By Dashnor Kaloçi
Part eleven
Exactly 43 years ago, at dawn on December 18, 1981, 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 pistol bullet), in the villa where he lived with his family, at the entrance to the "Block" of the senior leadership of the Albanian People's Liberation Army, just a few meters from the building of the Central Committee of the Albanian People's Liberation Army and also the villa of Enver Hoxha. Although more than four decades have passed since that day, considered one of the most serious and sensational events of that regime, even today, there is no clear and accurate version of what happened to the former Albanian Prime Minister, Mehmet Shehu, at midnight at dawn on December 18, 1981! But, even though after the '90s, dozens of testimonies and archival documents have been made public regarding that event, "the murder or suicide of Mehmet Shehu", it continues to be the subject of numerous debates and discussions, even shrouding the truth about it even more in mystery!
Based on this fact, in the context of the publication of 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 People's Liberation Army, which we have published in these decades after the collapse of the communist regime of Enver Hoxha and his successor, Ramiz Alia, Memorie.al has secured the voluminous file "of the enemy Mehmet Shehu", which was 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 of Documents of the former State Security), where with some small exceptions, most of them have not seen the light of day and are published for the first time in full.
In the file in question, there are the relevant facsimiles, the expert report of the operational-investigative group, which was set up immediately on the morning of December 18, 1981, headed by Koço Josif, (head of the Investigation Department of the Directorate of Internal Affairs of Tirana), forensic doctors Dr. Fatos Hartito and Associate Professor Bashkim Çuberi, the Prime Minister's doctors, Milto Kostaqi and Llesh Rroku, as well as the criminal expert of the Central Criminalistic Laboratory of the Ministry of Interior, Estref Myftari, assisted by senior officials of that ministry, Xhule Çiraku, Elham Gjika and Lahedin Bardhi.
Also in the voluminous file in question that we are making public, there are also testimonies of the family members of former Prime Minister Mehmet Shehu, his service personnel and his escort group, as well as all other persons who were summoned and testified about that event. For more about this, etc., please refer to the documents in question, which we are publishing together with the relevant facsimiles and photos.
But, even though we are dealing only with archival documents, it should be emphasized that; knowing now how that system functioned before the '90s, we can in no way claim the absolute truthfulness of what is written there, since not only from the people who gave their testimonies, but also from the investigators of this case, it has been made known that; they were obtained under pressure, coercion, intimidation and physical and psychological violence, even going further, where some of the investigators wrote them themselves and the witnesses or defendants only signed them.
Continues from last issue
ARCHIVE DOCUMENT, WITH THE MINUTES OF THE INTERROGATION OF PËLLUMP RUSTAJ, OFFICER OF PRIME MINISTER MEHMET SHEHU'S ASSOCIATION GROUP, BY INVESTIGATORS OF THE MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS, SOKOL KOLEKA AND BASHKIM CAKA
PROCESS – VERBAL
(Of questioning the witness)
Today, June 8.6.1983, XNUMX, in Tirana.
We, the MUP investigators, Sokol Koleka and Bashkim Caka, question as witnesses:
Name, father's name, surname: Pëllumb Myrto Rustaj.
Date of birth, (day month, year), 1961.
Education: High School of the Ministry of Internal Affairs
Place of residence: Rrëshen.
Job: Officer at the Rrëshen Internal Affairs Branch.
Party Membership: Unorganized in the Party.
Is he convicted: Not convicted.
ID number: He doesn't have it with him.
Relationship to the defendant: No family relationship
The investigator warned me about criminal liability, under Article 202 of the Criminal Code, for false testimony.
WITNESS' SIGNATURE
Rustaj Pigeon
Regarding the matter, I can say the following:
I have been serving as a service officer in the enemy Mehmet Shehu escort group since 1978. Since I had not received a house, I slept in the officers' room, which was next to the enemy Mehmet Shehu's house.
As officers of the escort group, as part of our physical and military training, we also held sports matches.
On December 17, 1981, in the presence of officer Astrit Veliu, I asked Ali Çeno if we were going to play the next day or not, and Ali Çeno replied to me: "You don't see what's happening"?!
I asked Ali Çeno what was going on, but he didn't answer me, but told me that we weren't going to play. Ali Çeno said these words to me after he returned to 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 was that night, but I remember that Ali Çeno, Milto Kostaqi, Llesh Rroku (who slept there every night) and a driver slept there that night.
On December 18, 1981, I woke up at around 06:30 a.m. Around 6:45 a.m., I went out and had coffee at a club and went to work around 7.00:XNUMX a.m.
Around 8.00:XNUMX, I heard Vladimir Shehu call Ali Çeno on the stereophone and then the doctors to go to Mehmet Shehu's bedroom, but until this time I did not find out what had happened.
When Vladimir called, I was in the garden of the house and I remembered that Mehmet Shehu would be sick. Later, comrade Xhule Çiraku came. He informed us of Mehmet Shehu's suicide……………………………………….!
Then, I can't pinpoint the exact time, Ali Çeno assigned me and Rrapush Çelmeta to guard duty at the corner of Mehmet Shehu's house, where we stayed for about an hour and were replaced by others.
After that, I went and handed over the key to the room where Mehmet Shehu's weapons were kept and stayed in the officers' service room, where we were later informed that no one was to leave their place of service.
During the time I stayed in this place, I learned that Kadri Hazbiu had come to Mehmet Shehu's house, but I didn't see him myself when he arrived, later I learned that the investigative-operational group had also arrived…………………………!
I don't remember the exact time, when, by order of Ali Çeno, I, together with Rrapush Çelmeta, were assigned to do service on the second floor of the building, where Mehmet Shehu and Fiqrete's bedroom and studio were.
When I went up to the second floor, I saw that in the corridor of this floor, there were: Llesh Rroku, Milto Kostaqi, Fatos Harito, Bashkim Çuberi, Elham Gjika, a criminal expert whose name I don't know, as well as comrade Xhule Çiraku and Raqi Iftica. I don't remember seeing anyone else on the second floor.
As I recall, at this time, the doors had not yet been closed and before long, about 10-15 minutes, the doors were being waxed, after they were locked. If during this moment, someone came out of Mehmet Shehu's bedroom, I did not notice it, because I had not yet taken up my duties.
I remember that the door keys were brought by Jonuz Luto, who, as I recall, gave them to Elham Gjika, who, with another person, who I cannot determine who it was, waxed the bedroom door and the door to Mehmet Shehu's studio.
After this action was completed, Elham Gjika instructed me to be careful in guarding the doors, so that they were not touched by anyone…………………………………!
I remember about 10 minutes passed, when all the people left and sat on the first floor of the house. Whether they stayed on the first floor, or left immediately, I don't know……………………………….!
I want to emphasize that I, the task of not allowing anyone to enter these rooms, began on the orders of Ali Çeno, after the investigative group left the second floor……………………!
On the afternoon of this date, Ali Çeno, Mete Boni, Jonuz Luto, Elham Gjika, Milto Kostaqi, Fatos Harito, and I entered Mehmet Shehu's bedroom, after we had taken his body, and placed it on the first floor.
Who opened the doors and who closed them, I don't know, but when I later received service here on the second floor, I saw that the doors were locked and properly waxed………!
After the minutes were read to me and I saw that my statements were written correctly, I signed it without any objections./ Memorie.al
Witness Investigators
Rustaj Pigeon Sokol Koleka Bashkim Caka
