By Artur Ajazi
Memorie.al / Former Elbasan Garrison Commander, ex-soldier Bajram Luarasi, who has spent over 85 years of his life, tells the beginning of his military career, the minutes of meetings with Enver Hoxha, Nikita Khrushchev and the last moments of the meeting and talks between him, the major officers of the Elbasan Division Headquarters, with the Minister of Defense Kadri Hazbiu, the terrifying minutes after the arrival of an urgent phonogram from Enver Hoxha, his ringing voice commanding, and Hazbiu’s sweating, his separation and his headlong departure towards Kërraba, where a bad fate awaited him.
Mr. Bajram, you have been a soldier for nearly 35 years with a rich career, which started as early as 1956, wearing the uniform with ranks, from sub-lieutenant, lieutenant, captain, and then the one without ranks, after 1967. changed many ministers, vice-ministers, but we wanted to know concretely, the last moments with the last former Minister of Defense, with Kadri Hazbiu, one of the important figures of that time?
Yes, it’s true, I started my military career as a teenager, I wore the military uniform since I was 14 years old, since I was at “Skenderbej” school, I started my career with ranks and ended it with the typical Chinese uniform.
I have changed many ministers, commanders, deputy ministers, political and military directors, I have met most of them, I have even met Enver Hoxha, three times, and I was an honor guard at the ALP Central Committee, the days he came Nikita Khrushchev, who also greeted us.
I also participated in three military parades. While focusing a little on the ranks in the army, I remember that on the day that the rank of Major came to me, I only enjoyed it for 2 hours, because the urgent notification came about their removal.
In the morning I ran away from home in the rank uniform, and I returned home in the afternoon, in the new Chinese uniform. But let’s get back to your question. After the suicide of Mehmet Shehu, who was Prime Minister and head of the Ministry of Defense for many years, Enver Hoxha urgently appointed Kadri Hazbi in his place.
Mehmet’s closest person, whom everyone expected to become the Minister for the Army, since you saw them together everywhere. Kadriu was a man as serious as he was humorous, he behaved very correctly and very friendly with the military, subordinates and soldiers, but also very authoritarian.
I had also met Kadri 2-3 times, but when he became Minister of Defense, we had other business contacts. After the incident with Mehmet, when his suicide happened, in December 1981, the situation in the country, and especially in the army, was very serious, it was dangerous, it was delicate, because you could expect the unexpected, you could be fired, arrested, circulated , or even rise to office.
This is due to the fact, because only 10 days after the usual burial of Mehmet Shehu, reprisals also started in the Army. Soldiers and civilians were also arrested in the country’s Divisions, Mehmet’s former friends, just as Kadri’s former friends were to be dealt with a year later. Even in the military departments of the Elbasan Division, this happened, dozens of soldiers were dismissed, arrested, circulated, etc.
Kadri Hazbiu, as the Minister of Defense, had a last meeting with the soldiers of the Elbasan Division; can you tell us what you remember on that day in October 1982?
I remember it very well, it was October 12 or 13, 1982, the Division commander, Mikado Shakohoxha, gathered us as early as 06:30 and told us; “Today, the minister, Comrade Kadri, is coming to Elbasan, and the emergency meeting will be held in the central hall of the Officers’ House, make sure everything is in order.”
He assigned us to give a short speech and we would report on the problems and the implementation of the tasks. It was 10:00 a.m. when we were informed that Kadri Hazbiu’s car had just passed Bradashesh, while the entire force of our divisions, the entire Division Headquarters, was on standby.
We lined up in the courtyard of the Officers’ House, according to the ranks and positions, relevant duties, the Divisional Headquarters staff, and the commanders of the district brigades. Elbasan was a large district, and there were many military brigades.
As soon as he arrived at the courtyard of the Officers’ House, Defense Minister Kadri Hazbiu, as energetic as he was, met us all, and headed towards the hall where the predetermined meeting would be held.
We all noticed a certain change, Kadriu was not in a good mood when he met with the officers, and his face was broken, as if something was bothering him, or he was waiting for something to happen. The meeting started and the first speech was given by the Division commander, then the commissar, then I also spoke about the measures taken at the district level by the Garrison departments.
After two or three interventions from the hall, the floor was expected to be taken by Minister Hazbiu, when nearly 25-30 minutes had passed. I remember he had taken off his suit jacket, hung it on the back of his chair, and was wearing a white shirt, even with the sleeves rolled up.
All the time he was looking left and right, up and down, sitting thoughtfully, while we, in the first and second rows of the hall, were wondering ourselves with looks; “Oh, Kadriu doesn’t look good.”
Perhaps this also came from the difficult psychological situation of most of the military, don’t forget that the Prime Minister, the Minister of Defense, the number two of the state, had just killed himself, and his family had been retaliated against, but there had also been arrests. When these thoughts are still not well finished, the chief liaison officer of the Division arrives urgently.
What had happened?
So, as I told you, the whole hall was waiting for Kadriu, the Minister of Defense, the member of the Politburo, a man of considerable weight at that time, to speak.
And while an officer was approaching the microphone near the place where Kadri Hazbiu was sitting, the Chief of Liaison came running, and addressed the Division Commander, Mikado Shakohoxha: “Comrade Commander, an urgent phonogram from Comrade Enver Hoxha, is for you.” Everyone froze; even the fly did not peck, as the phonogram was supposed to be for Kadri.
We saw that Kadri was sweating on his forehead and covering his face. We heard Enver Hoxha’s voice, as if he was behind the door, ringing the bell, and he said only this: “He, who is in Elbasan, should leave urgently for Tirana”. That was it and closed it. For nearly 10 minutes, not even the breathing of the soldiers could be heard in the hall.
The first was Kadriu, who, as he was, hung his head, and tried to stay in our eyes, he met us all coldly, it was like a farewell meeting, we all understood but did not speak, and we understood that it was his turn. And so it happened, after 2-3 days Kadri Hazbiu was arrested, and after almost a year the investigator was shot.
I had heard at the time that Kadri had been asked to account for events that happened 40 years ago, but also for those that had happened in the last 10 years, when he was Minister of the Interior, but also for those months that he was Minister of Defense asking him, that; “Why didn’t you clear the army of Mehmet’s puppies”?!
I do not judge Kadri Hazbiu politically, but I appreciate him as a minister, to the extent that we have had meetings and superior-subordinate relations. It was very human, communicative, and above all authoritative, that’s all. Up to km. 29, Kadri was accompanied by two cars of the Elbasan Garrison’s Division and Corps, and where Elbasan and Tirana separated in Krrabë, police cars had also appeared.
It was the last meeting with the second man after Mehmet Shehu in terms of importance, it was his last minutes with the man he had carried on his shoulders. State Security and Police forces, for nearly 40 years.
What happened in the ranks of the Army after his arrest?
What happened to Mehmet also happened. Dozens of soldiers were dismissed, circulated and arrested; they were circulated to the cities and points of the opening (that’s what they were called then), dozens of soldiers, after they had taken up their duties, when Kadri Hazbiu became the Minister of Defense.
These were common things that happened in the Army at that time; I also narrowly escaped arrest, when Petrit Dume was arrested in 1974, because he was my patriot, and I was friends with him, because he also supported me, but not if I had cooperated.
But at that time, evil often came not from above, but from below, because it was those below who started fabricated letters and denunciations, and took you by the neck, to get a post, or to solve a problem of their own family
But the military have been and will remain the most dedicated, hardworking, most loyal people to the country’s ideals and destiny, who have indisputable contributions to the rise of the united army of what was called the People’s Army, and who today have stuck in the dirt. Memorie.al
