By DASHNOR KALOÇI

Exactly 35 years ago, on February 20, 1991, thousands of citizens of Tirana and from other districts across the country, who had come or were in the capital that day, after numerous efforts and clashes with police forces and special troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in "Skënderbej" Square, at 2:10 p.m., managed to tear down the magnificent bronze monument of dictator Enver Hoxha, the symbol of communism in Albania, and drag it tied to an "IFA" vehicle to the "Student City", where the hunger strike of students of the University of Tirana continued, who were demanding that the government remove the name of Enver Hoxha from the State University of Tirana. This event, which caused a great stir at the time throughout the country (after being broadcast live by Albanian Radio-Television), is now quite well known, since from that time onwards, for three and a half decades, dozens of articles, shows, photo exhibitions, archival documents, film footage, books, television documentaries, etc. have been published, where eyewitnesses or protagonists of that event have given their testimonies about everything that happened there.

The toppling of the monument to dictator Enver Hoxha in Tirana had a "domino" effect, as that day, or even the next day, it sparked other rallies and protests in several cities and districts of the country, where other monuments, statues and busts of dictator Enver Hoxha were also located, such as in Durrës, Fier, Korçë, Gjirokastër, Skrapar, Poliçan, etc., but also, these events aroused numerous reactions not only from the senior leadership of the Albanian People's Army and the government of the time (who, in addition to the forces of the Ministry of Interior, had also activated special forces and military units of the Ministry of Defense), but also from many groups of fanatics of the regime and communist ideology, who, grouped in the Association of "Enver's Volunteers", rose up and organized anti-rallies, demanding the restoration of the monument to Enver Hoxha in Tirana, as well as his busts and statues, in other cities and districts of the country, where they had been removed.

As a result of these events, there were numerous physical clashes in those days, not only between the police and the angry crowds of protesters who had removed the monument, statues and busts of Enver Hoxha, but also with the "Enver Volunteers", or the students and teachers of the "Enver Hoxha" Joint High School of Officers, who organized themselves and demanded that the statue of Enver Hoxha, which was in their school, be marched towards the center of Tirana and placed in "Skënderbej" Square, exactly where the bronze monument had been.

This angered dozens of residents of the capital who had participated in the February 20 protest where the monument to Enver was toppled in the center of Tirana, who surrounded the United School, with the aim of preventing students from leaving its gates and their re-installation of the statue of Enver Hoxha.

Unfortunately, this clash resulted in deaths and injuries on both sides, as well as dozens of arrests by participants in the rallies for the demolition of the monument or statues and busts of Enver Hoxha. Likewise, the request of the military students of the United Officers' School to restore the monument to Enver, sparked the reaction of the Democratic Party, which, in addition to its commitment, a few days later distributed a communiqué throughout Tirana, inviting all citizens of the capital to observe five minutes of silence, as a sign of homage and respect for those killed at the United School.

But all of the above, except for what was broadcast by Albanian Radio-Television at noon on February 20, 1991, where almost the entire event of the collapse of the monument in "Skënderbej" Square was reflected, or even a short chronicle in the following days, all the other events that occurred thereafter until the end of February, both in Tirana and in various districts of the country, or those in Burrel prison, etc., are almost completely unknown.

Given this fact, in this article we are publishing secret archival documents extracted from the Archives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (already declassified), where, through operational communiqués, almost the majority of the events of those days are reflected, as well as the names of all those killed, wounded and dozens of those arrested, accused of participating in the rallies and protests for the demolition of the monument, statues and busts of Enver Hoxha, both in Tirana and in other districts of the country. With some minor exceptions, all these documents are published for the first time (and with the relevant facsimiles), by Memorie.al

SECRET OPERATIONAL COMMUNICATION OF THE MINISTRY OF INTERIOR DATED 26 FEBRUARY 1991, CONCERNING THE ARRESTS OF PERSONS WHO HAD TAKEN PART IN THE COLLAPSE OF THE MONUMENT OF ENVER HOXHA IN TIRANA AND BUSTS IN OTHER DISTRICTS OF THE COUNTRY

PEOPLE'S SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA SECRET

MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS Copy No. 1

GENERAL BRANCH Tirana, 1.3.1991

OPERATIONAL COMMUNICATION NO. 50

TIRANA

– On 28.2.1991, Dritan Kadri Hamdiu, 28 years old, a worker at the Military Printing House, was arrested for participating in the demolition of the monument to Enver Hoxha.

– On 28.2.1991, Andrea Llazar Kosteci, convicted once, was arrested for having gone to Kindergarten No. 22, as a representative of the Democratic Party, and having torn up photographs and works of Enver Hoxha.

Korca

– On 28.2.1991, Enver Ismail Muharremi, aged 39, a worker, was arrested for participating in the demolition of the monument to Enver Hoxha and assaulting the police.

Kruje

– On 28.2.1991, from 18.00 to 21.00, a group of 300 people gathered in the square in front of the Skanderbeg monument in an illegal rally, with the request not to hold the rally of the Association of “Activists – Volunteers of Enver Hoxha”, on 1.3.1991. Since it was dark, no law enforcement was used.

FIERY

– On 28.2.1991, Hilmi Haxhia, 37 years old, a worker, convicted twice, was arrested for participating in the toppling of the bust of Enver Hoxha.

MANAGEMENT GROUP RESPONSIBLE

HAKI LIÇAJ

SECRET OPERATIONAL COMMUNICATION OF THE MINISTRY OF INTERIOR DATED 4 MARCH 1991, REGARDING THE ARREST OF CITIZEN ENGJËLL LEK MILOTI BY THE UNCLE OF LEZHA AND SOME OTHERS WHO HAD TAKEN PART IN THE TOWING OF THE BUST OF ENVER HOXHA

PEOPLE'S SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA SECRET

MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS Copy No. 1

GENERAL BRANCH Tirana, 4.3.1991

OPERATIONAL COMMUNICATION NO. 52

LEZHA

– On 3.3.1991, Engjëll Lek Miloti, 24 years old, resident of Dajç, was arrested for having, with other people, demolished the bust of Enver Hoxha in the village.

MANAGEMENT GROUP RESPONSIBLE

ALI MËZYRI

SECRET OPERATIONAL COMMUNICATION OF THE MINISTRY OF INTERIOR DATED 6 MARCH 1991, CONCERNING THE ARRESTS OF PERSONS IN THE CITY OF KORÇA, WORKERS IN THE AGRICULTURAL ENTERPRISE WHO HAD TAKEN PART IN THE COLLAPSE OF THE MONUMENT OF ENVER

PEOPLE'S SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA SECRET

MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS Copy No. 1

GENERAL BRANCH Tirana, 6.3.1991

OPERATIONAL COMMUNICATION NO. 54

Korca

– On 5.3.1991, Pëllumb Muharrem Kafazi, aged 48, worker, Enver Ismail Kyçyku, aged 38, driver, Rasim Muharrem Kafazi, aged 56, worker at the Agricultural Enterprise, Engjëll Ritvan Mullalli, aged 39, worker at the Agricultural Enterprise, Demir Nazmi Demiri, aged 36, worker at the Agricultural Enterprise, Gurkë Asllan Palla, aged 46, worker at the Agricultural Enterprise, were arrested for having acted contrary to decree 7459, dated 21.1.1991, by demolishing the monument to Enver Hoxha./ Memorie.al