defendants Fadil Kokomani, Vangjel Lezho, Trifon Xhagjika claimed that they went near the premises of the Central Committee to see the time of arrival and departure of Comrade Enver from the office. They claimed that they had seen Comrade Enver at what time he went to the office and left the office and in what direction he came to the office and left the office, but they found it difficult to carry out the assassination attempt against his life, because the good defense that was done to him.
- However, being consistent in their activity, these convicts come to the conclusion that they kill other leaders. Thus, the defendants Fadil Kokomani, Vangjel Lezho and Trifon Xhagjika, admitted before the Court, so it emerges from the investigation material to kill comrade Kadri Hazbiu and some other employees of the State Security. Captain Xhagjika admitted in court that they had a special hatred for the Security employees and in order to inflame the hatred, they wanted to kill the Minister of Internal Affairs.
- The place where they would carry out the assassination attempt against Comrade Kadri’s life, had been determined at the Maternity Hospital of the city of Tirana, because according to them they had seen that Comrade Kadri had come several times in the direction of the Maternity Hospital. They had judged this act as convenient to commit, taking into account the fact that they had seen Comrade Kadri driving his own car without being accompanied by any other person. They later claimed that they had given up to carry out the assassination in this place and had reached the conclusion that this crime would be committed outside the city of Tirana.
- They planned to carry out acts of terror with firearms or cold steel. Turn out like guns and revolvers and knives, the above judgments had provided them.
- The defendants claimed that in order to achieve the above goal, they had several times done training regarding the use of weapons and especially about the use of the knife being trained to shoot from long distances.
- These tools were seized from the defendants and presented before the court as evidence of their guilt, in connection with the acts of terror that they were preparing to commit against the Party and our State.
- From the development of the trial and from all the material of the case it results that the crime of agitation and propaganda against the popular power, all the defendants have developed in this direction:
- In contacts with each other and with other trusted persons, all the defendants propagated that the political line followed by our party was wrong, that the culprits for the breakdown of relations with the Soviet Union was not Khrushchev’s revisionist group, but only the leadership of our party.
- They propagandized that in our country there is no freedom, no democracy, no feelings can be freely expressed and that there is a method of oppression.
- They propagandized that’s party’s organization lacks democracy, there is no freedom of speech, that a Party member cannot say what he feels in his heart. According to them, the basic organization of the party should allow without taking any measures any kind of discussion, even those with content against the program and the political line of the party. So they wanted a democratization that would pave the way for a clash of revisionist theses. The defendants, Stavri Rafael, Thoma Rafael, Vangjel Lezho, Robert Vulkani and Fadil Kokomani, who were members of the Party, stated that when various materials were worked on in the party organization they discussed conforming to the Party policy, but that in reality they had opinions. opposites, which according to them, they did not dare to show and this, these convicts call a lack of democracy. The above judged in conversations with each other and with other persons propagated that the leadership of our Party is a dictatorial leadership. Major Judge Thoma Rafaeli has stated that Joseph Stalin was a dictator and a terrorist.
- They were for the dissemination of the views of the “Petefi” Club. The defendants Robert Vulkani, Stavri Rafael, Fadil Kokomani, etc., claimed that they propagated that our state is oppressed, there is no democracy, tourists do not come, entry and exit from the Homeland is not free, etc. They wanted the entrance and exit from our Homeland to be completely free./Memorie.al
President of the Supreme Court
Shuaip Panariti
