Dashnor Kaloçi
Memorie.al publishes some archival documents extracted from the fund of the former Central Committee of the ALP that for years have held the logo “Top secret” where it is about the correspondence of the first secretary of the Party Committee of Mirdita district, Jovan Bardhi with the Central Committee of the ALP, regarding the revolt that took place in Spaç prison on May 22, 1973, where a large part of the prisoners who were serving their sentences in that camp with extremely difficult working and living conditions, rose up in revolt after police mistreated their two accomplices, brothers Pal and Gjok Zefi, from the village of Rrushkull in Durrës district. As the first secretary of that district described in the reports, he sent to the secretary of the Central Committee of the ALP, Hysni Kapo, analyzing in detail the whole chronology of the event, from the actions of the convicts, the intervention of the police forces, e to the conclusions of the camp command and the Mirdita Party Committee, for that extraordinary event and the measures taken after the suppression of that revolt.
Built-in the mid-1960s, the Spaç camp, located in one of the most difficult and isolated areas of the Mirdita district, would serve for 25 years as one of the most terrifying “Reeducation” institutions. the treatment of political prisoners, ranging from working and living conditions to their punishments. According to the many testimonies of convicts who have suffered for years in that camp, but also to the many archival documents that have been published in recent years, it is clear on the real causes of the outbreak of the revolt of prisoners in the Spaç camp. on May 21-23, 1973. The revolt of the political prisoners of the Spaç camp, where the flag was raised for the first time without the red star, would shock and alarm, not only the camp administration and the Ministry of Interior. , which would urgently launch by helicopter the Deputy Minister, Feçor Shehu in Mirdita, but also the senior communist leadership led by Enver Hoxha. But this uprising of the political prisoners of this camp would be suppressed within 72 hours with the greatest ferocity by the police officers of the camp protection, as well as by some large military units of the Ministry of People’s Defense and the Ministry of Internal Affairs that were sent there to suppress that revolt. As a result, four convicts, Dervish Bejko, Hajri Pashai, Pal Zefi, and Skënder Daja, who would be charged by the improvised military trial in the prison premises, as “the main initiators of the start of this revolt”, would be sentenced with death, and would be shot. While these things are already known, the least known are the archival documents, such as the reports in question, where the first secretary of the Party Committee of the Mirdita district, Jovan Bardhi, sends them to the secretary of the Central Committee of the ALP. of, Hysni Kapos, (covering the organs of the Dictatorship of the Proletariat), where he informs in detail and detail everything that had happened in that camp with the revolt of the political prisoners. For more information, we know the archival documents that Memorie.al is publishing in full starting from this issue.
The first information about the Revolt from Jovan Bardhi
ALBANIAN WORK PARTY Rrëshen on 24. V. 1973
COMMITTEE OF THE COUNTRY PARTY
Mirdita
Course: Preliminary information on the suppression of the counter-revolutionary revolt of the convicts in the Spaç Camp
CENTRAL COMMITTEE of the ALP
(Sh. Qemal Myrseli)
Tirana
As you know, on May 21, 1973, the political convicts of the Spaç Rehabilitation Camp carried out a counter-revolutionary revolt which was suppressed on May 23, 1973, and on the 24th the situation was normalized. The convicts began working in production… The Party Committee, through comrades Jovan Bardhi, First Secretary, and Preng Pepa, Chairman of the Executive Committee, followed the work all the time and took measures together with the cadres charged by the Ministry of Internal Affairs headed by Comrade Feçor Shehu. , Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs for suppressing the revolt.
The incident started at 5 am on May 21, 1973. The pretext was the violation of the rules of the Camp by a convict, (Pal Gjergj Zefi) who left the dungeon without serving his sentence and without an order from the command. During the attempt to return him to the dungeon, the action of 16 other convicts in defense of the convict Pal Zefi and against the officer and other sub-officers of the service until the blow exploded. Chronologically, we are not developing the history as you are informed. The events unfolding showed that we were dealing with a counter-revolutionary revolt of a deeply political nature and not a simple matter of working order and living.
They all began to act en masse, using reactionary slogans such as “Here is death, here is freedom”, “You are a villain, you have painted your hands with our blood”, “Long live free Europe”, “Down with the communists”, “I will kill you” we burn like Stalin ”,“ The people are with us and are against you ”, the soldiers were called to surrender their weapons. They raised a flag prepared and drawn by them. Meetings of representatives were held by provinces. They developed the platform to coordinate ongoing actions of revolt. They issued requests for release, to be released from prison as innocent, to never work underground. They tore and burned the angle of emulation, writes slogans with counter-revolutionary content.
So we were dealing with a deeply counter-revolutionary revolt. This situation continued until the morning of May 23, 1973, at which time our measures are taken during the days of May 21 and 22, 1973, were fully put into action and completely crushed and liquidated the revolt. During the operations, the moral condition and mobilization of the personnel in charge of securing the Camp and other personnel who came with orders from above were quite good, they acted energetically, faced fatigue and insomnia, etc., and successfully performed the task. Following the suppression of the revolt, the Bureau of the Party Committee of the district, in addition to informing during the events, on May 24, 1973, met specially and was fully informed and is following the analysis in the Party Organizations and Labor Organizations. Internal, in the Branch and inward 303 to derive the reasons that allowed this revolt to take place, the collective and personal responsibility for the situation created as well as the lessons that will be learned from this grave situation and for its improvement.
Following these analyzes, the Bureau of the Party Committee will meet in a special way to hold the perpetrators accountable, to determine those responsible for the Party’s Basic Organizations of the Internal Affairs Branch, ward 303, and the responsibility of the secretary and the Bureau itself… We will report these in detail to the Central Committee of the ALP. During these days, we will keep you informed of the situation there and of further measures to strengthen it. The event was also reported in other areas of the district, as there were workers who left the mine, passers-by who saw it, and so on.
With the data we have, the echo is good. People have expressed hatred towards the enemies and have expressed the opinion that the enemies want the bullet. We will use non-special cases to clarify our situation and measures in various meetings and meetings in the areas as an act of dictatorship of the proletariat against the enemies of the class by linking them to the topics given by Comrade Enver in the speech of 15 March 1973 We note that the strong measures are taken to suppress the revolt, the decision of the special court against the 12 convicts, and the execution of this decision within 24 May 1973, have made the effect of the enemies being subjugated and put to work.
THE FIRST SECRETARY OF THE PARTY COMMITTEE
JOVAN BARDHI
Information on measures taken after the suppression of the revolt
Qemal Myrseli for his friend Hysni
01/06/1973
ALBANIAN WORK PARTY Rrëshen on 30. V. 1973
COMMITTEE OF THE COUNTRY PARTY
Mirdita
Nr. 335 Prot.
Course: Information on the situation in the Spaç re-education camp for the period 24 – 29 May 1973
CENTRAL COMMITTEE of the ALP
(SH. QEMAL MYRSELI) TIRANA
In addition to the problems we have informed you about, according to the information we have from the Internal Affairs Branch, the following situation is now present in the Spaç re-education camp: First. As a result of the measures taken now, the situation has stabilized, the convicts regularly go to work, there are no violations of discipline and in general they realize and exceed the norm. Thus e.g. on 28 May, two rounds, albeit with a shortage of manpower and compressed air for a shortage of electricity, the plan was carried out in the pyrite 83 percent and in the copper 77 percent, so if there were no shortage of air, the plan daily would be realized. Secondly. Attitudes among the convicts are presented as follows:
Most of them now condemn the causes that incited and participated in the revolt. Many of them have opposed the elements who were participants and instigators of the revolt and even demanded that measures be taken against them. A considerable part maintains an indifferent attitude, they go to work regularly, follow the rules of discipline, but in other matters they remain indifferent. The rest of the minority, in disguise, continue to spread hostile slogans. Thus e.g. some say, “We will remain steadfast as we have been.” While the convict Xhemal Bali from Konispoli, convicted twice for crimes against the state, says: “We don’t need the life we live anymore”.
While two others express hatred towards the measures taken by our bodies to arrest and punish the perpetrators of the revolt. Through these, there are also nuances of revenge, especially against some convicts who testified and denounced the main organizers of the revolt, and in very masked forms the greatest hatred is expressed against the cadres who took part in stabilizing the situation. In order to clean up and stabilize the situation by the Internal Affairs and Justice Bodies, 5 more people were arrested on May 27, participating in the revolt and continuing the hostile activity. The bodies of the Internal Affairs Branch continue their work in terms of detection, unmasking, and educational work in order to further deepen the differentiation within their ranks.
THE FIRST SECRETARY OF THE PARTY COMMITTEE
(JOVAN BARDHI)
Conclusions of the Mirdita Party Committee for the event in the Spaç camp
According to Comrade Hysni’s order, talks were held with M.P.B., and issues were raised at collegium meetings. From this meeting came to the shortcomings of the work and the necessary measures were taken.
23.VI.1973 Qemal Myrseli
ALBANIAN WORK PARTY Rrëshen, on 8.VI.1973
COMMITTEE OF THE COUNTRY PARTY
Mirdita
Nr. 358. Prot.
Subject: We send the conclusions of the Bureau of the District
Party Committee on the events in the Spaç camp
CENTRAL COMMITTEE of the ALP
(Comrade Qemal Myrseli) TIRANA
Attached we send the material with the conclusions of the Bureau of the TV Committee of the District Party regarding the event in the Spaç camp.
THE FIRST SECRETARY OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE COUNTRY PARTY
JOVAN BARDHI
QEMAL MYRSELI
Talk about these problems with the MIA to take action.
Hysni Kapo
Memorie.al
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