“Former security files”, Albania still far from sharing with the past

In Albania, even though more than three decades have passed since the collapse of the communist regime, separation with the past again presents a challenge to society. The most recent case, that of former Repbulica President Ilir Meta, who, according to a letter sent to the assembly by the Authority for Information the documents of the former State Security, figures in documents created by former security, is the most flagrant example, that Albanian society still continues to face in a harsh manner with the past, unable to fully and convincingly whiteen it. And if in many former communist countries of the eastern bloc in Europe, this process has successfully advanced, in Albania the shadows of the past according to historians have emerged in most cases as political blackmail of one side against the other.

“We are dealing with what the security and policy of that time created and decided as its structure, blackmail and compromise. We are still not breaking apart from these vices of totalitarian societies even though 32 years have passed. When it comes to files, opening them, and the elements that have been part of the relevant structure are more talked about blackmailing, in my opinion, than making justice”, American Voice John Boric told historian.

Institute for Democracy, Media and Culture Director Jonila Godole told the Voice of America, that the most communist past division in Albania was not accompanied by a change of elites, which, according to her, made the process further difficult.

There was no change of elites in Albania in the 1990s, unfortunately. The old Elite went from a communist regime to democracy, taking important positions. I'm talking about elites in politics, in culture at the Academy of Sciences and so on. So they were not interested in making history and the past objectively white. But on the other hand, it was Albanian society itself, which in the post 1990s did not prioritize the past, thinking that the future will cure the wounds itself, but in fact this did not happen”, spoke of the Voice of America Ionila Godole, the spokesperson of the Institute for Democracy, Media and Culture.

In these three decades in Albania, several legal efforts have been made on the purity of the figure of senior officials, but according to researchers they have been mechanisms that have served most, the ruling party, to hit political opponents, or those in its ranks. In 1995 and 1997, two registration commissions, known as the Symni and Bezhani Commission, were established. They equipped about 800 officials with clean certificates. Then there were several other legal efforts, but without success, to get to the 2015 law, which sanctions any interested person to be informed about former state security documents. In addition to the diplomatic service, police and new justice bodies, no other institution has the legal obligation to request information for its elected or appointed people, whether they figure out or not related to state security.

The director of the Authority for Information the documents of former State Security Gentiana Soula told the Voice of America that the successor has asked the Parliament for legal changes that sanction the verification of any candidate for higher tasks, but also for persons proposed for decorations and medals.

“Versumption can occur, from local government institutions by parties, but is not mandatory. Some institutions bring some people no. The two main parties have not brought the candidates for verification, while bringing the smaller parties, which are not so present in parliament. It would be good for all the institutions, parties, and local governments to switch to our filter. And our proposal through the plea of candidates for local government or central elections is mandatory. The institution will then take its time to verify. What we note is that regardless of the motive for which we apply the law and clarify documents and information to the public, politics naturally seeks to use it for its own interests. On the other hand and the media are often superficial and do not go deep in research. Media and politics make us a challenge, but what we do, the dawning of documents, is a job we do for Albania and Albanians. We want the Albanian public to recognise the data, recognise candidates for higher tasks, and vote free, calm and informed. Vote for people who are consistent. It must be understood that without information the debate on the past is not complete”, Gentiana Sula, chairman of the Authority for Information on the documents of the former State Security, told the Voice of America.

One of the serious shortcomings facing the Authority for Information on former State Security Documents, according to Lady Sula, relates to the legal obstacle to verifying those who have been equipped in the past with certificate of purity from the two troubled and Bezhani municipalities. This is the case of former President Meta. Set in motion by an indicator through, the authority recently launched a letter to the convent, as well as to five other cases earlier, that it had been informed of the existence of a document linking the former state commander with the former state security. The authority suggested the removal of Article from the Law for Information on the documents of the former State Security, which prohibits the verification of certified persons from the two previous commissions. The first 20 years of testing with him now, according to Authority Chairman Gentiana Soula, is more accurate because of a more complete archive, as well as the possibility of deeper digging as a result of modernisation.

We've had our doubts, administered all of their archives. The practices that have led to these decisions we've taken somewhere incomplete, somewhere with no signature, no stamp, no detailed reviews. The Symni and Bezhani commissions have simply made verification through other institutions, at the time made SHIK and the Interior Minister verifications, while in our case the archive is all here and that creates an important tool for trust, as it gives the instrument here in hand. As of yesterday, “has an individual file” and a reference to the file with a name of whose file is the file, and today our objective is to access the files inside the file and go to the data produced inside the document. So unless you check the archive you can't do this analysis. We have the archive, but we have the specialised staff, which has lacked two previous commissions”, says Gentiana Sula, chairman of the Authority for Information on the documents of the former State Security.

Former President Ilir Meta has dismissed any possibility of his involvement with state security and has announced that he will sue the State Security Information Authority for serious and deliberate violations of the law, as he says, in serving political blackmail on behalf of Prime Minister Edi Rama. On the other hand, the left-wing majority has handed over to parliament two legal initiatives that coincide with the Authority for Information the former security documents. Virtually, it is about an intervention in the Electoral Code (requirement called 84 votes, which the only majority does not) force parties to verify the candidates for deputies, mayors and local councils, and the Canadians themselves to complete a declaration form, as well as abolishing the article in the Law for Information on documents of the former State Security, which prohibits the verification of persons who have received a clean certificate from the two previous commissions was subjected to their activity in the 1990s. Historian John Boric sees positively the legal initiatives in the function of sharing with the past.

I don't think it should be a problem to get the certificate of cleanliness for anyone who wants to be active in public life. Why should he have trouble showing himself to be clean and to show that he deserves to be a good governmentr, a good lawmaker, and so on. It's a very positive start, in my opinion, but it should serve justice and not individuals for personal purposes”, historian John Boric noted.

In addition to the majority proposals, the DP has submitted a draft law to declassify state security files in 1944-1990 to the assembly. Researchers say that in these three decades many politicians and compromised officials have viewed politics as a shield and have created strong barriers to verifying the purity of the figure in the report on state security. Historians regret that delays and vagueities in this process have in many cases damaged the country's history, leaving it hostage to politicians.