Dashnor Kaloçi
Part forty five
Memorie.al/publishes some archival documents extracted from the Central State Archive in Tirana (the fund of the former PPSh Central Committee), which belong to the year 1982, where there is a file with relations, reports, instructions, information, letters, minutes of meetings of the Political Bureau, the Secretariat of the Central Committee, etc., regarding the “hostile activity” of the member of the Political Bureau and the Minister of People’s Defense, Kadri Hazbiu, as well as some of his closest collaborators, such as : Feçor Shehu, Mihallaq Ziçishti, Llambi Peçini, Zoi Themeli, etc., who were accused by Enver Hoxha, as “the main collaborators of the police agent Mehmet Shehu”. In the file in question, there is also a document with Kadri Hazbi’s self-criticism, dated September 27, 1982, sent to Enver Hoxha and the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the PPSh, regarding “his poor work at the head of the Ministry of of Internal Affairs and the lack of vigilance, for not detecting hostile groups, all of which the party and Comrade Enver had discovered”. In this document, the former head of the Ministry of the Interior writes: “From the beginning of September, when I was getting my hair cut, a driver who works with the transport lines abroad came to me and told me that, returning from abroad, the drivers they had spoken badly about my fate. I didn’t ask him what he had been told, but I told him to go and report it where it should be. He added in more detail that he had spoken to the companion who stays with me, which I ordered him to report. He told me that he had done this. I don’t know whether I told him about this case or not, friend Hekuran. After a few days when I returned from a 3-4 day service, my family told me for the first time that they are taking us on the phone and so on, in meetings they ask about you, where are you and how are you, because we have heard things not good, as if we have escaped as a family abroad, as if I have been dismissed from my position as Minister of Defense, etc. I told you that anyone who asks about us, you say we are fine and don’t engage in further conversation. I emphasize that these things have spread so much that even one of the workers who serves in my family left without expecting that something is happening with me and my family. All these things, I told my friend Ramiz, together with my opinion that there is not enough fight against these harmful slogans and that they are spreading from Tirana in the first place”. Likewise, the document in question also contains the minutes of the meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the PPSh, held on October 8, 1982, where the “hostile activity of Kadri Hazbi” from the period after the war when he was in the position of Chief of Army Security, which has brought fierce debates, they all discussed, starting from: Adil Çarçani, Hekuran Isai, Simon Stefani, Manush Muftiu, Rita Marko, Prokop Murra, Photo Çami, Lenka Çuko, Pali Miska, Besnik Bekteshi, Muho Asllani and Llambi Gegprifti. Even the debates and strong tones in that meeting were not absent between Enver Hoxha and Kadri Hazbiu, which continued throughout the meeting, for several sessions. But for more about these, we know the document, which is published for the first time by Memorie.al
Continues from last issue
The document with the minutes of the meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the PPSh, held on October 8, 1982, where the “hostile activity” of Kadri Hazbi was analyzed
ALBANIAN LABOR PARTY TOP SECRET
CENTRAL COMMITTEE
RECORDS
OF THE MEETING OF THE POLITICAL BUREAU OF THE PPS CENTRAL COMMITTEE ON OCTOBER 8, 1982
Agenda:
- Discussion on the serious words of friend Kadri Hazbiu
- Approval of the report on transport to the plenum
All members of the Political Bureau are present at the meeting.
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MEETING
The meeting was opened and led by the first secretary of the Central Committee of the PPS, Comrade Enver Hoxha.
Discussion on the serious crimes of comrade Kadri Hazbiu.
CONTINUATION OF THE MEETING OF THE POLITICAL BUREAU IN THE OFFICE OF COMRADE ENVER AFTER THE EXCLUSION OF KADR HAZBIUT ON OCTOBER 8, 1982
COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: Now we have to make a decision, based on some of our proposals. We at the Secretariat have worked and taken one by one the comrades who lead in the Ministry of People’s Defense, starting with Veli Llakaj, and ending with Alfred Moisiu, and we have reached these results.
We think of changing the team of the General Staff, which is outdated because those who serve there today have significant political problems and moral weakness.
Some may have experience, but it is our duty to bring there, people with high morals, with great determination, and with experience. All these that we propose are soldiers who graduated from our schools, and not from abroad.
Specifically, in place of Veli Llakaj, whom we will dismiss and gradually make available to the Ministry of Defense, we propose to appoint Kiço Jani Mustaq.
Now he is the Director of the Operational Directorate in the Ministry of National Defense. Mustaqi, so we think that he should be appointed Deputy Minister in this department, as well as Chief of the General Staff of the Army. Do you know their biographies, Ramiz?!
COMRADE RAMIZ ALIA: Here, I have them, but Kiço is known by his friends.
ALL FRIENDS: We know Kiço, he is a very good boy.
COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: Second, Simon Konstandin Ballabani, now the Commander of the 6th Group, be appointed Deputy Minister in the Ministry of People’s Defense, instead of Malik Sadushi, who was dismissed from this position and retired. This one has passed the age.
The third, Jaçe Ali Lulaj, now Commander of the 7th Corps is appointed Deputy Minister in the Ministry of People’s Defense, instead of Nazar Berberi, who should be dismissed from this position and remain at the disposal of the Ministry of Defense.
Fourth, Bajram Bilal Mane, now the Commander of the 3rd Corps, is appointed Deputy Minister of People’s Defense in place of Alfred Moisiu, who is dismissed from this position and remains available at the Ministry of Defense.
The fifth, Mendu Backa, be dismissed from the post of Deputy Minister of People’s Defense, and retired. These are the proposals we make, to further strengthen the Seventh Majority. You are convinced that the new staff will immediately take over the functions that will be assigned to you, for which they are capable.
They are alive, and working with them will not cripple us. They will also be a great help to Comrade Prokop, until he gets used to military affairs. All of them know the army. These cadres are the nomenclature of the Political Bureau, so do you agree?! Let’s put it to a vote?!
ALL FRIENDS: OK.
COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: Therefore, I will sign these immediately tomorrow at 10 and 11 after Prokopi receives the work, all of them come here.
COMRADE RAMIZ ALIA: Agree, agree, Comrade Enver.
COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: We will take some other measures to strengthen the apparatus of the Ministry of Defense, directors and deputy directors, in order for this ministry to be in safe hands. Everyone within the week, take the task and others find the place they deserve. It must go straight, fast, and well. That’s all I had to tell you.
COMRADE RAMIZ ALIA: Tomorrow, we must do what Adili must send to the Presidium of the People’s Assembly. We have formulated the decision of the Political Bureau for Kadri as follows: “The Political Bureau of the Central Committee on the date (here we are not setting the date) decided: Kadri Hazbiu, to be dismissed from the post of Minister of People’s Defense, for a pronounced lack of vigilance and for serious mistakes contrary to the Party line, and to the interests of the state during the time he worked as Deputy Minister and Minister of Internal Affairs”.
So we are putting these two motivations now, “Significant lack of vigilance and serious mistakes contrary to the line of the Party and the State”. Prokop Murra, until now the First Secretary of the Party Committee for the district of Tirana, is appointed Minister of People’s Defense. This will be a document of the Political Bureau, while the Presidium of the People’s Assembly will tell the public that Kadriu is dismissed for health reasons, or whatever we think of it, or simply dismissed from office.
COMRADE ADIL ÇARÇANI: Why don’t we say that he is dismissed from his position as Minister of People’s Defense and Comrade Prokop Murra is appointed in his place?!
COMRADE RAMIZ ALIA: I mean, let’s not give any motivation, he is simply dismissed as Minister of Defense.
COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: There is no need for us to oppress him, why would we oppress him?! When the official newspaper of the Presidium is published, let it be published there, why we should publish it in the central press.
COMRADE RAMIZ ALIA: We may as well not publish it. There is nothing that will appear in the official newspaper.
COMRADE ADIL ÇARÇANI: For internal effect, everyone will know about this decision. The issue is for the outside world, there is no need to publish it, I think.
COMRADE RAMIZ ALIA: Internally, this decision should be made known immediately.
COMRADE LENKA CUKO: Well, the new minister is coming to the department tomorrow, and everyone will know about it at once.
COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: Can we use the expression that Kadri Hazbiu was dismissed, so that the new minister Prokop Murra could come?! Well, let it be known outside, why should we be afraid?!
COMRADE RAMIZ ALIA: Yes, even outside, why not put it?! That’s how we shut up your mouths.
COMRADE ADIL ÇARÇANI: Then we publish that Kadriu is fired, and Prokopi is appointed. Right, it should be published better.
COMRADE RAMIZ ALIA: The question now is whether we should put it that Kadriu retires, or not?! I think, so that we don’t mention it at all, but let’s just say that he is dismissed as Minister of People’s Defense, and Prokop Murra is appointed in his place.
COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: Yes, yes, if we say retire, they understand how it is.
COMRADE HEKURAN ISAI: People will make that interpretation no matter how it is published.
COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: Now these that were approved must be turned into decisions and then signed by the Commander-in-Chief.
COMRADE RAMIZ ALIA: Yes, yes, agreed.
COMRADE ADIL ÇARÇANI: Tomorrow at 10 o’clock, shall we call the Deputy Ministers and Directors?!
COMRADE RAMIZ ALIA: No, no, they will call you here themselves, Comrade Enver.
COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: I will call the new deputy ministers, so they should be ready where they are, to come immediately./Memorie.al
Haxhi Kroi
Tirana 8.10.1982
