Dear colleague,

Now that we are writing to You this message we are really horrified with what is happening in our own country, in Albania.

Democracy is crying SOS! This appeal comes out from the spirit of a people whose free ballot was plundered in the most scandalous manner.

In the elections for the new Albanian parliament that took place on 26 May 1996, the Democratic Party of President Berisha and all the armed state segments placed the people and especially the opposition representatives under an unprecedent police, physical and psychological terror. Several people were beaten, arrested by the police and were threatened with their own lives and their children in Berati, Fier, Elbasan towns even candidates for deputies were beaten. One of them, Flamur Malova (Berat) was threatened by shooting over his head three times with a pistol. All these are scenarios which have reminded Albanians of the years 30 in Europe, or the years 70 in Latin America, especially in Chile.

Even before the election campaign, the Party in power by means of its majority prepared the climate, which lead to the day of the elections. The so-called anti-genocide laws, the Creation of the Committee for the verification of the figure of all candidates for MP, disqualifying without any legal basis a member of the most prominent personalities of the opposition, discrimination as concerns the space in electronic Media for opposition, antilegal prevention of legal activities of opposition during the campaign, the police forces themselves tore off the posters of opposition candidates. The law itself has a lot of defects which put forces of the opposition at a disadvantage position.

The OCSE observers in the elections in Albania have noticed the following:

The implementation of the electoral law has not complied with its own crtiteria;

In the commissions of the polling stations there have been arbitrary decisions on the part of the chairman and secretary appointed by the government (several opposition representatives were excluded from the commissions and beaten or detained by the police);

It was impossible to get the Voting Minutes for the opposition parties in the polling stations;

The accurancy of the Voting Minute has been questioned;

The number of ballots in the polling stations was larger than the number of signatures of voters in the Minutes;

The observers stated that the presence of armed individuals and unidentified persons within the polling stations did have an intimidating effect on the voters and the members of the polling commissions.

Practically, on 26 May a serious atmosphere of conflicts was created among the rank and the voters and armed folks of the state. At noon, President Berisha decreed unlawfully the extention of the voting deadline from 20-22 Hours. During the night there was provided space for arbitrary and intimidation actions.

While concluding that the situation was going beyond control and that the conflicts could reach onto an uncontrolled state (I could even say without hesitation up to the point of the Civil War) the opposition parties made the political decision to withdraw all their candidates and all the members of the polling commissions on observers. This occured 5 hours prior to the end of polls and was notified by the opposition leaders in a Press Conference.

After the elections with the proper guarantees that they would be free and monitored by European Union, The Council of Europe and USA.

However, the people are undergoing a severe violence. The headquarters of the Socialist Party in Tirana was surrounded for 7 hours on end by the police. Hundreds of folks were beaten and arrested in a manifestation organized in the main square of the capital. Yhe major opposition leaders, deputies and candidates for deputies in the parliament were beaten and arrested for a couple of hours.

The police has beaten the following persons:

From the Socialist Party:

1. Servet Pellumbi, First Vice-President, MP

2. Namik Dokle, Vice-President, MP

3. Luan Hajdaragsa, Vice-President, MP

5. Ermelinda Meksi, MP

6. Arta Dade, Candidate for MP

7. Halil Lalaj, MP

8. Maqo Lakrpri, MP

9. Alfred Paloka, MP

10. Musa Ulqini, MP

11. Moikom Zeqo, MP

12. Agim Faqu, Candidate for MP

13. Lesko Gjata, Candidate for MP

14. Besnik Bare, Candidate for MP

15. Enver Reci, Candidate for MP

16. Pandeli Majko Candidate for MP

and many others

From the Social-Democratic Party:

1. Skender Gjinushi, President, MP

2. Gaqo Apostoli, Secretary General, MP

3. Paskal Milo, Vice-President, MP

From the Party of Democratic Alliance

1. Neritan Ceka, President

2. Arben Imami, Secretary General, MP

3. Prec Zogaj, Press Director

4. Shahin Kadare, Candidate for MP

5. Blendi Gonxhe, MP Candidate, former leader of sudent strikers in 1991 for the deletion of the name of Enver Hoxha at Tirana University.

All these actions have been performed witrh the political blessing of the neocommunist and neodictator with the "democratic suit" Sali Berisha, the actual Albanian President.

We are psychologically shocked for what is happening in Albania. More than 100 candidates for MP from Socialist Party, Social-Democratic Party, Demopcratic Alliance Party, including 5 women organized for 5 days a hunger strike, as the highest form of the protest against electoral farce and manipulation of May 26th, 1996 election and against the severe violence exercised against us and some other hundred protesters in the peaceful rally on May 28th, 1996. But no answer from our President and his government. We are still without telephones in our party headquarters and incircled by the police and secret police. Things are getting even worse. We are not allowed to peacefully protest or manifest; it is more than two weeks our telephones and faxes have been cut off. Our activists and simpathizers being chased by motorcars with no number plate with persons from secret police who attack them right in the middle of the day in order to strike terror on simple people. Our lives and families are in danger. Excuse us fo

r being maybe impolite, but we can provide you a video and many pictures, which may prove this massacration.

Well, nevertheless, we would not feel the pain of our wounds, if You dear colleague would do all you can to exercise your authority in order that our demands for new elections be fulfilled to reduce the pains of democracy in our country.

With the highest consideration,

Ermelinda Meksi MP

Pandeli Majko MP

Gaqo Apostoli MP

Members of Trans-radical Party

Tirana, June 14, 1996