From Dashnor Kaloçi
Part Fifteen
Memorie.al / Exactly 43 years ago, on the morning of December 18, 1981, the Albanian Prime Minister Mehmet Shehu, who had held that position since 1953, was found dead in his bedroom (according to the official version, from a bullet from a pistol) in the villa where he lived with his family, at the entrance of the “Block” of the high leadership of the Albanian Party of Labor, just a few meters from the building of the Central Committee of the Albanian Party of Labor and also from Enver Hoxha’s villa. Although more than four decades have passed since that day, considered one of the most serious and notorious events of that regime, there is still no clear and accurate version regarding what happened to the former Albanian Prime Minister Mehmet Shehu on the night leading to December 18, 1981! However, even after the 1990s, dozens of testimonies and archival documents have been made public regarding that event, “the murder or suicide of Mehmet Shehu,” which continues to be the subject of numerous debates and discussions, even wrapping it further in mystery around the truth.
Based on this fact, in the context of publishing dozens of testimonies and files with archival documents from the secret fund of the former State Security and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, or the Central Committee of the Albanian Party of Labor, which we have published over the decades since the collapse of Enver Hoxha’s communist regime and his successor, Ramiz Alia, Memorie.al has secured the voluminous file “of the enemy Mehmet Shehu,” which has been extracted from the secret fund of the former State Security at the Ministry of Internal Affairs (now part of the fund of the Authority for Information on the Documents of the former State Security), where, with a few minor exceptions, most of them have never seen the light of publication and are made public for the first time in full.
In the mentioned file, there are the relevant facsimiles, the expert report of the investigative-operational group that was set up immediately on the morning of December 18, 1981, led by Koço Josifi (head of the Investigative Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tirana), the forensic doctors Dr. Fatos Hartito and Docent Bashkim Çuberi, the prime minister’s doctors, Milto Kostaqi and Llesh Rroku, as well as the criminalist expert from the Central Criminalistic Laboratory of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Estref Myftari, assisted by high officials of that ministry, Xhule Çiraku, Elham Gjika, and Lahedin Bardhi.
Also, in the voluminous file that we are making public, there are testimonies from the family members of former Prime Minister Mehmet Shehu, from the service personnel, and his escort group, as well as from all other individuals who were summoned and testified about that event. Moreover, the documents in question, which we are publishing along with the facsimiles and relevant photos, provide more information regarding this matter.
However, even though we are dealing only with archival documents, it should be emphasized that; knowing how that system operated before the ’90s, we cannot claim absolute truth regarding what is written there, as not only from the individuals who provided their testimonies, but also from the investigators of this case, it has been made known that the testimonies were obtained under pressure, intimidation, and physical and psychological violence, with some investigators going so far as to write them themselves while the witnesses or defendants merely signed them.
Continued from the previous issue
ARCHIVAL DOCUMENT, WITH THE PROTOCOL OF THE INTERROGATION OF ASTRIT HASAN HITAJ, PERSONAL DRIVER OF THE FORMER PRIME MINISTER MEHMET SHEHU, BY THE INVESTIGATORS OF THE MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS, SOKOL KOLEKA AND BASHKIM CAKA
P R O T O C O L
(Of the witness interrogation)
Today, on 29.5.1983, in Tirana.
We, the investigators of the M.P.B., Sokol Koleka and Bashkim Caka, are taking the following witness statement:
- Name, father’s name, surname: Astrit Hasan Hitaj.
- Date of birth (day month, year): 18.11.1948.
- Education: Higher.
- Place of residence: “Punëtori” neighborhood, Gjirokastër.
- Position: Officer in the Internal Affairs Department, Gjirokastër.
- Party membership: Party member.
- Has he been convicted: Not convicted?
- Identity card number: Not with him.
- Relationship with the accused: …………
The investigator warned me of my criminal responsibility based on Article 202 of the Penal Code for false testimony.
WITNESS SIGNATURE
Astrit Hitaj
In relation to the case, I can state the following: On February 18, 1979, I started working in the escort group of the enemy Mehmet Shehu, serving as the primary driver.
During the time I served in this position, I observed actions by the family of the enemy Mehmet Shehu that contradicted the political line of the Party of Labor of Albania, carried out by both Mehmet and Fiqret Shehu, as well as by their children, which was certainly not right.
I noticed that the enemy Mehmet Shehu spoke very respectfully and with great friendship about Llambi Peçi, whom he would always meet whenever we went to Vlorë, and they would stay together for hours talking.
Towards us as officers of the escort group, both from Mehmet Shehu and Fiqret Shehu, as well as from their children, there was a dismissive, contemptuous attitude, treating us very poorly and regarding us as subordinates.
These actions caused dissatisfaction among us due to the treatment we received. Their children had taken the wrong path towards degeneration, and on various occasions, they had brought them home drunk from clubs in the late hours of the night, especially Bashkimi with Marjeta.
“I remember a time when I was returning from Durrës with Fiqreti and Marjeta in the car. At that time, on the way to Tirana, the Leader of the Party was traveling in front of us.
Both Fiqreta and Marjeta told me to overtake his vehicle, but after I firmly opposed them, saying that such an action was blatantly illegal, they fell silent……………………………!
On December 17, 1981, I was on duty near the house of the enemy Mehmet Shehu, starting my shift at 19:00. On this day, Mehmet Shehu had been at a Political Bureau meeting, accompanied by Ali Çeno and Llesh Rroku.
After returning from the Political Bureau meeting, Mehmet Shehu entered the house, then immediately exited through the front door (the same way he entered), looking at the front part of the house before going back inside. He requested that doctor Llesh Rroku visit him, who went to see him, but I don’t know why……….!
I stayed in the officer service room, where officer Dashamir Rabaj was on duty, while I was serving as the driver. Ali Çeno also came there. I didn’t closely follow all the conversations that took place there, but I remember Ali Çeno saying that he would go home to eat bread and would return again as he would sleep there.
I don’t remember the exact time when Ali Çeno returned, but it seems they told me to go get “Gaz” (a vehicle), to go to his house, and that he must have come to the officer service room, the way we always entered, from Jonuz Luto’s house……………….!
That night, besides me and Dashamir Rabaj, who was on duty, Ali Çeno, Milto Kostaqi, and Llesh Rroku also slept there. I can’t remember well who was in the officer service room when Ali Çeno said he would go home to eat bread and would come back again………!
After the protocol was read to me and I saw that my statements were written correctly, I signed it without comments. Memorie.al
Witness Investigators
Astrit Hitaj Sokol Koleka Bashkim Caka
To be continued in the next issue
Copyright©“Memorie.al”
All rights to this material are the exclusive and untransferable property of “Memorie.al,” according to Law No. 35/2016 “On Copyright and Related Rights.” Copying, publishing, distributing, transferring, etc., without the authorization of “Memorie.al” is strictly prohibited; otherwise, any violator will be held liable under Article 179 of Law No. 35/2016.
