Archival documents on border killings in 1990, in the districts of Shkodra, Pogradec, Korça, Erseka and Gjirokastra, are declassified.
Memorie.al / The album “Communist Terror in Albania”, among others, brings a number of documents that reveal the truth about the murders of hundreds of Albanians who tried to escape from Albania during the last years of the communist dictatorship. Below we present two of these documents:
The speech of the member of the Political Bureau Simon Stefani with the deputy ministers and officers of the Border Command, on March 19, 1990
SIMON STEFANI: We said that the tendencies to escape have increased in some areas, and the steps are being talked about. We must not allow this situation; therefore we must apply the laws we have. If in any case politics has been made in the interest of the homeland and of the person lied to and perverted by the bourgeois ideology, this does not mean that a line will be drawn.
Those who will cross the border secretly will be punished according to the law, and if they do not obey the demands of the border guards, the punishment will be capital. There should be no concessions or illusions here. Some other issues that may also be related to the above problem.
It is true that the trend of escape has been and is sharp. Our bodies for this trend perform a large volume of work, in their pursuit they spend a lot of time, strength, tools and money.
For this tendency from 1984 until now, nearly 2 thousand people have been followed, 398 people have been arrested, and 11,000 other people have been counseled and unmasked by the Party bodies, the authorities and the Departments of Internal Affairs.
With all these measures from 1984 to the first 6 months of 1988, 354 people were able to escape abroad. Besides these, 495 people were caught trying to escape to the border areas. Since the liberation, until the last year, 11,800 people have escaped from Albania as adults.
Communiqué of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, about the events in some of the border districts of Albania, about murders at the border, escapes and captures by the border guards
ERSEKA
On 2.2.1990, around 24:00, the service unit of the Rehovo border post, in the region of pyramid 6, square 6776, was attacked by three border violators, from inside to outside. As a result of the unit fire, Ilirjan Ismail Zari, 30 years old, a resident of Tirana, guard at the weapons depot of the Kinostudio volunteer squad, was killed.
The other two trespassers returned to the depths of our land. As a result of the measures, at 05:00, on 3.2.1990, Agim Ismail Zari, the brother of the murdered man, was arrested. The search continues for the capture of the third, who is Ylli Qemal Keti, originally from Cologne and living in Tirana, married to the sister of the two offenders above.
SHKODRA
On 14.6.1990, at the border post of Han i Hoti, from the check carried out at the clone barrier, a pit and a combat hand grenade were found. The border post was notified, which launched the control unit together with the search dog, who tried to deal with the border violators from the inside out. The unit gave a warning, firing a gun in the air, because they did not stop, it shot in their direction, killing Pëllumb Pëllumbi, from Shkodra, while they were not busy at work, while at 01:50, on 15.6.1990 , the other offender, Marjan Zef Ndoja, from Shkodra, was caught. The blocking of this area continues.
ERSEKA
On 10.6.1990, Irfan Sali Liçi, aged 27, resident of Pojan in Korça, cooperatist, was detained for the reason that his external characteristics are the same as the border violator who left in an unknown direction, in an attempt to border unit of the Shelegur post office. Fatmir Ismail Duro, 25 years old, resident of Orman, Pojan i Korça, was killed in the attempt at 8:00, on 10.6.1990, in an attempt to cross the border illegally.
SHKODRA
On 12.6.1990, at the Zogaj border post, Nin Rrok Hoti, 25 years old, tailor, resident of Shkodër, was killed in an attempt to cross the border illegally.
Pogradec
On 17.7.1990, in the sector of the Peshkpi border post, by the control unit, Artan Ahmet Kushi, 16 years old, resident of Elbasan, student, was caught attempting to cross the border illegally, who was detained.
GIROKASTRA
On 17.7.1990, at 11:45, in the sector of the Radat border post, in an attempt to illegally cross the border, two people were caught and another was killed: Arjanit Ali Vashaj, 27 years old, driver, Shkëlqim Avni Deçaj, aged 27, resident of Vlora, worker, who were detained, Muharem Fejzo Velaj, aged 25, resident of Klos Mallakastër Fier, cooperative worker, who was killed by the unit, after implementing the requirements of the regulation for his capture alive.
SHKODRA
On July 18, 1990, Frederik Kol Petraqi, 25 years old, worker and Mark Noc Çurcia, 25 years old, fishing worker, illegally crossed the border in the sector of the border post Reç. On 18.7.1990, Rakip Myftari was caught trying to cross the border illegally, in the Reç border post sector.
Korca
On 18.7.1990, in the sector of the Ponçare border post, the service unit, at 03:05, attempted to deal with the border violators Nardi Kujtim Ravolli and Osman Xhakolli, who tried to take the weapons from the service unit and then to cross the border. The service unit annihilated Osmani and seriously injured Nardi. /Memorie.al
