From Dashnor Kaloçi
Part Eleven
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 PËLLUMB RUSTAJ, AN OFFICER OF THE ESCORT GROUP OF 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 June 8, 1983, in Tirana.
We, the investigators of the M. P. B., Sokol Koleka and Bashkim Caka, interrogate the witness:
- Name, father’s name, surname: Pëllumb Myrto Rustaj.
- Date of birth: (day month, year), 1961.
- Education: Higher School of M. P. B.
- Place of residence: Rrëshen.
- Position: Officer in the Internal Affairs Branch of Rrëshen.
- Party membership: Not organized in the Party.
- Criminal record: Not sentenced.
- ID number: Not with him.
- Relationship with the accused: No family ties.
The investigator warned me about criminal liability, according to Article 202 of the Penal Code, for false testimony.
SIGNATURE OF THE WITNESS
Pëllumb Rustaj
Regarding the matter, I can say the following:
I had been serving as an officer in the escort group of the enemy Mehmet Shehu since 1978. Since I had not received a house, I slept in the officers’ room, which was near the house of the enemy Mehmet Shehu.
We, as officers of the escort group, were engaged in physical and military training, and we also held sports competitions.
On December 17, 1981, in the presence of officer Astrit Veliu, I asked Ali Çeno if we would play the next day, and Ali Çeno replied to me: “Can’t you see from the looks on people’s faces what’s happening?!”
I asked Ali Çeno what was happening, but he did not answer me; instead, he said that we would not play. Ali Çeno told me these words after returning from the Politburo meeting, where he had accompanied Mehmet Shehu.
After this conversation with Ali Çeno, I went to the Ministry of Internal Affairs Club, where I had dinner and returned there to sleep. I don’t remember who the officer on duty that night was, but I remember that that night Ali Çeno, Milto Kostaqi, Llesh Rroku (who slept there every night), and a driver were there.
On December 18, 1981, I woke up around 6:30 AM. Around 6:45 AM, I went out and had coffee in a club and went to work around 7:00 AM.
Around 8:00 AM, I heard Vladimir Shehu call Ali Çeno on the intercom and then the doctors to go to Mehmet Shehu’s bedroom, but by this time, I still had not understood what had happened.
When Vladimir reported it, I was in the garden of the house and thought that Mehmet Shehu must have been ill. Later, my friend Xhule Çiraku came to inform us about the suicide of Mehmet Shehu…………………………!
After that, I can’t determine the exact time, Ali Çeno assigned me and Rrapush Çelmeta to guard the corner of Mehmet Shehu’s house, where we stayed for about an hour and were then replaced by others.
After this, I went and handed over the key to the room where Mehmet Shehu’s weapons were kept, and I stayed in the officers’ service room, where later we were informed that no one should leave their post.
During the time I stayed in this place, I learned that Kadri Hazbiu had arrived at Mehmet Shehu’s house, but I did not see when he came; later I learned that the investigative-operational group had also arrived……………………………!
I don’t remember the exact time when, on the orders of Ali Çeno, I along with Rrapush Çelmeta were assigned to perform duty on the second floor of the building, where Mehmet Shehu’s and Fiqreta’s bedroom and study were located.
When I went up to the second floor, I saw that in the corridor of this floor were: Llesh Rroku, Milto Kostaqi, Fatos Harito, Bashkim Çuberi, Elham Gjika, the criminal expert, whose name I do not know, as well as my friend Xhule Çiraku and Raqi Iftica. I don’t remember seeing anyone else on the second floor.
As far as I remember, at this time, the doors were still open, and after not long, about 10-15 minutes, the doors were sealed after they were locked. If during this moment, anyone came out of Mehmet Shehu’s bedroom, I did not notice, because I had not yet taken up my post.
I remember that Jonuz Luto brought the keys to the doors, which as far as I recall he gave to Elham Gjika, who with another person, whom I cannot identify, sealed the door of the bedroom and the studio of Mehmet Shehu.
After this action was completed, Elham Gjika instructed me to be careful in guarding the doors, so that no one would interfere with them…………………………!
I remember that about 10 minutes passed, when all the persons left and sat on the first floor of the house. Whether they stayed on the first floor, or left immediately, I do not know………………………………….!
I want to emphasize that I began the duty of not allowing anyone to enter these rooms on the order of Ali Çeno, after the investigative group left the second floor…………………….!
In the afternoon of this date, I, together with Ali Çeno, Mete Boni, Jonuz Luto, Elham Gjika, Milto Kostaqi, and Fatos Harito, entered Mehmet Shehu’s bedroom after we had taken his body and lowered it to the first floor.
As for who opened the doors and who closed them, I do not know, but when I later took my post here on the second floor, I saw that the doors were locked and sealed properly………!
After the protocol was read to me and I saw that my statements were written correctly, I sign it without any objections. Memorie.al
Witness Investigators
Pëllumb Rustaj Sokol Koleka Bashkim Caka
Continued in the next issue
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